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GLENVILLE, W. Va. - For the Bloomsburg University women's basketball team, Cinderella's slipper is a perfect fit.
  The fourth-seeded Huskies (26-4) upset top-seeded and Mountain East champion Glenville State (29-4), the No. 9 team in the country, at the Pioneers' Jesse R. Lilly Gymnasium, 91-78, Saturday to advance to the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional Tournament Championship Game vs. Edinboro on Monday night at 7 p.m. It is the second straight win for Bloomsburg over a top 15 team after defeating No. 13 Virginia State in the first round on Friday night. 

Bloomsburg, ranked 14th in the latest USA Today Sports Top 25, built a large first half lead and withstood a second half charge from the Pioneers for the victory while holding the nation's top offense to 20 points below its season average in front of a full crowd on the campus of Glenville State College.

Senior Catherine Noack matched a career-high with 27 points on 7-of-11 shooting, all from beyond the arc, while junior Jocelyn Ford posted 19 points, seven assists and six rebounds. Marla Simmons added 11 points, six assists and five boards and Adreana Sadowski finished with 10 points and six rebounds. 

The first half belonged to the Huskies as Bloomsburg took a 46-25 lead to halftime thanks to some strong early shooting. The Huskies shot 52.9 percent during the opening period (18-of-34) while Glenville could not buy a basket at times, finishing the half just 6-of-29 from the field. The Huskies limited the Pioneers to just one opportunity each time down the floor, out-rebounding the hosts by a 29-15 margin during the first half.

"We did a great job offensively and defensively in the first half and took them out of their game a little bit. Our kids did a good job of being patient and picking their spots," Bloomsburg head coach Bill Cleary said.

The top-ranked offense in the nation averaging over 98 points per game, Glenville would not be held quiet for a full 40 minutes, however. The Pioneers began chipping away at their deficit from the outset of the second half, recording back-to-back 3-pointers from Ginny Mills to pull to a 46-31 score.

Glenville continued chip away as the half wore on, bringing its large contingent of fans to life with a 14-4 run to pull within seven at 70-63 following a jumper from Kenyona Simmons with still 7:11 to play. Simmons had a chance at a traditional three-point play, but missed the free throw and the rebound was hauled in by Sadowski. A turnover gave the ball back to Glenville, but the Pioneers could not convert on a field goal attempt and were left with another one-and-done possession.

Noack then quieted the crowd with a three-pointer from the far corner to stretch the lead to double digits once more at 73-63. From there the Huskies lead shrank to single digits just once – when Glenville cut to within nine with 53 seconds remaining and the game well in hand.

"In the second half you knew Glenville was going to throw everything they had at you, but our team is resilient," Cleary said. "We felt we were trading threes for twos for a while. They're a great team and can shoot from anywhere. Our team withstood that challenge and were able to get the win."
Bloomsburg won the battle of the boards by a 44-31 margin, holding the Pioneers to 15 second chance points. Bloomsburg also held a large edge in free throw shooting, converting on 20 of 24 attempts at the line (83.3 percent) while Glenville was 19-for-29 (65.5 percent).

Kenyona Simmons recorded 17 points to lead Glenville.

Saturday's game was billed as a classic offense vs. defense match up, with the Huskies ultimately holding Glenville to just 35.4 percent (23-of-65) shooting from the floor.

"We're not where we are without our defense," Cleary said. "We take a lot of pride in their defense. I can't say enough about them. They're a special group."

The Atlantic Regional final will see Bloomsburg take on the second-seeded Fighting Scots of Edinboro, who are fresh off their third PSAC championship in four years.

"It will be another hard-fought match. Edinboro is very well-coached and very talented," Cleary stated. "We have to be ready to play; it will be a classic battle. People have doubted our girls all season but you never underestimate the heart of a champion and these girls have a ton of heart."

GAME NOTES: Bloomsburg trailed 3-2 at the 19:23 mark of the first half and then never trailed again, leading by as many as 23 points...Monday's regional championship will be the second time the Huskies and Fighting Scots have met this year. Bloomsburg won, 84-71, at Edinboro on Dec. 17...The Huskies improved to 3-0 all-time in the second round of the NCAA Tournament...Bloomsburg has made its deepest NCAA Tournament run since reaching the East Regional Final in 2001...The Huskies had 21 assists on 30 made field goals and finished at a 55.6 percent clip (30-of-54) from the field including 11-of-19 from 3-pointers...Noack also tied a career-high in three-pointers...Saturday's game featured three of the top five active three-point shooters in terms of threes made in the nation – Glenville's Ginny Mills and Kenyell Goodson ranked first and second while Noack ranks fifth among all Division II players....Brianna Dudeck (Sugarloaf/Hazleton) added nine points and eight rebounds while Erica Maciejewski (Red Lion/Red Lion) tallied eight points and four boards....the Pioneers averaged over 83 field goal attempts per game entering the year, but got just 65 shots away Saturday...Glenville State is now 61-5 at Lilly Gymnasium over the past five years and lost on its home floor just once previously this season, a November defeat vs. Gannon.