HTML BOX SCOREBLOOMSBURG, Pa. – The Bloomsburg University women's basketball team erased an early 17-point deficit, but scored just four fourth quarter points as the visiting Gannon Lady Knights posted an 82-63 win over the Huskies in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) crossover at Nelson Field House on Saturday afternoon. The loss snapped Bloomsburg's three-game winning streak and dropped the Huskies to 6-2 overall and 3-2 in the PSAC Eastern Division. The Lady Knights improved to 7-3 overall and 5-1 in the PSAC West.
Gannon outscored Bloomsburg, 21-4, in the fourth quarter to break open a two-point game after three. The Lady Knights led 61-59 heading to the final stanza and then went on a 21-0 run to blow the game open. Bloomsburg did not score in the fourth until junior
Morgan Klunk (Felton/York Catholic) converted a layup with 3:11 left in regulation. By that time, the damage had already been done.
The Huskies shot just 2-for-18 in the final period, including 0-for-9 from long distance.
The visitors came out firing on all cylinders in the opening quarter, jumping out to an 11-0 lead before redshirt senior
Adreana Sadowski (Fleetwood/Brandywine Heights) got the Huskies on the board with 5:31 left. The Lady Knight lead ballooned to 22-5 with 1:32 left before Bloomsburg scored six of the final nine points of the quarter to cut the lead to 25-13 after one.
The Huskies scored eight of the first nine points of the second quarter to cut the lead to 26-21 with 7:00 left. After a basket by Gannon's Jennie Thies, back-to-back three-pointers from junior
Alex Ross (Lancaster/Manheim Township) and freshman
Alyssa Mack (Walnutport/Allentown Central Catholic) cut the Lady Knight lead to one, 28-27, with 5:18 left until halftime. Bloomsburg got its first lead of the game, 37-36, when Ross made one-of-two foul shots with 38 seconds remaining. But, the visitors got two foul shots from Nicole LaCava and a basket from Lauren Tewes to head to the locker room with a 40-37 advantage.
Bloomsburg would eventually recapture the lead when Sadowski scored with 6:09 left in the third quarter. That lead would increase to five – the Huskies' biggest lead of the game – when Mack nailed a three-pointer with 4:12 left in the third to give Bloomsburg a 57-52 lead. But, the hosts would score just six points over the final 14:12 as the Lady Knights outscored the Huskies 30-6 during the dry spell.
Five Bloomsburg players finished in double figures with junior
Mia Hopkins (Pittston/Pittston Area) leading the way with a season-low 12 points. She would finish the afternoon one rebound shy of posting her eighth consecutive double-double to start the campaign, but did add five assists, a season-high three blocks, and a steal.
Mack (11), Ross (11), freshman
Julia Gantz (Havertown/Archbishop John Carroll) (10), and Sadowski (10) also reached double digits. For Gantz, it was the first time in her collegiate career that she scored at least ten points in a game. Ross also pulled down a team-high ten rebounds for her first career double-double.
Brianna Brennan led four Lady Knights in double figures with 20. Thies had a double-double of her own, scoring 13 points and grabbing a game-high 14 rebounds.
Bloomsburg did a much better job of protecting the basketball on Saturday, turning the ball over just 11 times. However, offensive rebounds once again killed the Huskies. Gannon pulled down 19 offensive boards and outrebounded Bloomsburg by a 51-36 margin.
Over the weekend, including Friday night's game against Mercyhurst, the Huskies allowed 45 offensive rebounds.
Bloomsburg will have 11 days to regroup as it will next be in action on Wednesday, December 16, when it travels to West Chester. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
