West Chester Falls to No. 5 Kutztown in PSAC Quarterfinal, 114-93

KUTZTOWN, Pa. – No. 5 Kutztown was clicking on all cylinders Wednesday evening, shooting 60.6 percent from the field to down visiting West Chester in the PSAC quarterfinal inside Keystone Arena, 114-93. The Golden Bears (25-2, 21-2 PSAC) were hitting shots from all over the floor, going 60.6 percent from the field (40-66) as well as providing a 46.2 percentage from behind the arc (6-13). West Chester (14-15, 11-12 PSAC) on the other hand tallied a 41.2 percentage from the field (28-68) and connected on 11 three-pointers in the contest (40.7%). After the first media timeout, Kutztown went on a 13-5 spurt over a two-minute span to claim a double-digit advantage. West Chester trailed by 14 at the end of the first half (50-36), but came out of the locker room on a 5-0 run to cut the deficit down to nine. So., Jackson Hyland (Avondale, Pa./Kennett) brought the lead down to eight with 18:41 remaining after hitting a layup in the paint. However, Kutztown responded as Josh Johnson provided a three-point play to seize all momentum. From that point on, Kutztown took control of the game as they finished with 64 points in the second half and never trailed in the contest. Second chance opportunities and turnovers were two significant factors in this quarterfinal. The Golden Bears were a plus 12 in the rebounding department (41-29) and outscored West Chester by 30 in the paint (60-30). Additionally, they were able to produce 25 points off of 13 West Chester turnovers. Both teams had five players finish in double-figures. Hyland contributed a team-high 19 points and seven rebounds for the Golden Rams. He finished the season on a high note, being in double-figures for the last 13 consecutive games. Malik Jackson (Lansdowne, Pa./Penn Wood) accounted for all 17 of his points in the first half, knocking down three triples in the process. He finished the season with a team-high 423 points and led the squad in three-pointers with 67. Dashon Giddings (Philadelphia, Pa. / Delaware Valley Charter) chipped in 14 points for the Golden Rams. Meanwhile, Tyrell Long (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) and Zach Bare (Reiserstown, Md./St. Paul's) each added 11 points to be the last two in double-figures. Bare in his freshman campaign was third on the team in total points (328) and was second to only to Jackson in three-pointers made (49). Kutztown's Johnson registered a game-high 31 points and nine rebounds. Teammate, Ethan Ridgeway tied a program record for the Golden Bears with 14 assists and in effect became their career assist record holder. With the victory, Kutztown notched its 17th consecutive win and will advance to the PSAC Final Four this weekend. Notes: West Chester is 16-19 all-time in the PSAC Tournament and 8-6 under head coach Damien Blair… West Chester currently holds a 9-9 record in the quarterfinals of the PSAC Tournament…The Golden Rams are 2-2 all-time against Kutztown in the PSAC Tournament.