GBC Men’s Basketball Faces Stiff Test at Kutztown Tues. Night

KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Goldey-Beacom College men’s basketball team will look to even its record at 2-2 as the Lightning visit Keystone Hall to take on the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference’s Kutztown University on Tues. night at approximately 8 p.m.

The Lightning (1-2), who might be 3-0 if not for early-season free-throw shooting woes, will also look to avenge last year’s heartbreaking two-point loss to the Golden Bears at the Jones Center last season on Jan. 5, 2010. Kutztown came in ranked No. 6 in the country but needed a jumper at the key from the Division II National Player of the year, senior guard Stephen Dennis, to escape from the Jones Center with a very narrow 76-74 victory.

Dennis has since graduated and a new era has begun in KU head coach’s Bernie Driscoll’s Golden Bear program. Kutztown does however return two starts from last year’s team which finished 23-8 overall and participated in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region tournament. Those two are 6-foot-5 senior forward Tamir Johnson and senior guard Julius Gray.

Gray, along with 6-foot-7 junior forward Eric Brennan (a transfer from Lock Haven) were named to the PSAC East preseason team. The Golden Bears were picked to finish third in the preseason coaches’ poll and they did receive two first-place votes.

Kutztown is 2-1 heading into tomorrow night’s showdown with wins over No. 23 nationally-ranked Philadelphia University, 67-60 and Penn State Berks, 90-49. In between those two victories they did fall to the Lightning’s crosstown rival, Wilmington University, 62-59. Thus far, Gray leads the team in scoring with 17.7 points per-game.

Meanwhile, the Lightning have been led offensively by senior swingman Sam McDuffie (25.3 ppg) and senior forward Terrence Parkes (21.3 ppg, 11.3 rpg). Parkes, who earned weekly honorable mention from the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference for his performance last week, led the Lightning in last year’s contest against Kutztown with 25 points and 10 rebounds. McDuffie also pitched in 16 points and six boards in a losing effort last year.

Senior guard Azeez Ellegood is also pitching in an average 9.0 points per-game and has dished out a team second-best 11 assists and made six three-point field goals. He is three three-point field goals shy of tying the school’s all-time career leader Nate Lewis (’06) with 122 and three assists short of tying Jeremy Jenne (’06) for second on the career assists list.

The Lightning will look to even not only this year’s record but also the all-time series with Kutztown. Last year’s meeting was the first and only ever meeting between the two schools. GBC was 3-3 against the PSAC last season, and thus far is 1-1 this season with an 84-71 win over Shippensburg and a 76-74 loss to Cheyney.