Jan26

ESU-Kutztown Men's Basketball

KUTZTOWN - Shahad Abdur Rahkman led three Warriors in double figures with 22 points, and East Stroudsburg University held off a late rally in defeating Kutztown, 68-66, Wednesday night in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division men's basketball match-up.

Guards Juwan Justice and R.C. Kehoe joined Rahkman in double figures, scoring 17 and 14 points, respectively. Justice also added eight rebounds, while Kehoe chipped in with eight assists and six steals.

ESU raced to a 10-0 lead 4:28 into the ballgame and used another 10-0 run late in the first half to build a 16 point margin, its largest of the contest, at 36-20 with 22 seconds remaining until halftime.

Rahkman keyed both spurts, scoring six points in the opening minutes of the game and adding four more on back-to-back baskets in the run that helped the Warriors to a 36-23 halftime advantage.

Kutztown refused to go away, however, and cut the lead to three with just under 10 minutes left in the contest with eight straight points, including six from leading scorer Darnell Scott.

The Warriors quickly built the lead back to 11, and appeared to be in control of the contest when they led by eight points with 1:40 left. But the Golden Bears clawed their way back with six straight points, featuring two dunks by Scott with a layup by Kevin Handy in between.

After two free throws by Justice built the lead to four, Grady Knight drilled a three-pointer to pull Kutztown within one point, 67-66, with 28 seconds to play. Kyle Kostic was unable to convert two free throws on the Warriors' next possession, and Tom Legath was misfired on a three-point attempt on the Bear's next possession, setting the stage for an exciting finish.

Kehoe drained one of two free throws to build the lead back to two with five second left. Kostic then made up for his missed free throws by stripping Knight at the buzzer to preserve ESU's third victory in its last four games.

Scott led Kutztown with 22 points on 9-for-13 shooting, and Knight added 13. ESU was solid on the defensive end, forcing 22 turnovers and grabbing 15 steals.

The Warriors will have a week to prepare for a home contest against PSAC East power West Chester. The Rams visit Koehler Fieldhouse, Wednesday, Feb. 22, at 8:00 p.m.

ESU 68

Rahkman 11 0-1 22, Smith 4 0-1 8, Justice 5 4-6 17, Kostic 0 1-4 1, Kehoe 5 1-2 14, Henderson 1 2-2 4, Lynch 1 0-0 2. Totals: 27 8-16 68.

Kutztown 66

Cox 3 0-0 8, Knight 4 2-4 13, Handy 3 1-4 7, Smith 0 1-2 1, Doman 2 1-2 5, Scott 9 1-1 22, Barona 0 3-4 3, Legath 3 0-0 7, Walls 0 0-0 0. Totals: 24 9-17 66.

Three-Point Goals: ESU - Justice 3, Kehoe 3; Kutz. - Scott 3, Knight 3, Cox 2.

Halftime: ESU 36-23