Women's Basketball | 12/28/2015 10:20:00 AM
BLOOMSBURG (7-3, 4-3 PSAC East) vs PHILADELPHIA (7-5, 5-0 PSAC CACC)
Wednesday, December 30, 2015 - 1:00 p.m.
Bloomsburg, Pa. | Nelson Field House
GAME NOTES:Bloomsburg vs Philadelphia Game NotesGAME COVERAGE:Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/bloomu/wbball/Live Audio (WHLM-AM): http://www.whlmam.comRELATED LINKS:Bloomsburg -
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StatisticsA LOOK BACK ...Bloomsburg suffered a 91-74 loss at West Chester on December 16 before rebounding for a convincing 87- 51 victory over visiting Mansfield on December 19. The Huskies fell to 38-34 in the all-time series against West Chester but improved to 59-10 lifetime against Mansfield. Bloomsburg enters play against Philadelphia with a 7-3 overall record and a 4-3 mark in the PSAC East.
VS. WEST CHESTER (12-16) ...Bloomsburg had four players in double figures but turned the ball over 24 times which led to 38 West Chester points as the Golden Rams defeated the Huskies, 91-74, in West Chester. The Golden Rams led by two after one period but then outscored Bloomsburg, 31-15, in the second quarter to blow the game open.
Mia Hopkins (Pittston/Pittston Area) led the Huskies with 22 points on 9-of-15 from the field. It was, however, her second consecutive game without a double-double as she finished with seven rebounds. Freshman
Julia Gantz (Havertown/Archbishop John Carroll) had her best game in a Bloomsburg uniform, posting 18 points on 6-of-11 from the field. She also went 4-of-7 from long distance - she entered the game having made only 3-of-16.
Morgan Klunk (Felton/York Catholic) (11) and
Adreana Sadowski (Fleetwood/Brandywine Heights) (10) also registered double figures.
VS. MANSFIELD (12-19) ...Adreana Sadowski (Fleetwood/Brandywine Heights) and
Mia Hopkins (Pittston/Pittston Area) combined to score 46 points and ten players scored at least one point as the Huskies won big over Mansfield, 87-51, at Nelson Field House. Sadowski finished with a team-high 24 points on 12-of-16 from the field while also adding six rebounds and six blocks - one shy of her career-high. Hopkins ended with 22 points on 9-of-10 shooting while leading the team with nine rebounds, six assists, and three steals. Bloomsburg outscored Mansfield in every quarter and extended its winning streak to 16 against the Mountaineers in the all-time series. The Huskies shot 52.9% from the field and made a season-high nine three-pointers, shooting 9-of-21 from long range, in the victory.
THE PHILADELPHIA SERIES ...The series between Bloomsburg and Philadelphia is tied at 9-9. However, the Huskies have won the last three meetings between the two schools dating back to December 30, 2012. The Rams had won five of the prior seven meetings before the Huskies' three-game winning streak. Wednesday's contest, however, will mark just the third time over the last ten meetings (dating back to 1992) that the teams will meet at Nelson Field House.
LAST MEETING AGAINST PHILADELPHIA ...Bloomsburg and Philadelphia were tied at 35-35 at halftime before the Huskies outscored the Rams by a 46-28 margin in the second half to post an 81-63 victory at the Gallagher Center in Philadelphia on February 5, 2015. Four Huskies finished in double figures, led by
Marla Simmons (Lebanon/Cedar Crest) who finished with a game-high 18 points.
Morgan Klunk (Felton/York Catholic) added 16 while
Taylor Maldonado (Stroudsburg/Allentown Central Catholic) and
Camden Boehner (Gettysburg/Gettysburg Area) had 13 points apiece. Maldonado also chipped in a game-high seven assists. Bloomsburg shot nearly 50% from the field (29-of-59) and from three-point range (9-of-20) and was a perfect 14-of-14 at the free throw line. The Huskies led by only five midway through the second half before outscoring the Rams, 28-15, down the stretch to earn the 18-point win to even the all-time series at 9-9.
SCOUTING PHILADELPHIA ...Philadelphia enters the contest with a 7-5 overall record and a perfect 5-0 mark in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC). In the Rams' last game at Holy Family on December 20, Tori Arnao became the 31st player in program history to reach 1,000 career points in Philadelphia's 75-70 victory. She scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and was named the CACC Defensive Player of the Week - her fourth weekly honor this season. She needs 12 rebounds to reach 1,000 for her career in that category, which would make her the fourth Ram to have 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds. Arnao is averaging 14.5 points and 11.1 rebounds per game this season. Bria Young is tied with Arnao in scoring, averaging 14.5 points per game. She also leads the team by averaging 4.8 assists and 2.3 steals per contest. Rachel Day (13.6) and Mary Newell (12.3) are also averaging double figures in scoring. The Rams average 64.5 points per game on offense and allow 63.8 points per game on the defensive side of the ball. Philadelphia has played three schools from the PSAC East and is 1-2 against those teams. It defeated East Stroudsburg, 62-53, on November 29 then lost back-to-back home games against Shippensburg (73-64) and West Chester (77-58) on December 12 and 13.
