Men's Basketball
Game Recap

KU men win PSAC East title with 82-76 win over Cheyney

Feb. 25, 2009

Kutztown (23-3, 12-1 PSAC East)    82
Cheyney (16-8, 9-4 PSAC East)       76
BOXSCORE

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — Andre Woodlin (sr. Philadelphia/Central) did more than make his mark on the court on Senior Night, as the Kutztown University men’s basketball team won the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East title with an 82-76 win over Cheyney University Wednesday at Keystone Hall.

Andre Woodlin

Woodlin made a coaching decision that helped No. 24-ranked KU win its 12th straight game and complete the perfect regular season at home, 14-0.

With less than five minutes left and the Golden Bears trailing by four, Woodlin suggested during a timeout that KU switch to man-to-man over the zone defense that had been utilized throughout most of the game.

KU head coach Bernie Driscoll, who collected his 137th win, a school record, listened to his senior guard and the rest was history.

The Golden Bears (23-3, 12-1 PSAC East) stifled the Wolves’ offense and went on a 16-5 run to close out the game.

Stephen Dennis (jr. West Chester/Henderson) scored 25 points to lead KU, 11 of which came from the free-throw line.

Ryan Washington (so. Philadelphia/Wissahickon) added 19 points, including the go-ahead putback that gave KU a 77-76 lead with 59 seconds left and brought the crowd of 2,250 to their feet.

Dennis followed with two free throws 30 seconds later and recorded a block with 14 seconds left to keep Cheyney off the scoreboard.

Ryan White (fr. Philadelphia/Franklin Learning Ctr.) stepped up for KU, replacing Washington who fell victim to foul trouble early. White finished with six points, but more importantly, he grabbed seven boards, all on the offensive end.

His biggest board came when he corralled a missed free throw by Dave Ben, who had a chance to cut Cheyney’s lead to two points with 1:59 remaining. The board allowed Dennis to net a layup 17 seconds later and cut the lead to one.

White also flew to the left corner after a missed Cheyney free throw, threw the ball off a Cheyney player and out of bounds to give KU possession late in the game.

Woodlin, who was 5-of-6 from the charity stripe, scored 15 points and pulled down eight rebounds. Dave Ben (sr. Coatesville/Coatesville) finished with 13 points, including a clutch 3-pointer in the second half.

Cheyney (16-8, 9-4 PSAC East) led the majority of the first half and took a 42-38 lead into halftime.

The Wolves were led by Dominique Curry, who scored 25 points and had 13 rebounds. He recorded 19 of his 25 in the first half.

Tyrone Smith scored 21 points, including three 3-pointers. Hakeem Townsend also had three 3s for the Wolves.

Woodlin, Ben and Mark Bower (sr. West Deptford, N.J./West Deptford) were honored before the game for Senior Night.

Bower finished with four points, but he was extremely happy to walk out with a win.

"I didn't play particularly well," he said, "but that's what kind of team we have. My teammates are always there to pick me up. Winning tonight, this season, it's all just the highlight of my career."

KU will close out the regular season on Saturday at Bloomsburg with a 3 p.m. contest. The Golden Bears will return home Tuesday, March 3, to host the quarterfinals of the PSAC playoffs.