Women's Basketball | 12/3/2015 4:19:00 PM
BLOOMSBURG (5-1, 2-1 PSAC East)Â vs MERCYHURST (3-5, 2-2 PSAC West)
Friday, December 4, 2015 - 5:30 p.m.
Bloomsburg, Pa. | Nelson Field House
BLOOMSBURG vs GANNON (5-3, 3-1 PSAC West)
Saturday, December 5, 2015 - 2:00 p.m.
Bloomsburg, Pa. | Nelson Field House
GAME NOTES:Bloomsburg vs Mercyhurst / Gannon Game NotesGAME COVERAGE:Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/bloomu/wbball/Live Audio (WHLM-AM): http://www.whlmam.comRELATED LINKS:Bloomsburg -
Roster |
Schedule |
StatisticsMercyhurst - Roster |
Schedule |
StatisticsGannon - Roster |
Schedule |
StatisticsA LOOK BACK ...Bloomsburg won its 14th consecutive meeting, and improved to 52-20 lifetime, against East Stroudsburg with a 73-52 victory over the Warriors at Nelson Field House on Tuesday, December 1. The Huskies have not lost to East Stroudsburg since dropping a 70-58 decision to the Warriors on February 11, 2009.
VS. EAST STROUDSBURG (12-1) ...The Huskies got off to a sluggish start and trailed East Stroudsburg, 30-27, at halftime. Bloomsburg owned the second half, however, outscoring the Warriors by a 46-22 margin to earn a 73-52 victory - the program's 14th consecutive victory over East Stroudsburg. Bloomsburg shot just 25.8% from the floor in the first half before shooting 55.2% in the second twenty minutes. Junior
Mia Hopkins (Pittston/Pittston Area) posted her sixth double-double in six games, scoring 24 points and adding 11 rebounds. She also had six assists, four steals, and one block in the victory. Junior
Morgan Klunk (Felton/York Catholic) reached double-figures for the sixth time in six games, scoring 15 points, while junior
Alex Ross (Lancaster/Manheim Township) scored 13 points and recorded a career-high five assists.
THE MERCYHURST SERIES ...Bloomsburg leads the all-time series against the Lakers by a 6-3 margin. The teams have met four times since Mercyhurst became a member of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) in 2008-09 and the Huskies have won three of those four matchups. Bloomsburg has not lost to Mercyhurst since January 9, 2011 when the Lakers defeated the Huskies, 75-64, at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center.
LAST MEETING AGAINST MERCYHURST ...The Huskies and the Lakers last met on December 18, 2013 at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center with Bloomsburg escaping with a 71-63 victory. Bloomsburg outscored Mercyhurst, 31-23, in the first half and then both teams scored 40 points in the second as Bloomsburg won by the same eight-point margin.
Adreana Sadowski (Fleetwood/Brandywine Heights) led the Huskies with 17 points. She also had six rebounds and three blocked shots. Catherine Noack (15) and
Marla Simmons (Lebanon/Cedar Crest) (10) also finished in double figures for Bloomsburg. Natalie Piaggesi led the Lakers with a game-high 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting.
SCOUTING MERCYHURST ...Mercyhurst enters Friday night's contest with a 3-5 overall record and a 2-2 mark in the PSAC Western Division. The Lakers are coming off of a 64-42 loss at the hands of Edinboro on Tuesday at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center. Mercyhurst shot just 28.6% from the field and did not score more than 12 points in any of the four quarters against the Fighting Scots. Three Lakers are averaging in double figures in scoring led by Angela Heintz, who is averaging 13.1 points per game. Natalie Piaggesi, a preseason All-PSAC West selection, averages 12.5 points while Jessica Bell chips in 12.0 points per game. Senior Adrienne Kloecker is fifth in the PSAC in assists, averaging 5.5 dimes per contest. She, however, is shooting just 25.3% from the field (22-of-83) and has turned the ball over 39 times in eight games. Hayley Andres leads the Lakers by averaging 5.8 rebounds per game. The team averages just 60.8 points per game offensively and is shooting the ball at a 38.7% clip from the field. Mercyhurst allows 67.8 points per contest.
THE GANNON SERIES ...Gannon leads the all-time series by a 5-2 margin but both victories by the Huskies have come at very important times. Last season, Bloomsburg ended Gannon's season with an 81-76 victory in the opening round of the NCAA playoffs. Then on March 9, 2013, the Huskies claimed the PSAC Championship with a 74-57 victory over the Lady Knights in the title game.
