KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University men's basketball team emerged victorious in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Division game on Wednesday night against the Shippensburg Raiders, 72-66, inside Keystone Arena on Faculty & Staff Appreciation Night.
The Golden Bears (6-15, 3-13 PSAC) used its starting rotation to power ahead of its opponent for most of the first half, and a scoring boost from its bench pushed KU over the top of the Raiders (12-12, 7-10 PSAC), breaking a six game losing streak and enact revenge on a team that claimed a five point win in January.
Kutztown maintained control of the game throughout the first half, thanks in large part to a 55.2 percent clip from the field and 4-of-7 shooting from long distance. It used its size to control the boards on both ends, and its demand of the game earned them a seven-point lead at the break.
Despite losing that advantage right out of the locker room, the Golden Bears quickly rebuilt its lead, avoiding a challenge from the opposition for the remainder of the game. Its 17-8 run gave them an eight-point advantage with ten minutes remaining, and despite many adjustments from the Raiders, the Golden Bears went with the punches and forced a team in position to secure a PSAC postseason berth to wait at least one more game.
Kutztown had five scorers in double digits, led by senior big man
Jordan Nkoa Abessolo (Yaoundé, Cameroon/St. Maria Goretti (Md.)), who recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds to go along with a pair of steals. Sophomore
Josh McKoy (Reading, Pa./Berks Catholic) notched his first career double-double, scoring 14 points while pulling down 12 boards on a night where he went a team-best 3-for-4 from long distance and snagged a pair of steals and had two assists in the victory.
Forward
Kidd Brizek (Greenville, S.C./Powdersville) matched McKoy's scoring output with 14 points, going 4-for-6 from the charity stripe and pulling down four rebounds. Freshmen
Amon Fowlkes (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) and
Brendan Gaines (Douglassville, Pa./Daniel Boone) each contributed 10 points, the latter of whom continues his strong play off the bench after scoring a career-best 19 against Lock Haven on Saturday.
Kutztown shot 47.5 percent from the field and connected on 50 percent (7-for-14) of shots from three-point land. The home team also led the way in rebounds (36-33) and paint points (34-30) in the victory.
The Golden Bears hit the road this weekend for a matchup with the Bloomsburg Huskies on Saturday, Feb. 14, at 3 p.m. The team will conclude its 2025-26 regular season home slate with a pair of home games against Millersville (Wednesday, Feb. 18, at 7:30 p.m.) and Shepherd (Saturday, Feb. 21, at 3 p.m.).
