Washington, Bower hit career highs, KU moving on to region final

Ryan Washington (so. Philadelphia/Wissahickon) stepped up big for the Kutztown University men's basketball team, scoring a career-high 28 points in a 92-86 win over Indiana (Pa.) in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region semifinals Sunday at Hammermill Center.

Washington shot 12-of-14 from the floor for the Golden Bears (28-4), who shot 53.7 percent for the game, including a 54.5 percent clip from 3-point range.

Mark Bower (sr. West Deptford, N.J./West Deptford) also scored a career-high 16 points, as KU had five players in double figures.

For Washington, the career-high came against his old team and helped out his teammates Stephen Dennis (jr. West Chester/Henderson) and Dave Ben (sr. Coatesville/Coatesville). KU's two leading scorers managed a combined one point after halftime.

"It's big for me to step up," Washington said. "I'm not the leading scorer on this team, so it's big to step up."

He picked the biggest of games to do so, advancing KU into its first regional final in school history. The Golden Bears have already won more games overall and in the postseason than any other team in school history.

Dennis finished with 13 points and Ben scored nine, falling just one short of 2,000 for his career.
Julius Gray (so. Lincoln/Oxford) had his second straight double-digit game, posting 11 points. He had one of KU's six 3-pointers.

The Golden Bears started the game off hitting all six of its 3-point attempts, opening up the paint for Washington and Bower to work.

KU never trailed in the game, building a 15-point lead at 31-16 with 8:40 left in the first half. The Golden Bears hot shooting forced Indiana to use all but one of its allotted timeouts in the half.

Driscoll, who is 2-0 in the NCAA tournament, took his Golden Bears into the locker room with a 50-39 lead, but an injury to Dennis limited his play in the second half. Dennis is expected to be ready to go for Tuesday's final.

Indiana cut into the lead and made it a four-point game at 65-61 with 9:53 left, but a 12-5 run led by eight points from Washington made it 77-66, sealing it for KU.

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.