Dream Season Comes To An End

The greatest season in Kutztown University men's basketball history has come to a close. The Golden Bears advanced as far the Sweet 16, but fell on Tuesday night in the Atlantic Regional Championship to top-seeded Gannon by a score of 84-73.

David Ben, in his final game as a Golden Bear, became the first KU men's basketball player to reach the 2,000 point mark in his career.

Kutztown concludes the season with an overall record of 28-5, with 3 of the 5 losses coming at the hands of Gannon. Tuesday was the final game for seniors Dave Ben, Andre Woodlin, and Mark Bower.

Men's team upends IUP

The KU men's basketball team beat seventh-seeded Indiana University of Pennsylvania 92-86
on Sunday evening and will now advance to the Atlantic Regional Championship against top-seeded Gannon, who barely snuck by fifth-seeded Alderson-Broaddus in the semi-finals. That game will be Tuesday at 7 p.m. The Golden Bears, the three seed in the tournament, are now just one win away from the Division-II Elite 8. Kutztown is 0-2 against Gannon so far this season.

KU Men Win Regional Opener

The men's basketball team defeated West Virginia State 99-88 on Saturday afternoon in the first session of the Atlantic Regional Tournament. The Golden Bears now advance to a second round showdown against seventh-seeded Indiana (Pa.). That game will be held tomorrow at 5 p.m.

March Madness in Kutztown

It's official! The Kutztown University men's basketball team is headed to the NCAA Division II Tournament. The Golden Bears, ranked 21st in the nation, will be the three seed in the Atlantic Region and will open the tournament against six-seed West Virginia State (24-5) on Saturday at noon. The Atlantic Region Tournament will be held at top-seeded Gannon, the same place KU was defeated on Saturday for the PSAC championship.

There will be seven other regional tournaments going on while the Golden Bears are in action this weekend. The eight regional champions will advance to the Elite 8, which will be held in Springfield, Mass. from March 25-28.

See the entire field of 64 here.

Gannon beats KU, wins PSAC Title

The men's basketball team fell to Gannon in Saturday's PSAC Championship by a score of 80-65. The Golden Bears fall to 26-4, with half of their losses coming at the hands of Gannon. Despite the loss, Kutztown's season is not over as they will likely be chosen to compete in the Regional Tournament, which will be held from March 14-17.

Golden Bears Headed To Title Game

The men's basketball team beat Slippery Rock 103-90 in one of two semi-final games played at Gannon University on Friday night. In the other semi-final contest, Gannon beat Cheyney 69-50, which means 21st-ranked Kutztown will need to beat the team ranked sixth in Division-II if they hope to win the PSAC Championship. In a meeting back on Jan. 3, Gannon beat the Golden Bears 88-58.

Tomorrow's PSAC Title game is set for 7 p.m.

Playoff Update

Both KU basketball teams competed in the first round of the PSAC Playoffs on Tuesday night.

The 3rd-ranked ladies were in Millersville to take on the 2nd-ranked Marauders. Despite keeping the game close throughout the night, the Golden Bears were eliminated by a score of 75-64. With the loss, Kutztown concludes the 2008-09 season with an overall record of 20-8.

In men's action, the top-seeded Golden Bears took care of business against 4th-ranked Mansfield by a score of 97-86. Kutztown will now head to Gannon University for the Final Four. The Golden Bears will take on Slippery Rock on Friday night with the PSAC title game set for Saturday.

Saturday Update

The KU basketball teams will wrap up the regular season today at Bloomsburg.

The ladies opened the action with a 60-46 victory against the Huskies. The Golden Bears complete the regular season at 20-7 overall and 10-4 in the PSAC East. West Chester and Millersville will both win on Saturday, which means #3 Kutztown will open the PSAC playoffs at #2 Millersville on Tuesday. #4 Cheyney will be at #1 West Chester.

The men's team also wrapped up the regular season with a victory, smoking the Huskies 105-74. The Golden Bears improve to 24-3 overall and 13-1 in the PSAC East. The top-seeded division champs will take on #4 Mansfield at Keystone Hall on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the first round of the PSAC Playoffs. #2 Cheyney will play host to #3 West Chester in the other Eastern division first round game.

Game Scores - Divisional Play

With one game left to play in the regular season, here is each player's average Hollinger Game Score during PSAC East play.

Ladies: (Full Season)
1. McQuade 12.4
2. Wisemiller 10.8
3. Schroeder 7.7
4. Starr 5.3
5. Melvin 4.6
6. Dovey 3.5
7. Dellegrotti 3.2
8. Mertz 1.1
9. Greaves 0.1
10. LeVan -1.4

Men: (Full season)
1. Ben 16.5
2. Dennis 14.3
3. Woodlin 13.5
4. Washington 11.7
5. Bower 5.8
6. Gray 2.5
7. Coffey 0.8
8. White 0.6
9. Wenner 0.3
10. Coombs 0.3
11. Vrabel 0.2
12. Ford-Bey -0.1

Wednesday Update

The basketball teams are in action against Cheyney on Wednesday in what will be both team's regular season home finale.

