KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University men's basketball team fell to the visiting Mansfield Mountaineers, 66-60, in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Division contest inside Keystone Arena Thursday night.
The Golden Bears (5-13, 2-11 PSAC) struggled in the first half while its opponent built a halftime advantage, and while it was able to get back into a rhythm and draw closer as the clock ran down, the Mountaineers (2-17, 1-12 PSAC) held on to secure its first conference win of the season.
The Maroon and Gold were challenged from the jump, as the first half saw just three players score more than one basket from the field. The first half's offensive effort was led by redshirt junior
Kidd Brizek (Greenville, S.C./Powdersville), who put up an efficient eight points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field.
Kutztown clawed back as the second half went on, coming within nine with 11 minutes to go, a push that was led by the team's double-digit scoring duo of guard
Jalen Bryant (Edgewood, Md./John Carroll) and forward
Jordan Nkoa Abessolo (Yaoundé, Cameroon/St. Maria Goretti (Md.)). While it continued to draw closer, KU couldn't take the lead at any point in the half as they fell just short in their comeback effort.
The Golden Bears had three double-digit scorers, led by Bryant, who finished with 16 points and seven rebounds. Nkoa Abessolo (13 points and 14 rebounds) and Brizek (14 points and 12 rebounds) each secured a double-double, marking the second time two Golden Bears have reached the feat in the same game this season.
Josh McKoy (Reading, Pa./Berks Catholic) notched eight points, eight rebounds and three blocks, while guard
Amon Fowlkes (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) tallied team highs in assists (5) and steals (5) in defeat.
Mansfield forward Darrien Berrios Rivera led the way with 15 points for the Mountaineers, all in the first half, a period that saw him shoot a perfect 5-for-5 from three-point range to lead his team to victory.
The Golden Bears will look to get back in the win column to conclude its three-game homestand on Wednesday, Feb. 4, at 7:30 p.m., where it will face off with Wrest Chester on Girls and Women in Sports Night inside Keystone Arena.