LAST MEETING AGAINST GANNON ...Bloomsburg and Gannon last met on March 13, 2015 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament at California (PA)'s Hamer Hall with the Huskies eliminating the Golden Knights from the tournament with an 81-76 victory. Bloomsburg trailed by seven at halftime but outscored Gannon by a 46-34 count in the second half to win by five. The Huskies had five players score in double figures led by
Jocelyn Ford (Lansing, NY/Lansing) and
Adreana Sadowski (Fleetwood/Brandywine Heights) who scored 20 points apiece.
Taylor Maldonado (Stroudsburg/Allentown Central Catholic),
Marla Simmons (Lebanon/Cedar Crest), and
Taylor Kaminski (Philadelphia/Archbishop Wood) had 11 points apiece in the victory. Sadowski added 10 rebounds and three blocks for the Huskies.
SCOUTING GANNON ...The Golden Knights enter the weekend with a 5-3 overall record and a 3-1 conference mark which does not reflect Friday night's action at Lock Haven. Most recently, Gannon posted an 81-66 win at home against Indiana (PA) getting a career-high 31 points from Morgan Neighbors. Gannon won its first four games of the season, then dropped three in a row before Tuesday's victory against IUP. The Golden Knights have four players averaging in double figures, led by Neighbors' 16.1 points per contest. Brianna Brennan (13.5), McKenna Shives (12.4), and Jennie Thies (10.5) also average double digits. Thies also leads the team in rebounding, averaging 11.3 rebounds per contest. She has pulled down at least ten boards in all but one contest this season. Amanda Berchtold is one of the league's best in running an offense, dishing out 50 assists in eight games while committing only 22 turnovers. Gannon averages 72.1 points per game on offense and allows 65.9 points per contest.
HUSKIES TIED FOR SIXTH IN ATLANTIC REGION ...Bloomsburg enters weekend play  tied for sixth place in the Atlantic Region according to the latest Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) media poll released on Monday. The Huskies received 24 points in the regional poll, up from the 20 points they received last week. West Liberty leads the rankings with all six first-place votes and 60 total points. California (PA) is right behind with 54 total points.
Bloomsburg is also receiving votes in the latest USA Today Sports Top 25 Division II Women's Basketball Coaches' Poll released Tuesday. The Huskies received 28 total points in the rankings - seventh among others receiving votes. Emporia State is tops in the country according to the poll, receiving 20 first-place votes and 594 total points. The Huskies, however, are not receiving votes in the D2SIDA Media Poll.
DON'T CALL IT A COMEBACK ...Bloomsburg earned a season-opening 76-72 victory at New Haven on November 13. The Huskies trailed, however, for a majority of the contest, falling behind by as many as 18 points with 9:01 left in the second quarter and still trailed by double digits with 2:38 left in the third quarter before mounting a comeback. The Huskies outscored the Chargers, 27-16, in the fourth quarter to come away with the win. Then, at Seton Hill on November 21, the Huskies pulled off an even more impressive come-from-behind victory against the Griffins. Trailing 71-58 with 6:56 left in regulation, Bloomsburg scored the next 20 points over the next 6:30 to take a seven-point lead. The Huskies held on from there, 82-79, to post a win the PSAC opener.
In fact, over the course of the first six games of the season, Bloomsburg has trailed at one point in five of those contests. The only game in which the Huskies have not trailed was the 62-61 victory over University of the Sciences on November 29.
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 third on the team in scoring (11.6 ppg) and second on the team in rebounding (7.0 rpg). She is tied for 12th in the PSAC in rebounding and is seventh in field goal percentage at 54.2%. All told, Sadowski needs 154 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 has blocked three shots in five games this season and now has 126 career blocks in a Husky uniform - third on the program's all-time list.
DOMINANT SECOND HALF ...Bloomsburg erased a three-point first-half deficit on Tuesday night to knock off East Stroudsburg, 73-52. The Huskies shot nearly 56% from the field over the second twenty minutes and outscored the Warriors, 46-22, in the process to earn the lopsided victory.
The East Stroudsburg game has mirrored the pattern of the season through the first six games. Bloomsburg has been outscored by 12 points in the first half (197-185) but has rebounded in the second half to outscore its opponents by 43 points (244-201).
