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BLOOMSBURG—The Bloomsburg University women's basketball team will begin its quest for an NCAA Division II championship with an Atlantic Region opening round game against Indiana, Pa. University (IUP) on Friday, March 15 at 8:30 p.m. at Gannon University in Erie.
 
The Huskies, 24-5, are seeded fifth in the Atlantic Region and will face the Crimson Hawks, 22-8, the fourth seed. The winner will advance to face the winner of the Gannon (No. 1 seed)/Fairmont State (No. 8 seed) on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
 
Bloomsburg is coming off a big weekend of action in which it claimed its second PSAC (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference) title in school history with a 74-57 win over Gannon. Senior Alyssa Flanagan (Freeland/Hazleton Area) was named the tournament MVP after averaging 9.9 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.5 rebounds per game over the weekend.
 
The Huskies, winners of nine straight games, will be making their eighth trip to the NCAA Championships in school history and first back-to-back appearances in the NCAA tournament since making a run of four straight from 1988-92.
 
A year ago the Huskies were also matched up with IUP in the opening round game of the NCAA Championships and fell to the Crimson Hawks, 77-76. In a meeting earlier in the regular season this year the Huskies lost to IUP, 68-54. IUP leads the all-time series with the Huskies, 21-16.
 
On the season the Huskies are led in scoring by senior Dana Wieller (Bethlehem/Liberty) who is averaging 14.3 points per game and leads the Huskies with 66 made three-pointers. Wieller is second all-time in school history in scoring with 1,873 points.
 
Behind Wieller is senior Lauren Ellis (Bangor/Bangor) who averages 10.8 points and a team-high 7.2 rebounds a game. Ellis also leads the team in field goal percentage with a mark of 55.1 percent. Close behind Ellis is senior Kayla Oxenrider (Ashland/Tri-Valley) who is averaging 10.1 points a game and ninth all-time in scoring with 1,130 points. She needs just four more to take over eighth place all-time in school history.
 
Junior Catherine Noack (Bethlehem/Liberty) is the fourth player averaging in double digits with 10.1 points a game and is second in three-pointers made with 56. Noack averaged 14.5 points a game in the PSAC semifinals and finals last weekend.

A win for the Huskies would also be the 100th for head coach Bill Cleary at Bloomsburg.
 
IUP, the fourth seed, is 22-8 on the season and lost in the quarterfinals of the PSAC playoffs to Edinboro, 75-71. This is the Crimson Hawks second straight NCAA tournament berth and third in the last five seasons.

Leading the team in scoring this season is Sarah Pastorek who is averaging 13.6 points per game as well as rebounding with a mark of 5.5 a game. Lindsay Stamp is the second of three Crimson Hawks in double figures for the season with 10.8 a game, while Marita Mathe is averaging 10.0 per game. As a team IUP is scoring 69.1 and allowing 55.7. The team also has four players who are threat from behind the three-point line. Mathe has a team-high 51, while Stamp and Amy Fairman are tied for second with 30 with Marina Wareham fourth with 21 and Talen Watson fifth with 20.
 
REST OF THE FIELD

Gannon University enters NCAA regionals as the number one seed in the Atlantic and will host the tournament for the second time in the last four years. The Golden Knights finished the regular season at 28-4, going 20-2 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), and are ranked seventh in the USA Today Sports Top 25 Poll. In their final game before the tournament, the Knights fell to Bloomsburg in the PSAC Championship, 74-57. Jennifer Papich leads the team in scoring at 14.7 points per game, followed by Caitlyn Lowe at 11.7 and Nettie Blake at 10.0. Blake is the team's best rebounder at 6.7 per game, while Kelley Sundberg averages a team-best 5.5 assists.
 
Gannon will face eighth-seeded Fairmont State in the first round. The Fighting Falcons finished the regular season with a 23-9 overall record and went 16-6 in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC). In 2010, the last time the two teams met in the tournament, Gannon defeated the Falcons 92-65. Kaitlin Snyder leads the team in scoring at 17.3 points per game and passing with 4.3 assists per game. Hailey Garrett is second on the team at 13.6 points per game and is the team's leading rebounder grabbing 9.1 rebounds per contest.
 
Edinboro University will enter regionals as the two seed in the Atlantic. The Fighting Scots are ranked 19^th in the latest poll after finishing the regular season 22-6 (18-4 PSAC). This year will mark three consecutive seasons in which the Scots have made the NCAA tournament.  On the season Edinboro is led offensively by Kiara Brown's 17.8 points per game. Samantha Blazetic is second on the team at 14.9 points per game, followed by Darche' Jackson at 10.4. Blazetic averages a team-high 2.4 blocks per game is also tied with Aignee Freeland for the team-lead in rebounding at 7.7 boards per game.
 
Edinboro will face California (Pa.) University in the first round of the tournament. The Vulcans fell to Edinboro earlier in the season, 60-41, but enter the tournament with a 20-8 overall record (15-7 PSAC). The Vulcans have also won five of their last six games dating back to Feb. 16. Stephanie Michael is the team's best scorer at 13.6 points per game, followed by Emma Mahady and Ashley Hines at 9.4 points apiece. Hines averages a team-high 7.1 boards per game, while Kate Seebohm is the team-leader in assists dishing out 5.3 per game.
 
Shaw University is the third seeded team in the Atlantic region this year after winning the Division II National Championship a year ago. The Lady Bears finished the season 25-4 and won the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) championship for the third consecutive year. Ronika Ransford and Taylor Dalrymple lead the team in scoring at 15.5 and 15.0 points per game, respectively. Dalrymple is the team's leading rebounder at 8.3 boards per game, followed by Crystal Harris and Crystal Gordon at 7.0 each. Harris is also third on the team in scoring at 11.8 points per game.
 
Shaw will take on sixth-seeded Glenville State in round one. The Lady Pioneers are ranked 15^th in the latest top-25 poll and are the regular season WVIAC champions after going 26-3 (21-1 WVIAC). Glenville State led the nation in scoring at 95.3 points per game and had a 20-game winning streak earlier this season. Four players for the Pioneers average double-digit points per game, led by Ginny Mills at 18.3. Kenyona Simmons scores 15.3 per game, followed by Ashleigh Fossett at 12.8 and Kenyell Goodson at 10.7. Simmons is tied with LaToya Hambrick for the team-lead in rebounds at 6.2 per game, while Jelena Elez averaged a team-best 5.0 assists per game on the year.