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BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – The Bloomsburg University women's basketball team needed double overtime Friday night to put away a pesky Mercyhurst team by the final of 66-61 in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) crossover game at Nelson Field House. With the win, the Huskies improved to 6-1 overall and 3-1 in the PSAC East. The Lakers fell to 3-6 overall and 2-3 in the West.
 
It was Bloomsburg's first double overtime game since earning a road victory at Lincoln University, 74-71, on November 17, 2012.
 
Junior Mia Hopkins (Pittston/Pittston Area) did it again on Friday night, posting her seventh double-double in seven games for the Huskies. She scored 17 points and grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds while also adding five assists and five steals for the victors.
 
Bloomsburg stormed out of the gates, going on an 11-0 run to take a 13-2 advantage with 5:14 left in the opening ten-minute stanza. But then, the Huskies went ice cold and did not score again until redshirt senior Adreana Sadowski (Fleetwood/Brandywine Heights) converted a layup with 5:22 left in the second quarter – a 9:52 stretch without a point. During the cold spell, Mercyhurst went on a 16-0 run to take an 18-13 lead before the Sadowski basket.
 
The teams exchanged points the rest of the first half with the score tied at 23-23 at intermission.
 
Mercyhurst shot just 24.3% in the first half (9-of-37) but stayed in the game thanks to 14 offensive rebounds and 13 Bloomsburg turnovers.
 
The game was tight the rest of the way with Mercyhurst building a 32-26 lead with 6:35 left in the third before the Huskies closed to within a point later in the quarter. However, the Lakers got back-to-back baskets from Natalie Piaggesi to close out the third leading the Huskies, 40-35.
 
Both teams struggled to score at the outset of the fourth but Mercyhurst continued to maintain a lead until Sadowski and junior Morgan Klunk (Felton/York Catholic) connected on back-to-back field goals to tie the game at 45-45 with 2:38 left. Hopkins followed with a layup to give Bloomsburg its first lead since a 23-21 margin with 1:18 left in the first half. Then in the closing moments and the Huskies ahead by three, Mercyhurst's Hayley Andres nailed a three-pointer with nine seconds left to tie the contest at 51-51, sending the game to overtime.
 
Bloomsburg led nearly the entire overtime period and held a three-point lead with 28 seconds left before Mercyhurst's Angela Heintz connected on a three-pointer to tie the game at 56-56. The Huskies played for the final shot and Hopkins got a good look after she drove the lane. However, her layup was short as the buzzer sounded to force a second overtime.
 
With the game tied at 61-61 with 1:18 left in the second overtime, Hopkins put the Huskies ahead for good by nailing one-of-two foul shots. The Lakers had a couple of looks on their ensuing possession but could not get a shot to fall. Sadowski hit a pair of foul shots to take a three-point lead with 32 seconds remaining.
 
Then, Sadowski came up with, arguably, the play of the game, blocking a three-point attempt by Mercyhurst's Adrienne Kloecker to keep the Huskies in front. Gantz would hit two free throws just seconds later for the final points of the night.
 
In addition to Hopkins, Sadowski and Klunk also had double-doubles for the Huskies. Sadowski tied Hopkins with a game-high 17 points and also pulled down ten rebounds. Klunk had ten points and ten rebounds. Sadowski blocked seven of Bloomsburg's season-high ten shots, breaking her career-high of six she had posted three times in her career – most recently at Shippensburg on January 31, 2015.
 
Junior Alex Ross (Lancaster/Manheim Township) also finished in double figures with ten points.
 
Heintz led Mercyhurst with 16 points while pulling down 11 rebounds and dishing out seven assists.
 
Turnovers and rebounding were the keys in Bloomsburg's not being able to put away the pesky Lakers. The Huskies turned the ball over 27 times and gave up 26 offensive rebounds to Mercyhurst. But, the visitors could only shoot 29.3% from the field (24-of-82) and 27.3% from the foul line (3-of-11).
 
The Huskies will return to action on Saturday, December 5, when they host Gannon University at Nelson Field House. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.