STARTERS PROVIDING THE SCORING ...Through six 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). Mack has started the last two games (once for Sadowski who missed the University of the Sciences game with an illness) while Gantz started the first five.
The Huskies' bench has scored 68 points in six games - an average of just 11.3 points per game. The bench has provided 15.9% of the team's scoring through the first six games. The leading scorer off the bench, not including Mack, is junior
Kristie Costantino (Norristown/Archbishop John Carroll) who is averaging 3.8 points per game this season. In comparison, the opponents' bench has scored 100 points in six games (16.7 points per game) - 25.1% of the opponents' point total this season.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE ...Junior
Mia Hopkins (Pittston/Pittston Area) could not have asked for a better start to her Bloomsburg University career. In six career games with the Huskies, Hopkins has posted six double-doubles which currently leads the country. She is one of only two players in the country to have had a double-double in every game this season (Virginia State's Wynterra Pittman has five in five games). Entering Friday's game, Hopkins is averaging 20.2 points per game (third in PSAC), 12.5 rebounds per game (first in PSAC, fourth in country), 4.5 assists per game (tied for eighth in PSAC), and 3.0 steals per game (second in PSAC). Her stat lines for the first six games:
at New Haven (11/13/15) - 24 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals
at Goldey-Beacom (11/17/15) - 17 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 3 steals
at Seton Hill (11/21/15) - 27 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals
at California (PA) (11/22/15) - 16 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals
vs University of the Sciences (11/29/15) - 13 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals
vs East Stroudsburg (12/1/15) - 24 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals
FIRST TIME IN A WHILE ...Junior
Mia Hopkins (Pittston/Pittston Area) recorded her fifth double-double in as many games this season against the University of the Sciences, scoring 13 points and pulling down a season-high 16 rebounds. The 16 rebounds marked the first time that a Bloomsburg player had at least 15 boards in a game since Colleen Kegerreis pulled down 15 in a 71-70 loss against Cheyney on Janaury 14, 2009.
NO KLUNK-ER HERE ...While Hopkins has been getting much of the spotlight, junior
Morgan Klunk (Felton/York Catholic) has put together a fine start to her 2015-16 season. She ranks second on the team in scoring (14.8), fourth on the team in rebounding (5.0), and second on the team in assists (3.0). She is also second in the conference in field goal percentage, knocking down 33 of her 53 shot attempts for a 62.3% clip. She went 6-of-8 from the field in Tuesday's victory over East Stroudsburg.
ROSS RISES 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, 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. She has now reached double figures in scoring in four of the six games so far this season. Prior to her output against U. of the Sciences, she scored her previous highs of 11 against both New Haven and Goldey-Beacom. She averaged 1.0 point 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 10.5 points per game, is third in rebounding at 5.3 boards per contest, and is fourth in assists per game (2.0). She has easily established career-highs in all three categories already.
THREE-POINT STRUGGLES ...Bloomsburg enters Friday's contest ranked 16th out of 18 teams in the PSAC in three-point field goal percentage, making just 27 of its 105 long range attempts (25.7%). The Huskies, however, did improve drastically in the win over East Stroudsburg, making six of their 14 attempts from beyond the arc. Bloomsburg averages only 4.5 three-pointers per game thus far with freshman
Alyssa Mack (Walnutport/Allentown Central Catholic) and junior
Alex Ross (Lancaster/Manheim Township) leading the way with six apiece. However, Mack is just 6-of-28 from beyond the arc (21.4%). Ross leads the team in percentage, going 6-of-17 (35.3%).
GLASS CLEANERS ...Bloomsburg has gotten off to a good start on the boards through the first five games of the season. The Huskies average 40.3 rebounds per game, seventh in the conference, and their rebounding margin of +1.8 is eighth in the league. Bloomsburg has outrebounded, or tied its opponent in rebounds, in five of the six games this season including a 43-29 edge on the glass in the victory over University of the Sciences. The Huskies were outrebounded for the first time this season against East Stroudsburg, 48-39, on Tuesday.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE ...Bloomsburg will be off until Wednesday, December 16, when it travels to West Chester University to meet the Golden Rams. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. The Huskies will return home on Saturday, December 19, when they entertain Mansfield at Nelson Field House. Start time is slated for 3:00 p.m. and will be the second game of the men's and women's doubleheader against the Mountaineers.
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