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KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The timing could not have been any better for
Ethan Ridgeway (West Chester, Pa./Bayard Rustin) to make history on Wednesday night. The junior guard tied his own single-game school record for the third time in six games, dishing out 14 assists to become the program's all-time leader while leading the No. 5 Kutztown University men's basketball team to a 114-93 victory over his hometown school, West Chester, in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Quarterfinals on Wednesday night at Keystone Arena.
The win was KU's (25-2) 17th straight, as it matched the 2009-10 team for the second-most victories in a single-season in program history. A win over Gannon, the two-seed in the PSAC West, on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Indiana (PA) in the PSAC Final Four, and the Golden Bears would match the 1917-18 team, who went a perfect 18-0, for the longest win streak in program history.
Ridgeway has dished out a remarkable 68 assists over his last six games to surpass the seven-year-old school record of 447, which was held by Stephen Dennis. The junior ended the night with 448 assists for his career, a remarkable 243 of which have come this season, which currently stands ninth all-time in PSAC single-season history. He set Kutztown's single-season assist record seven games ago.
Adding 13 points, Ridgeway recorded his third straight double-double and eighth this season.
Ridgeway was not the only Golden Bear to make history on Wednesday night, as
Josh Johnson (Norristown, Pa./Norristown) had a near perfect shooting night en route to a career-high 31 points in just 27 minutes. He shot 10-of-12 from the field and matched a career-best by making 11-of-12 from the free throw line to move into second in program history with 658 career made field goals. He was one rebound shy of a double-double, as his nine rebounds gave him 862 for his career to put him just two shy of also moving into second place all-time.
Johnson's front-court partner,
Dan Cuevas (Stroudsburg, Pa./Stroudsburg), also neared career numbers, falling two points and two rebounds shy of his career-highs with 21 points and seven boards. He shot exceptionally as well, making 8-of-12 field goals and 5-of-6 free throws, while also tying a career-best with two blocks.
The 114 were the fifth-most in program history and the most against a PSAC opponent. As a team, Kutztown shot 60.6 percent (40-of-66) from the floor, its fifth game this season in which it has eclipsed 60 percent. The Maroon and Gold also made a season-high 28-of-35 free throws (80.0 percent).
The trend of good shooting continued with KU's two other double-digit scorers.
Anthony Lee (Willow Grove, Pa./Abington) went 6-for-8 from the field for 16 points, while
Austin Beidelman (Schnecksville, Pa./Parkland) made 4-for-6 en route to 10 points. Both players also contributed four assists each.
Meanwhile, Kutztown's seven blocks were tied for its second-most this season, while its 28 assists were tied for its third-most.
KU outscored West Chester 60-30 in the paint, and despite only committing one less turnover than the Golden Rams, 13-12, had a 25-10 edge in points off turnovers. The Maroon and Gold held a 41-20 advantage in the rebounding department, leading to an 18-9 edge in second-chance points.
Other notable performers for Kutztown included
Max Wagner (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge), who was one point shy of a season-high with seven points in just eight minutes.
Ryan Connolly (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton Area) stuffed the stat sheet with five points, four rebounds, three blocks, two assists and a steal.
Kutztown looked to be well on its way to a comfortable win when it built a 20-point lead, 43-23, with 4:47 remaining in the first half, but West Chester cut the deficit to 14 at the break and would get as close as eight, 43-51, just 1:19 into the second half.
A Johnson 3-point play the next trip down the floor ignited a 19-4 run over just 3:16 though, and KU never looked back.
It began with nine straight points, seven of which were scored by Johnson, as the senior capped a perfect 5-for-5 from the line during the stretch to make the score 63-45 with 15:17 showing.
After a Beidelman 3-pointer was sandwiched between two West Chester baskets, Lee made two free throws and converted a 3-point play of his own to spark seven straight points to end the run, which ended with a Cuevas' layup to put Kutztown ahead 73-49 with 13:19 left.