HOPKINS NAMED PSAC EAST PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOR THIRD TIME ...Junior
Mia Hopkins (Pittston/Pittston Area) was named the PSAC East Player of the Week on December 21 after averaging 22.0 points and 8.0 rebounds in a 1-1 week for the Huskies. She also chipped in four assists and three steals per game while shooting an astounding 18-of-25 (.720) from the field. She had 22 points and seven rebounds in a loss at West Chester on December 16 then scored 22 points (on 9-of-10 shooting) and grabbed nine boards in the victory over Mansfield on December 19. It was the third time this season that she has claimed the honor after winning back-to-back awards on November 16 and November 23.
GANTZ NAMED PSAC EAST FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK ...For the first time in her young collegiate career, freshman
Julia Gantz (Havertown/Archbishop John Carroll) was honored by the PSAC with a weekly honor. Gantz earned the East's Freshman of the Week award on December 21 after averaging 13.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.0 steals in a 1-1 week for the Huskies. She poured in a career-high 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting and 4-of-7 from long distance in the loss at West Chester on December 16. She added eight points in just 15 minutes in the victory over Mansfield on December 19. It marked the third time that a Husky rookie has claimed the weekly honor from the PSAC -
Alyssa Mack (Walnutport/Allentown Central Catholic) won the award twice on November 23 and on December 7.
GANTZ HEATING UP ...Freshman
Julia Gantz (Havertown/Archbishop John Carroll) is on a hot streak and is giving Bloomsburg another offensive scoring threat as the second half of the season approaches. After starting the season with just 14 points in her first five games (2.8 points per game), Gantz was moved to the bench and has thrived in that role by averaging 9.6 points and 3.0 rebounds over the last five contests. She had a career-high 18 points in the loss at West Chester on December 16. The game prior, Gantz reached double figures for the first time in her career with 10 points in a loss against Gannon on December 5. In her first five games, Gantz was 6-of-30 from the field (.200) and 2-of-9 from long distance (.222). Over her last five contests, Gantz is 16-of-40 from the field (.400) and 7-of-18 from three-point range (.389). She nailed four triples against West Chester - she entered the game with only three makes through her first eight games.
HUSKIES TIED FOR EIGHTH IN ATLANTIC REGION ...Bloomsburg enters the contest tied for eighth place in the Atlantic Region according to the latest Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) media poll released on Monday, December 21. The Huskies received 16 points in the regional poll, down from the 23 points they received last week. West Liberty leads the rankings with all six first-place votes and 60 total points. Shippensburg became the new #2 team in the region, capturing 49 total points - five ahead of California (PA) and Gannon.
Bloomsburg is also receiving votes in the latest USA Today Sports Top 25 Division II Women's Basketball Coaches' Poll released Tuesday, December 15. The Huskies received two total points in the latest rankings, down from the 10 they received a week prior. Fort Hays State received 16 first-place votes and is tops in the country according to the coaches' poll. The Huskies, however, are not receiving votes in the D2SIDA Media Poll. Fort Hays State became the new top-ranked team in the country according to the media poll.
HOPKINS AMONG BEST ...Junior
Mia Hopkins (Pittston/Pittston Area) has taken the league by storm through the opening month of the regular season. She ranks in the top ten in the PSAC in a number of categories, including points per game (second), rebounds per game (second), double-doubles (first), assists per game (tenth), and steals per game (first) She is also 12th in the PSAC in field goal percentage (48.6%), 12th in free throw percentage (82.5%), tied for 12th in blocks per game (1.1), and 11th in minutes per game (33.7). In the country, Hopkins is seventh in double-doubles, 14th in rebounds, 18th in steals, and 23rd in scoring.
STARTERS PROVIDING THE SCORING ...Through ten games of the regular season, Bloomsburg is getting most of its offensive production from its five starters - juniors
Mia Hopkins (Pittston/Pittston Area),
Morgan Klunk (Felton/York Catholic), and
Alex Ross (Lancaster/Manheim Township); redshirt senior
Adreana Sadowski (Fleetwood/Brandywine Heights); and a combination of freshmen
Alyssa Mack (Walnutport/Allentown Central Catholic) and
Julia Gantz (Havertown/Archbishop John Carroll) and junior
Kristie Costantino (Norristown/Archbishop John Carroll). Mack has started each of the last five games (once for Sadowski who missed the University of the Sciences game with an illness) while Gantz started the first five. Costantino made her first start against Mansfield on 12/19.