The ladies opened the action with a convincing 82-65 victory to clinch at worst a top 3 seed in the playoffs. Melissa McQuade tied her career high with 30 points and set a new career high with 19 rebounds. The Golden Bears are now 19-7 overall and 9-5 in the East. Millersville and West Chester both won, so KU still sits third in the East. Cheyney clinched the final playoff spot in the East thanks to a loss by Shippensburg.

The men's team completed the season sweep of the Wolves, taking Wednesday's game by score of 82-76. The win improves the Golden Bears to 23-3 overall and 12-1 in the PSAC East. With the win, Kutztown, which is ranked 24th in Division-II, clinches the Eastern division regular season title.

Saturday Update

The KU basketball teams were in action against Shippensburg at Keystone Hall on Saturday.

The ladies opened the day's action with a 74-68 victory, clinching themselves a spot in the PSAC Playoffs. The Golden Bears improve to 18-7 overall and 8-4 in the PSAC East. West Chester and Millersville won their games and both improve to 9-3 atop the division. Cheyney also won and has a comfortable 2 game lead on the fourth and final playoff spot at 7-5.

The men's team also game away with a win, thrashing the Red Raiders 103-75 to clinch at least a share of the PSAC East title. The victory improves the Golden Bears overall record to 22-3 and their divisional record to 11-1.

Game Scores: Last 3 Games

As I mentioned last week, I'm having trouble getting recaps on here for each and every game due to time constraints. As a consolation prize for you, here is each player's average Game Score for the last three games:

Games included: Mansfield, Millersville, West Chester

Women:
1. Wisemiller 13.9
2. Schroeder 10.3
3. McQuade 8.4
4. Starr 6.2
5. Melvin 3.9
6. Dellegrotti 1.5
7. Dovey 1.5
8. Greaves 1.3
9. Mertz 1.3
10. LeVan -2.4

Men:
1. Ben 16.1
2. Dennis 14.2
3. Woodlin 12.5
4. Washington 10.5
5. Bower 2.5
6. Coombs 2.2
7. Coffey 1.1
8. Vrabel 0.0
8. Ford-Bey 0.0
8. Wenner 0.0
11. Gray -0.4
12. White -0.4

Wednesday Update

The KU basketball teams were in action at home against West Chester on Wednesday evening.

Despite a questionable decision to bench 4 starters with a 17 point lead in the late stages of the first half, the ladies team managed to hold on for a 63-60 win, which completes the season sweep of the Golden Rams. KU went almost 10 minutes without hitting a single field goal, a run that started with about 6 minutes left to go in the first half. This allowed WCU to cut the halftime deficit to 11. The Golden Rams carried the momentum into the second half and the teams played on the seesaw until WCU did the inevitable, tying the game with just over 5 minutes to play. The Golden Bears managed to retake the lead, however, and beat the division-leading Golden Rams by 3. The decision to go with the second team against a desperate WCU squad almost cost KU a huge PSAC East game. Fortunately, the players game through late and held on.

KU is now 7-4 in the PSAC East and third in the division. WCU drops to 8-3, but is still tied with 8-3 Millersville, who beat Cheyney (now 6-5). Shippensburg, now 5-6, was upset again on Wednesday, falling to Bloomsburg, who is already eliminated. ESU, now 5-6, beat Mansfield, who is now all but out of the playoff race.

The men's team also came away with a win, beating the Golden Rams 77-67. The Golden Bears improve to 10-1 and still hold the top spot in the PSAC East. With Millersville's upset of Cheyney, KU now has a commanding 2 game division lead with just 3 games left to play. If the Golden Bears win the division title and get past the first round of the PSAC playoffs, they will host the entire PSAC tournament.

Up next is Shippensburg at home on Saturday. After that, there are only 2 more regular season games for each team.

Saturday Update

The KU basketball teams are in action at Millersville today with the PSAC East playoff situation beginning to shape up.

The ladies began the action with a tough 73-69 loss to the Marauders, falling for the third time in four games. The Golden Bears drop to 16-7 overall this season and 6-4 in the PSAC East. Fortunately for KU, Shippensburg was upset by East Stroudsburg, West Chester was upset by Bloomsburg, and Cheyney suffered a surprise loss to Mansfield. This means that the Golden Bears remain tied with Cheyney for the three seed in the East, trailing 2nd place Millersville by just one game. They lead 5th seeded Shippensburg by 1 game.

The men's team managed their 9th straight win with a 77-61 win against the Marauders. With the win, the Golden Bears improve to 20-3 overall and maintain their hold of first place in the PSAC East at 9-1.

Wednesday Update

The KU basketball teams were in action at Mansfield on Wednesday evening.

The ladies were upset by the Mounties in the opener by a score of 59-56 and fall to 16-6 overall and 6-3 in the PSAC East.

