EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. – The Kutztown University men's basketball team traveled east into the Pocono Mountains, losing a challenging, Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Division contest to the East Stroudsburg Warriors, 99-86, inside Koehler Fieldhouse on Wednesday night.
The Golden Bears (6-19, 3-17 PSAC) played a close game against its opponent in one of its final outings of the 2025-26 campaign, putting together an efficient latter half from the field and a near-perfect night from the free throw line as it sought pivotal baskets down the stretch. The Warriors (20-7, 14-6 PSAC) got off to a scorching hot start and never trailed, winning its fourth straight contest as it remains in the mix for home court advantage in the PSAC Championships in March.
Kutztown had to battle against a sharpshooting, long-distance offense for the second straight game, as ESU drained seven threes in the first half and finished with a 40 percent mark from beyond the arc. The home team's 49-point opening half showed off the team's relentless offensive effort, and its physical defense limited KU's shooting efforts from the field.
The Maroon and Gold burst out of the locker room and put up an impressive, 55-point half of its own, but ESU's strong finish held off the late surge as the Warriors look ahead to one final conference game at West Chester before climbing the tough road of the PSAC Men's Basketball Championships.
Kutztown's 86 points were its most in a conference game this season – a sign of the team's efforts in spreading out scoring and efficient shot selection. KU led the game in field goal percentage (49.1 percent to 48.6 percent) while draining 29-of-30 free throws compared to a 59.3 percent mark from its opponents. The Golden Bears also held the advantage in defensive boards (29-23) and paint points (52-44) on the evening.
Forward
Kidd Brizek (Greenville, S.C./Powdersville) had a career night for the Golden Bears, leading the way with 21 points on 7-for-12 shooting to go along with seven rebounds for KU. Fellow big man
Jordan Nkoa Abessolo (Yaoundé, Cameroon/St. Maria Goretti (Md.)) turned in his 12th double-double of the season, putting up 14 points and a team-leading 10 rebounds to add to the visitors' big night in the paint. Guard
Jalen Bryant (Edgewood, Md./John Carroll) notched 20 points on the night, while rookie guard
Jayden Robinson (Lansdowne, Pa./Lower Merion) had a career-high 13 points as one of the team's five double-digit scorers.
East Stroudsburg matched KU with five double-digit scorers, led by forward Jalen Pichardo, who had 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting to go along with seven rebounds for the Warriors.
The Golden Bears will finish its season on the road against the Mansfield Mountaineers on Saturday, Feb. 28, with tipoff set for 3 p.m. inside Marion Decker Gymnasium.
