Box Score

KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Freshman forward Marlene Bassett totaled 17 points to lead all scorers, but a late 10-0 run from Kutztown helped the Golden Bears pull away from a short-handed East Stroudsburg University for a 72-64 victory on Wednesday.

After a layup by sophomore guard Jordan Hertz reduced Kutztown's lead to 52-50 with 8:04 left in regulation, the home side scored 10 unanswered while keeping ESU off the scoreboard for the next four and a half minutes to put the game out of reach.

The Golden Bears (16-11, 11-10 PSAC) snapped a three-game losing streak to the Warriors (16-9, 14-7 PSAC) and guaranteed a first round home game in next week's PSAC tournament. ESU, locked into the No. 2 spot in the East standings, will host a quarterfinal next Wednesday.

Bassett hit 8 of 12 shots from the field in 39 minutes of action to score 10+ points for a fifth time in the past seven contests. She was joined in double figures by senior guard Imani Brown (15 points, eight rebounds), sophomore guard Sadie Cresswell (12 points) and Hertz (11 points). Cresswell also dished out a career-high six assists, while Hertz added five assists and two blocks.

Karen Lapkiewicz led Kutztown with 15 points. ESU had only nine players dressed for the contest due to a variety of illnesses and injuries.

Little separated the teams through the first three quarters, with neither side leading by more than six points until Kutztown's late decisive run.

ESU lost despite shooting over 50 percent from the field for a second-consecutive game. The Warriors hit 24 of 46 field goal attempts (52.2 percent), but Kutztown had a 20-7 advantage in turnovers and a 23-9 edge in points off turnovers.

Bassett is averaging a team-high 13.9 points per game while shooting 56.8 percent from the floor over the last seven contests. Cresswell's six assists, meanwhile, were well above her previous career best of three.

ESU is in the midst of its first three-game losing streak since Nov. 29 – Dec. 4, 2015. The Warriors will try to halt that slide at 1 p.m. Saturday, as Millersville heads to Koehler Fieldhouse in the regular season finale for both teams. Brown, ESU's lone senior in 2017-18, will be recognized prior to her final regular season home contest.