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BLOOMSBURG – The Bloomsburg University women's basketball team ended the game on an 18-4 run to win the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship Saturday night by defeating Gannon University 74-57 at Nelson Field House. It is the second title in school history and the first since 1992.
 
Senior captain Alyssa Flanagan (Freeland/Hazleton Area) was named the PSAC Championship's Most Valuable Player. In her two games of the final four, Flanagan averaged 10.5 points, seven rebounds and 5.5 assists.
 
“I couldn't have earned this award without my teammates,” Flanagan commented on her MVP honor. “As great of an individual honor this is, we are all about the team and the important trophy is our PSAC Championship trophy.”
 
Nelson Field House was packed to the fullest for the second consecutive night as fans, parents, students, and student-athletes filled the gym in support of the Huskies. At a total of 857 fans in attendance, fans made sure the players on the court could make their presence felt.
 
Senior forward Lauren Ellis (Bangor/Bangor) and senior guard Kayla Oxenrider (Ashland/Tri-Valley) each finished with a team-high 16 points. Ellis shot 6-of-9 from the field and grabbed five rebounds with two blocks that brought fans to their feet. Oxenrider had two three-pointers and shot 6-for-7 at the free throw line. She also had a game-high-tying five assists.
 
Junior guard Catherine Noack (Bethlehem/Liberty) finished with 13 points and five rebounds with three three-pointers. Senior guard Dana Wieller (Bethlehem/Liberty) scored 12 points with three assists, and Flanagan ended her MVP outing with nine points, six rebounds, five assists, and three steals.
 
One of the loudest and most significant moments of the game came with Bloomsburg leading 56-53 and coming out of a media timeout with 6:42 to play. Oxenrider drained a deep three-pointer while getting fouled on the right wing off a pass from Wieller that brought Nelson Field House to a deafening roar. She converted the and-one play to give BU an 11-point, 64-53 lead with 6:29 to play.
 
Coming off a missed Gannon layup the following possession, Oxenrider involved herself yet again in the offense and found junior forward Danielle Derr (Dresner/Upper Dublin) underneath for a layup that capped a 10-0 run at the time.  The lead never left double figures for the remainder of the game as Bloomsburg ended the game on an 18-4 run, capped with Flanagan throwing the ball in the air as the final buzzer sounded.  
 
“We've been working towards this since the day we got here freshman year,” Flanagan said. “All the hard work, all the early workouts, it is all worth it now.”
 
Both teams shot efficiently from the floor the opening 10 minutes of play as the game stayed within four points. Bloomsburg stretched its first big run beginning with 8:07 left in the opening half.
 
Noack sparked an eventual 12-0 run with a tough jumper in the lane. Moments after junior guard Brianna Dudeck (Sugarloaf/Hazleton) checked into the game, she hit a three from the right wing to give the Huskies a five-point lead (27-22). Dudeck's tough defense helped force a Gannon turnover the following possession as Oxenrider found Wieller for an open three-pointer that led to a Gannon timeout.
 
Noack found Flanagan at the top of the key for a three-pointer coming out of the timeout to give BU a 33-22 advantage. After another defensive stop and one of four Gannon turnovers during the run, Dudeck used her speed to get behind the defense and was fouled on a layup attempt. Her free throw capped the 12-0 to give Bloomsburg a 34-22 lead, its largest of the first half. The Huskies shot 4-for-4 from the field during the run.
 
The lead didn't last long though as the Golden Knights ended the half on a 14-2 run to tie the game at 36 at halftime. Nettie Blake scored six points during the run, and Brittany Batts hit back-to-back three-pointers during the run.
 
Jen Papich's jumper to start the second half gave Gannon its first lead since the 11:20 mark of the first half.  Noack stayed hot for Bloomsburg in the opening minutes of the second half with two three-pointers to give BU a 44-41 lead before Bloomsburg eventually went on its lengthy run at the end of the game.
 
Batts finished with a game-high 17 points for Gannon with a 5-for-8 performance from three-point range. Blake notched a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
 
With its championship, Bloomsburg earns an automatic qualification and will take its season-high nine-game winning streak into the NCAA tournament beginning next week. Seven on the nine wins have been by double digits. The NCAA selection show will be webcast on NCAA.com Sunday, March 10 at 10 p.m.