The Huskies' bench has scored just 129 points in ten games - an average of 12.9 points per game. The bench has provided 17.9% of the team's scoring through the first ten games. The leading scorer off the bench, not including Mack or Gantz, is Costantino who is averaging 3.1 points per game this season. In comparison, the opponents' bench has scored 147 points in ten games (14.7 points per game) - 21.5% of the opponents' point total this season.
IMPRESSIVE CAREER ...Redshirt senior
Adreana Sadowski (Fleetwood/Brandywine Heights) is putting together a fine career in a Bloomsburg uniform. Chosen as a preseason All-PSAC East selection, Sadowski ranks second on the team in scoring (13.2 ppg), second on the team in rebounding (6.6 rpg), and tops in blocked shots (2.1 bpg). She leads the PSAC (8th in the country) in field goal percentage at 61.6% and also leads the conference in blocks per game (26th in the country) at 2.1. After scoring a season-high 24 points in the win over Mansfield on December 19, Sadowski now needs 93 points to join the 1,000-point club - Catherine Noack was the last player to score at least 1,000 points, joining the club during the 2013-14 campaign. Sadowski now also has 142 career blocks in a Husky uniform - third on the program's all-time list.
TURNOVERS COSTLY ...Bloomsburg struggled to hang on to the basketball against West Chester on Wednesday and it proved to be costly for the Huskies. Bloomsburg turned the ball over 24 times which led to 38 West Chester points during the Huskies' 91-74 loss to the Golden Rams. Bloomsburg did everything else pretty well - it shot 50% from the field (27-of-54), shot 77.8% from the foul line (14-of-18), and outrebounded West Chester, 30-28. The difference was the points off turnovers category - West Chester held the edge in that category, 38-9. Over ten games, the Huskies are averaging 19.1 turnovers per game which has led to an average of 18.4 points off of turnovers for their opponents.
NO KLUNK-ER HERE ...While Hopkins has been getting much of the spotlight, junior
Morgan Klunk (Felton/York Catholic) has put together a tremendous start to her 2015-16 season. She ranks third on the team in scoring (12.8), third on the team in rebounding (5.5), and second on the team in assists (3.3). She is also shooting 53.8% from the field this season - she entered having made only 38.2% of her shots over the first two years.
TOO MANY SECOND CHANCES ...During the three-game stretch against East Stroudsburg, Mercyhurst, and Gannon from December 1 to December 5, the Huskies were outrebounded in all three games and really struggled in allowing multiple chances for the opponents to score. The Warriors, Lakers, and Lady Knights pulled down 64 offensive rebounds during the three-game stretch (21.3 per game), including 26 by Mercyhurst in Bloomsburg's double overtime victory over the Lakers on December 4. Fortunately for the Huskies, the teams only averaged 11 second-chance points in the three games. Bloomsburg has now been outrebounded 403-398 for the season but has allowed 151 opponents' offensive rebounds (15.1 per game). In comparison, the Huskies have 108 offensive boards (10.8) in ten games.
ROSS RISING TO THE OCCASION ...Junior
Alex Ross (Lancaster/Manheim Township) is taking advantage of a significant increase in playing time this season. Ross scored a career-high 18 points in the 62-61 win over University of the Sciences on November 29, going 9-of-12 from the field in the process. She added 13 points, five rebounds, and a career-high five assists in the victory over East Stroudsburg on December 1 and then recorded her first career double-double (11 points, 10 rebounds) in the loss to Gannon on December 5. She has now reached double figures in scoring in six of the ten games so far this season. She averaged 1.0 points and 1.1 rebounds as a freshman and then 1.2 points and 1.7 rebounds last season. This season, she is fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 10.1 points per game, is fourth in rebounding at 5.4 boards per contest, and is third in assists per game (2.4).
MACK ATTACK ...For the second time this season, freshman
Alyssa Mack (Walnutport/Allentown Central Catholic) was named the PSAC East Freshman of the Week as announced by the league office on Monday, December 7. She helped lead the Huskies to a 2-1 record during the week by averaging 8.7 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.7 steals in the three contests. In the win over East Stroudsburg on December 1, Mack had nine points and tied her career-highs in assists (2) and steals (2). She added six points and a career-high three steals in the win over Mercyhurst on December 4 and then tied a career-high with 11 points and three triples in the loss to Gannon on December 5. She earned her first Freshman of the Week honor on November 23 after averaging 9.0 points and 3.3 rebounds in wins at Goldey-Beacom and Seton Hill and a loss at California (PA). She reached double figures in scoring in two of those three games.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE ...Bloomsburg returns to conference action on Sunday, January 3, when it hosts Slippery Rock University in a PSAC crossover at Nelson Field House. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
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