Championship Website
Game Notes
Follow Bloomsburg's trip to Edinboro
BLOOMSBURG—After a 69-61 win over Shippensburg in the PSAC Quarterfinals, the Bloomsburg University women's basketball team advanced to the PSAC Final Four.
The Huskies will take on the Crimson Hawks of Indiana Pa. in the PSAC Semifinals this Friday, March 2nd at 5:30 p.m. in Edinboro, PA. Two-day tickets are $14 for adults, $5 for students while BU and all students from PSAC institutions will be admitted free with valid ID. On Saturday ticket prices will be $8 for adults and $3 for students.
“Indiana Pa. is a young group that is playing very well” said head coach
Bill Cleary. “This is a very good team in Indiana that has a lot of pieces and can beat you inside and outside so we have to be prepared for that. I would like to think that our experience will play a big factor in Friday's game as well.”
Bloomsburg (25-4, 18-4 PSAC) is riding high on an 11-game winning streak and have won 15 of their last 16 games. In their quarterfinal win over Shippensburg,
Catherine Noack (Bethlehem/Liberty) tied her season best with 19 points and grabbed a season high eight rebounds.
Kayla Oxenrider (Ashland/Tri-Valley) added another 17 points on 7-of-7 free throw shooting.
The 2011-12 Huskies are led by two-time PSAC East Athlete of the Year
Kelsey Gallagher (East Stroudsburg/East Stroudsburg South) and two-time All-PSAC East first team honoree
Dana Wieller (Bethlehem/Liberty). Since returning from injury, Gallagher has sparked the Huskies to win 11 straight games. She is averaging 14.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per game this season. Wieller is the PSAC's third leading scorer, averaging 17.8 points per game. She has knocked down a BU school record of 90 three pointers this season, averaging 3.1 threes per contest.
On the boards, three Bloomsburg players have grabbed 100 or more this season.
Lauren Ellis (Bangor/Bangor) leads the team with 182 rebounds with 124 of them coming on the defensive glass.
Alyssa Flanagan (Freeland/Hazleton Area) is next with 122 boards while Gallagher has 110.
As a team, Bloomsburg is third in the conference in scoring with 73.8 points per contest. Bloomsburg is not shy about shooting the long ball as the three pointer accounts for 38% of their total shots. However, no one in the PSAC shoots the three better than the Huskies with Bloomsburg making 37.7% of their three point attempts, averaging 8.1 three point field goals per game.
Indiana Pa. is coming off a 71-68 overtime road win against Gannon in the PSAC Quarterfinals. Sarah Pastorek led the way for IUP with 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Marita Mathe added 14 points while Leslie Stapleton chipped in 12 and Amy Fairman's 11.
Pastorek leads the team in scoring with 14.1 points per game, tied for 10th best in the PSAC. Keep an eye on Pastorek in the paint as the All-PSAC West first team honoree is tied for seventh in the conference rebounds per game with 7.5.
Indiana's strengths are no doubt their rebounding and inside presence. As a team they are first in the conference in rebounding margin, averaging +5.8 rebounds per game and are fourth in rebounding with 40.4 rebounds per game.
These two teams met earlier this season and a five point loss was the result for the Huskies. “The first game we played against them was very close and had a great playoff atmosphere” notes Cleary. He continues “you got the sense that it wasn't going to be the last meeting and this Friday might not be it either. It was a back and forth game that really came down to last possession but both teams are better today than they were the first time around.”
PSAC Women's Basketball Tournament
Tuesday, February 28
Bloomsburg def. Shippensburg, 69-61
West Chester def. Millersville, 64-57
Edinboro def. California Pa., 77-58
IUP def. Gannon, 71-68 OT
Friday, March 2 (at Edinboro)
Bloomsburg vs. IUP, 5:30 p.m.
West Chester vs. Edinboro, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 3 (Championship game - 7:00 p.m.)
