RELEASE DATE: 3/02/04

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: KUTZTOWN STUNS MOUNTIES 76-72 IN OPENING ROUND OF PSAC PLAYOFF – OMARI PEARSON HAS DOUBLE-DOUBLE WITH 22 POINTS AND 16 REBOUNDS

MANSFIELD – Kutztown outscored Mansfield 6-2 over the final two minutes of play to pull out a 76-72 victory in the opening round of the PSAC Playoffs Tuesday night at Decker Gymnasium.

“I really can’t find the words to describe the disappointment all of our coaches and players are feeling right now,” said head coach Vince Alexander.

In a game that was marked by physical ability and defensive plays, it was the Kutztown defense over the final 10 minutes of the game that made the difference holding Mansfield to a season low 36.5% from the floor.

Mansfield started off cold shooting just 17.5% from the floor and trailing 25-13 after the first ten minutes of play. But the Mountaineer would start a rally keyed by a 3-pointer from Brandon DeShields to go on a 15-2 run to take a 28-27 advantage on a free throw by Omari Pearson with 6:47 remaining in the half. Mansfield would led by as many as four points before taking a 42-40 lead into intermission.

The teams continued to battle back and fourth in the second half with Kutztown taking a 55-50 advantage at the 12:21 mark before Mansfield came right back to take a 57-55 lead on a 3-pointer by Brian Bryant less than two minutes later.

Thanks to the outstanding efforts of senior Ian Connor, who scored nine of Mansfield’s last 11 points including all the Mountaineers points from the 8:43 mark to the 1:19 mark, MU held on the lead until Bobby Eberhart hit a 3-pointer for Kutztown with 1:58 to go.

“Ian Connor played to win tonight,” said Alexander. “He gave everything he had to win this game for us.”

Trailing 75-72 with 1:19 remaining, Mansfield missed two shots and Kutztown stole the ball with less than five seconds remaining to ice the win.

Omari Pearson was outstanding for the Mountaineers recording his 16^th double-double of the season with a game high 22 points and 16 rebounds.

Connor scored 13 points while Brandon DeShields came off the bench to add 11. Brett Longpre’, who needed 20 points to break the school’s all-time scoring record, was held to six points.

Jeff Brickus led four Kutztown (17-10) in double figures with 21 points.

The Mountaineers fall to 21-7 overall and now must wait on the results of the PSAC, WVIAC and CVAC Conference Tournament Championship to see if they will be one of eight teams advancing to the NCAA Division II East Regional Tournament.