KU Overcomes Second-Half Deficit to Down Holy Family and Stay Unbeaten

November 30, 2008

Kutztown (4-0) 87

Holy Family (1-5) 66

Stephen Dennis (jr. West Chester/Henderson) and Dave Ben (sr. Coatesville/Coatesville) combined for 44 points to lead the Kutztown University men's basketball team to an 87-66 win at Holy Family University Sunday afternoon.

Dennis scored 23 points, dished out a career high nine assists and added seven rebounds and three steals. Ben scored 21 points, including 11 consecutive during a key second-half stretch that gave KU the lead for good.

Andre Woodlin (sr. Philadelphia/Central) had 13 points and Mark Bower (sr. West Deptford, N.J./West Deptford) scored 11 for KU (4-0). Ryan Washington (so. Philadelphia/Wissahickon) hauled in nine rebounds and scored eight points.

Ceazer Johnson scored 17 points and grabbed a game-high 15 boards for the Tigers (1-5). Justin Swidowski scored 16 points.

KU scored the game's first 11 points, but a 13-0 Holy Family run later in the first half knotted the score at 24-24. The Tigers broke a 37 all tie with the last five points of the first half and a 42-37 halftime lead.

Keith Whittington hit the first bucket of the second half for Holy Family's largest lead.
KU clawed back and then Ben took over. The senior guard's three-point play at the 15:08 mark tied the score at 48. Ben hit a layup on KU's next possession for the lead, then another three-point play and a 3-point field goal by Ben gave KU a 56-48 lead with 13:01 to play.

The Tigers closed to within four points with a little more than eight minutes to play, but a three-point play by Dennis and a 3-pointer by Woodlin gave KU a double-digit lead.

Dennis secured the game with 12 points down the stretch, going 4-for-4 from both the field and at the free throw line in the final 6:07.

KU returns to the court at 7 p.m. Wednesday when it hosts Chestnut Hill at Keystone Hall.