City of Basketball Love

Andrew Robinson (@ADRobinson3)
––

GLENSIDE >> Lindsay Kutz’s pain turned out to be Widener women’s basketball’s gain.

The Pride junior is about as tough as they come, so even an ailing knee wasn’t going to keep her off the floor last season but it did require a position change from guard to forward. Now healthy, thanks to an offseason surgery, Kutz is giving Widener even more as her efforts Wednesday night at Arcadia showed.

The Pride downed Arcadia 70-55 with Kutz providing a major presence at both ends of the floor.

“I can definitely move better this year, last year I struggled with my knee,” Kutz said. “I was out all summer, but getting back into it this year, it’s been a great feeling.”

Pretty much from the moment she stepped on campus in Chester, Kutz has been contributing in some manner for Widener. The 5-foot-8 guard-turned-forward started all 27 games she played in as a freshman, then started all 29 of her appearances last year despite playing through the knee injury. She averaged 10.5 ppg and 7.1 rebounds as a first-year, then 7.0 ppg and 6.7 rebounds per game last season, while giving plenty of other stats as needed.

With her mobility somewhat limited last season, Kutz moved from the backcourt to the frontcourt and now plays as a “four” who still shows plenty of guard tendencies. Widener’s dribble-drive offense still affords Kutz chances to attack the rim, but she’s just as comfortable playing the high block or scrapping down low for second-chance opportunities.

Pride coach Alisa Kintner called Kutz a “blue-collar worker” and it’s evident in her statistics while playing at Widener, where she may not lead any categories but is sure to be near the top in all of them. Wednesday, she was a force with 13 points and 15 rebounds, adding two assists, three blocks and a steal to give the Pride a pair of frontcourt double-doubles alongside junior Mia Robbins’ 20 points and 11 boards.

Kutz, who played 29 minutes Wednesday, is now averaging 9.2 points and 8.7 rebounds per contest and she’s again among the team leaders in steals, assists and blocks.

“I know she’s going to rebound; I know she’s going to have putbacks and honestly she’s going to run through a wall if we want her to, that’s the type of player she is,” Kintner said. “She’s that typical blue-collar worker who’s going to come out, bust her butt for 40 minutes and do whatever I tell her to do. She takes that role and runs with it, she’s been doing it for three years for me and if I ask her to do something specifically, she gets it done.”

The Pottsville native was a three-sport athlete in high school at Blue Mountain, where she also played soccer and ran track. Kutz did plenty of winning, picking up district titles in basketball and soccer before following her older sisters Julia (East Stroudsburg basketball) and Kylie (Drexel soccer) into college sports.

Widener was the perfect landing spot thanks to its blend of team culture, coaching and a perfect academic fit. Kutz is in Widener’s nursing program, following a lifelong ambition with some family history.

“This team, Coach Kintner, I’ve never had a coach like her and we have a great team bond here,” Kutz said. “A big thing for Widener is the nursing program, so that’s what got me here and then I just love this team environment.

“I’ve always wanted to be a nurse. My grandmother was a nurse and I wanted to follow in her path.”

Kutz explained rebounding and physical presence would be the two main factors in Wednesday’s game. The Pride had a size advantage over the Knights, but Widener knew Arcadia could equalize that with its plethora of three-point shooting, so not giving up any second chances would be paramount and offensively, Widener could assert itself on the inside.

Robbins got Widener started with the game’s first four points but it was Kutz who put an imprint on the game with seven points and seven rebounds in the first quarter. Kintner joked that Kutz is never going back to playing guard - even if she’s listed as one on the team roster - because her toughness is such a good fit in her current role.

“We do a drill in practice that’s strictly rebounding, we bully each other until we get the rebound, it’s awesome,” Kutz said. “That’s something we really focused on this week, getting the ball and rebounding.”

Kinter said it’s confidence more than anything for Kutz this year, the junior more sure of herself and what she can do pairing with a healthy body to put it to us. From changing positions as a sophomore to getting healthy over the summer, Kutz has come through some challenges and her coach thinks this could only be the start of the junior’s best basketball.

“She was unbelievable, probably the best she’s played in a Widener uniform,” Kinter said. “That’s a specific type of kid we go after, we want those tougher kids and there’s specific things we’re looking to do and tonight, I thought we did that.”

Arcadia shot just 6-of-32 on its threes and with Robbins and Kutz policing the glass on both ends - the duo combined for nine offensive rebounds - the host Knights couldn’t sustain any positive momentum they generated. Widener freshman Riley Stackhouse scored eight despite getting plenty of defensive attention, Mary McFillin added eight for the Pride and Kimbery Casiello was a nice lift off the bench with seven points.

Delaney Bell battled all game, the junior leading Arcadia with 18 points while adding nine rebounds and three steals, with Hanna Rhoades adding 15 and Scarlett Glasser-Nehls tallying 11 points and nine rebounds.

Widener came into the season with high expectations, warranted after a MAC Commonwealth championship, NCAA Tournament appearance and a first-round win. Kintner didn’t hold back on the schedule early in the season, the Pride falling to a pair of Top-25 teams in Ohio Wesleyan and Christopher Newport plus Swarthmore in a 3-3 start prior to facing Arcadia.

Wednesday’s win, coming off a close victory over Neumann prior to Thanksgiving, was one that Kutz felt could be a catalyst as the Pride finishes out December before plunging into MAC Commonwealth play in January.

“This game was the one that really pushed us to know who we are and what we’re going to be for the season,” Kutz said. “We’re looking to be MAC champs again, we did it last year, so we want to do it again.”