KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University men's basketball team played host to the East Stroudsburg Warriors on Tuesday night, losing a physical, Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Division battle, 87-73 inside Keystone Arena.
The Golden Bears (5-12, 2-10 PSAC) put up a strong effort against the fast-paced, full-court pressed opposition it was pitted against, but it was the Warriors (14-5, 8-5 PSAC) who showed why it is among the best of the PSAC East in its midweek victory.
The Golden Bears led for more than half of the first period, holding a seven-point advantage before ESU reeled them back in and took control by the break. From there, the Warriors continued to apply pressure to the Golden Bears, and while the home team responded with similar aggression, East Stroudsburg pulled ahead to win its fifth straight game in the series.
Fifth-year guard
Jalen Bryant (Edgewood, Md./John Carroll) led all scorers with 18 points while recording nine rebounds and three assists, both leading the team. Forward
Jordan Nkoa Abessolo (Yaoundé, Cameroon/St. Maria Goretti (Md.)) tallied 16 points, five rebounds and a pair of steals, while center
Tobi Ogunbare (Dublin, Ireland/Lawrence (Mass.)) scored a pair of baskets while recording seven rebounds.
Kidd Brizek (Greenville, S.C./Powdersville) finished his day with 11 points and a pair of rebounds in 22 minutes of action.
Kutztown finished the day shooting 47.3 percent (26-for-55) from the field and 33.3 percent (5-for-15) from three, both better than its opponent. In an uber-aggressive game that saw two of the most physical and defensive heavy teams in the conference, each team committed 25 fouls, while ESU leveraged its advantages in rebounds (39-34), forced turnovers (22-16), steals (10-7) and blocks (4-2) to clinch the victory.
The Golden Bears stay at home for a pair of games throughout the next eight days, hosting Golden Bear Honors and Fan Appreciation Night on Thursday, Jan. 29, at 7:30 p.m. against Mansfield, followed by Girls and Women in Sports Day on Wednesday, Feb. 4, at 7:30 p.m. against West Chester.
