KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Mansfield University women's basketball team built a first-quarter lead on the road at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division leader Kutztown University, but the Golden Bears took control in the second and didn't look back on their way to a 57-45 victory on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 19.
 
The Mounties (7-18, 6-15 PSAC) slide a game back in the loss column of Millersville University for the sixth and final berth in the East for the postseason tournament. The Golden Bears (23-5, 16-3 PSAC) help their case as the top team in the PSAC East and second-ranked squad in the Atlantic Region.
 
Seniors Sydney Reed (11 points) and Paige Whitfield (nine points) each knocked down three 3-pointers to lead the Mountaineers on offense. Whitfield added two assists and a steal to go with her team-high 10 rebounds, finishing one rebound shy of a double-double. Junior Jasmine Hilton scored a team-high 13 points, grabbed five rebounds, blocked two shots and plucked two steals, while sophomore Kenedy Stroup pulled in five rebounds. Hilton finished 4-of-4 from the line.
 
In the first half, Mansfield jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead through three minutes thanks to a trifecta by Reed and the opening layup of the game by Paeglow.
 
Kutztown, however, countered on a 5-0 run to knot the game at five a minute later. The Mounties continued to shoot well from behind the arch, as Reed hit her second triple to regain the Mountaineer lead and Whitfield hit her first of the game with 1:13 to go in the quarter to give MU a 13-8 advantage.
 
Entering the second leading 13-0, the Mounties extended the lead to six after Whitfield knocked down her second trifecta of the afternoon. However, Kutztown responded with a 15-5 run over the ensuing six minutes to take their largest lead to that point, 25-21, with 1:38 to go in the half. KU poured in six field goals to the Mounties' two, with three coming from behind the arch.
 
Hilton got in on the 3-point parade to cut the deficit to one at the 1:19 mark, before back-to-back buckets by the Golden Bears sent the game to the break with KU leading 30-24. The Mountaineers knocked down six shots from deep, including a 3-of-4 effort from Reed, however, KU matched that effort while knocking down two additional field goals and shots at the line to build the half-time lead.
 
After a defensive third quarter that featured just 12 total points (6-6), the Golden Bears opened the final period on a 7-2 run to take their first double-digit lead, 43-32, with 9:38 to go. Whitfield drilled a triple on the next MU possession to cut the lead to nine.
 
Reed knocked down a midrange jumper to cut the lead to nine again with just under six minutes to go, but Kutztown answered again with a triple to go up 50-39 with 3:40 remaining. The theme continued a minute later as both teams traded trifectas once again, before sophomore Kenedy Stroup converted a 3-point play to cut the deficit to 53-45 with 1:50 remaining.
 
However, that was the last point for the Mounties and the Golden Bears sealed the victory.
 
Rylee Derr led three Kutztown players in double-figures, finishing with 19 points (5-of-8 from three) and nine rebounds.
 
The Mountaineers conclude the 2021-22 regular season by hosting Shepherd University on Saturday, Feb. 22 inside Decker Gymnasium for Senior Day. The Mountaineer Athletic Department will honor Paige Whitfield, Kira Merritt, Sydney Reed and Hanna Johnson prior to the contest.