The men's team managed an 84-79 victory against the Mounties, improving their overall record to 19-3 and PSAC East record to 8-1.

2/7: KU 93, East Stroudsburg 70

The Golden Bears avenged their only divisional loss of the season by smoking East Stroudsburg 93-70 on Saturday afternoon.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. Woodlin 26.9 - The Ben/Dennis/Washington trio has stolen the show for most of the 2008-09 season, but it was Woodlin who went crazy on Saturday, scoring 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting, while grabbing 10 rebounds and distributing 7 assists.
2. Ben 19.0 - Scored a ton as usual, hitting 9-of-16 shots for 25 points, 2 assists, and 3 rebounds
3. Dennis 13.8 - 6-of-15 shooting for 18 points, but did most of his damage in other areas: 6 assists, 9 boards, and 4 steals
4. Bower 9.2 - Another solid effort for Bower, who seems to be improving as his senior season winds down: 3-of-5 for 9 points and 6 rebounds
5. Washington 2.8 - Not his best effort, but did what he had to do underneath, scoring 8 points and hauling in 4 boards
6. Gray 2.0 - Just 1-of-5 from the field for 5 points to go with 2 boards and 3 assists
7. Coffey 1.2 - Missed both of his shots, but hit a pair of free throws and grabbed 2 boards
8. Coombs 0.0 - Played just 2 minutes
9. Wenner 0.0 - Only a minute of action in this one
10. Ford-Bey 0.0 - Nothing here in 2 minutes of work
11. White -1.5 - Missed shot, 2 boards, a foul, and a turnover in 10 minutes

Inactives:
Vrabel

Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

Saturday Update

The KU basketball teams were in action at home against East Stroudsburg on Saturday.

The ladies came away with a 67-59 victory, improving to 6-2 in the PSAC East and 16-5 overall.

The men's team dominated the Warriors en route to a 93-70 win. The Golden Bears improve to a division-leading 7-1 record and to 18-3 overall.

Next up is a trip to Mansfield on Wednesday.

2/4: KU 75, Cheyney 73

Stephen Dennis paved the way to Wednesday's 75-73 victory at Cheyney with 28 points and 8 rebounds.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. Dennis 19.5 - Scored 13 of his team-leading 28 points from the charity stripe and added 8 rebounds.
2. Ben 14.1 - 6-of-14 in this one for 17 points, 4 boards, 2 dimes, 2 steals
3. Bower 9.5 - Had another nice game, hitting 5-of-7 shots for 13 points and added 4 boards
4. Woodlin 8.8 - Just 2-of-8 for 10 points and added 3 boards and 4 assists
5. Washington 4.0 - Shot only twice (making both) in 38 minutes of work and had just 4 boards. Also had 4 assists and 2 steals.
6. Coffey -0.7 - Missed a shot in 2 minutes of action
7. Coombs -0.9 - Missed shot, 2 missed free throws, 2 boards, foul, in 7 minutes
8. Gray -1.2 - 1-of-3 for 2 points, 3 fouls, turnover, assist in 10 minutes

Inactives:
Wenner
White
Ford-Bey
Vrabel

Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score

Wednesday Update

The KU basketball teams were in action at Cheyney on Wednesday evening.

The ladies opened up the action with a 83-76 loss the Wolves and fall to 5-2 in the PSAC East. Cheyney improves to 5-2 in the division with the win.

The men's team, which was tied with Cheyney atop the PSAC East heading into the game, came away with a 75-73 victory. The win moves KU into sole possession of first place in the PSAC East at 6-1.

Up next is a meeting with East Stroudsburg at home on Saturday.

Full recaps Thursday.

1/31: KU 88, Bloomsburg 63

Ryan Washington added another double-double to his resume on Saturday with a 16 points, 11 rebound effort against the Huskies.

Hollinger Game Score:

1. Ben 28.3 - 10-of-16 on the day for 31 points, 6 boards, and 5 steals. Man is he on a roll.
2. Washington 17.5 - 16 point, 11 rebound effort for the sophomore
3. Dennis 16.1 - Scored 20 points on 19 shots. Also had 9 rebounds and 4 dimes
4. Bower 3.9 - 6 points, 4 rebounds in 20 minutes before fouling out
5. Coffey 2.7 - Missed shot, rebound, assist, 2 steals in 11 minutes
6. Gray 2.4 - 4 points, including a three pointer, and 3 steals highlighted his 15 minutes
7. Wenner 2.4 - Bucket and an assist in 3 minutes
8. Woodlin 1.0 - 2-of-8 from the field for 5 points, 4 rebounds
9. White 0.0 - 2-for-2 for 4 points, but fouled out and had 2 turnovers in 11 minutes
10. Ford-Bey 0.0 - Nothing doing in 2 minutes
11. Vrabel -0.9 - Had a chance to finally score a point, but missed 2 free throws
12. Coombs -1.8 - The struggles continue: 2 fouls, 2 turnovers in 8 minutes

Boxscore
YTD Hollinger Game Score