Box Score (HTML)

BLOOMSBURG – Freshman Camden Boehner (Gettysburg/Gettysburg Area) provided a needed spark down the stretch to propel the Bloomsburg University women's basketball team past upset-minded Kutztown, 70-57, on Saturday afternoon at Nelson Field House.
 
The victory is the sixth straight for the Huskies and 19th in a row over PSAC East opponents. Bloomsburg moves to 13-2 overall and 11-1 in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) play while Kutztown falls to 6-10, 5-8.
 
The 21st-ranked Huskies built an 11-point first half lead and took a 31-23 advantage to halftime after holding the visitors to 22 percent shooting (6-of-27) over the opening period, but the Golden Bears refused to go away.
 
Kutztown continued to chip into the Huskies lead, ultimately taking their first advantage of the second half (40-37) on a 3-pointer from Jenna Altomare with 11:53 remaining.
 
Altomare proved pesky from the wing during the second half, and another 3-pointer from in front of the Kutztown bench coupled with a layup from Kalee Fuegel in back-to-back possessions gave the Golden Bears a 53-48 lead with 5:50 to play.
 
Marla Simmons (Lebanon/Cedar Crest) brought the Huskies within 53-50 on the next trip down the floor with a jumper at the 5:30 mark.
 
That's when Boehner, the reigning PSAC East Freshman of the Week, changed the complexion of the contest. 
 
After checking into the game, Boehner worked free off an inbounds pass and netted a 3-pointer for the 53-53 tie. Simmons then stole a pass on the defensive end, finding Boehner in transition for another shot from beyond the arc for a 56-53 advantage.
 
Bloomsburg would never trail again.
 
Simmons and Boehner continued the Huskies uprising, with Simmons again swiping the ball from the Golden Bears, passing ahead to Boehner who laid it in to complete a stretch of scoring eight consecutive points over a two-minute span.
 
With the Nelson Field House crowd ignited, Kutztown's Alyssa Bonenberger momentarily stemmed the tide with a layup to cut the score to 58-55, but it would be short-lived. Taylor Maldonado (Stroudsburg/Allentown Central Catholic) then delivered a running one-hander for the 60-55 edge, sparking a 12-0 run to put the game away.
 
Bloomsburg finished the game on a 22-4 sprint over the final 5:50, salting the game away late by making 12 straight foul shots to not allow Kutztown any thoughts of a rally.
 
Three players scored in double figures for the Huskies, powered by Boehner's 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting. Maldonado chipped in with 14 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals and Simmons recorded 12 points, six assists and three steals.
 
The victory is the 138th for the Huskies under head coach Bill Cleary, moving him into sole possession of second place for wins all-time in program history.
 
Kelsey Watson paced the Golden Bears with 17 points and eight rebounds.
 
Bloomsburg returns to action on Wednesday night, hosting Millersville as PSAC East play continues.
 
GAME NOTES: Boehner's 19 points match a career high set at Slippery Rock on Jan. 7. She scored 12 points after halftime … Cleary now stands at 138-52 with Bloomsburg since the 2008-09 season, passing Monica Starrett, who recorded a 137-65 mark from 1997-2004. Joe Bressi holds the Huskies all-time record for wins with a 175-47 record from 1986-94 … Bloomsburg shot 40.4 percent from the floor (23-of-57) while Kutztown shot at a 33.9 percent clip (19-56) … The teams were even in rebounding at 36-apiece … Adreana Sadowski (Fleetwood/Brandywine Heights) led Bloomsburg on the boards with nine rebounds … Bloomsburg forced Kutztown into 26 turnovers, leading to 24 points … The win is Bloomsburg's 11th straight over Kutztown.