Ridgeway reaches 1,000 in 91-89 win over Edinboro
Senior Ethan Ridgeway (West Chester, Pa./Bayard Rustin) had himself a day. He recorded his 1,000th career point, and followed that up with a game-winning, stepback jumper with under 0:01 left to help the Kutztown University men’s basketball team to a 91-89 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) victory at McComb Field House at Edinboro University on Jan. 6.
With the score tied at 8989 and 0:08 left on the clock, Ridgeway took a pass near midcourt. He took a few dribbles and then unleashed a crossover that gave him separation from the defender. One step to the right and he rose for a jump shot. Nothing but net. Ironically, the two points near the buzzer were as important to his team as two points he netted late in the first half.
With 4:07 left in the first half, Ridgeway was fouled on his way to the basket and connected on the layup. The shot gave him 1,000 points for his career, becoming just the 27th player in program history to reach the milestone, and the second KU player to do so this season, joining redshirt-junior Anthony Lee (Willow Grove, Pa./Abington).
Ridgeway ended his day with 18 points and 14 assists, giving him 558 assists in his career, ninth all-time in PSAC history.
The Golden Bears (10-2 overall, 6-2 PSAC) have seven wins in games decided by 10 points or less this season. They gave the PSAC West Division’s top team its first loss at home this season, as the Fighting Scots dropped to 9-3, 6-2.
Women’s basketball
The Kutztown University women’s basketball team was defeated on the road by the No. 15 Edinboro University Fighting Scots, 86-65, in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) action.
A strong emphasis on getting to the rim for the Fighting Scots staked them to a 2414 lead after the first ten minutes, scoring 14 points in the paint in the first frame. Both sides then traded baskets to the half time break, but Edinboro outscored Kutztown 4837 in the final two quarters to seal the victory in a game in which it never trailed.
The rebounding battle proved a tell-tale stat in this contest, as Edinboro won the war on the glass, grabbing 46 boards compared to KU’s 28. The offensive end showed this chasm most significantly with the Fighting Scots nabbing 16 offensive rebounds and scoring 15 second-chance points compared to the Golden Bears’ four and three, respectively.
Jontay Walton and Ciara Rosten maintained their reputation as one of the most formidable tandems in the PSAC in this tilt, combining for 31 points and 13 rebounds to pace the Fighting Scot offense. As a team, Edinboro shot the ball at a blistering clip on the afternoon, shooting 40.3 percent from the field, 40.9 percent from deep and 88.7 percent from the charity stripe.
Rylee Derr (Lititz, Pa./Warwick) secured her 11th game this season with a doubledigit point output, pouring in 17 points on 6-of-14 shooting to lead the Golden Bears. Taylor Thames (Colmar, Pa./North Penn) added 13 points, going 6-of-11 from the field, joining Derr to make up KU’s duo in double figures. Freshmen Zoe Zerman (Jonestown, Pa./Northern Lebanon) and Kaila Brown (Westminster, Md./Winters Mill) continued to provide a spark off the bench for the Maroon and Gold, tallying nine and seven points, respectively, for a reserve unit which totaled 27-of-65 KU points.
The loss for Kutztown drops its overall mark to 8-6 and 3-5 in PSAC play while Edinboro improves its record to 11-1 and 6-1 in the PSAC.
Wrestling
The Kutztown University wrestling team competed against three nationally-ranked programs at the NWCA National Duals in Indiana on Jan. 4. Despite dropping the three matches, KU took in the lure of the prestigious invitational as being recognized as one of the best programs in the country.
Kutztown opened the day with a 28-9 loss to No. 9 Indianapolis, followed with a 26-8 loss to No. 15 Lake Erie, and capped the three-match day with a 33-9 setback to No. 6 Pitt-Johnstown.