BLOOMSBURG (0-0, 0-0 PSAC East) vs PITT-JOHNSTOWN (2-0, 0-0 PSAC West)
Saturday, November 19, 2016 - 1:00 p.m.
Bloomsburg, Pa. | Nelson Field House

vs IUP (0-2, 0-0 PSAC West)
Sunday, November 20, 2016 - 1:00 p.m.
Bloomsburg, Pa. | Nelson Field House

GAME NOTES:
Bloomsburg vs Pitt-Johnstown/IUP Game Notes

GAME COVERAGE:
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/bloomu/wbball/
Live Audio (WHLM-AM): http://www.whlmam.com

RELATED LINKS:
Bloomsburg - Roster | Schedule | Statistics
Pitt-Johnstown - Roster | Schedule | Statistics
IUP - Roster | Schedule | Statistics

STARTING FIVE ...
1 - Bloomsburg welcomes new head coach, Alison Tagliaferri, who will be making her Huskies' debut this weekend against Pitt-Johnstown and IUP. Tagliaferri spent the previous four seasons as the head coach of Mansfield. Prior to that stint, she was the head coach at Pennsylvania College of Technology from 2007 to 2010 where she guided the Wildcats to three PSUAC Elite Eight appearances.

2 - The Huskies will have a very young roster that features only two seniors - Morgan Klunk (Felton, Pa./York Catholic) and Alex Ross (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) - and no juniors. The rest of the 12-player roster is comprised of five sophomores, one redshirt freshman, and four true freshmen. One of the sophomores, Allie Barber (Pittston Township, Pa./Pittston Area), joins the team for the first time this season.

3 - Senior Morgan Klunk (Felton, Pa./York Catholic) returns after a solid junior campaign. Klunk averaged 11.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.6 assists last season. She reached double figures in scoring 18 times and had two double-doubles. She tied a career-high with 21 points and grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds in a win over Kutztown on February 10. She is one assist shy of tying Jocelyn Ford (2012-14) for 15th on the school's all-time list. She also needs 253 points to reach the 1,000-point milestone for her career.

4 - Senior Alex Ross (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) also returns after a breakout junior campaign. After averaging only 1.1 points and 1.4 rebounds in her first two seasons combined, Ross started 25 games a year ago and averaged 9.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists. She was also second on the team in blocked shots (21) and third in three-pointers (24).

5 - Six newcomers will be competing for playing time this season. Sophomore Allie Barber (Pittston Township, Pa./Pittston Area) joins the roster for the first time - she was an All-PSAC Second Team selection in women's soccer this fall. Joining her are redshirt freshman Leah Myers (York, Pa./Eastern York) and freshmen Ciara Forde (Glenmoore, Pa./Bishop Shanahan), Meghan Corridoni (Exeter, Pa./Holy Redeemer), Taylor Montana (Berwick, Pa./Berwick), and Lauren Oeth (Doylestown, Pa./Germantown Academy). Oeth is expected to redshirt this season.

THE SERIES ...
Pitt-Johnstown leads the all-time series, 9-4, while IUP holds a 23-18 margin in the all-time series.

LAST MEETING AGAINST PITT-JOHNSTOWN ...
The teams last met on December 17, 2014 with the Huskies needing overtime to knock off the Lady Cats, 82-73, in Johnstown. The game was close throughout as the biggest lead of the contest proved to be the final margin of victory. Pitt-Johnstown led, 36-33, at halftime before the Huskies outscored the Lady Cats by three in the second half and 14-5 in overtime. Marla Simmons led the way with a game-high 28 points. Taylor Maldonado (Stroudsburg/Allentown Central Catholic) (19) and Jocelyn Ford (18) also hit double figures. Nicole Carman led Pitt-Johnstown with 16 points off the bench.
 
SCOUTING THE LADY CATS ...
Pitt-Johnstown is a perfect 2-0 on the young season after posting victories against #25 Shaw, 74-72, and Winston-Salem State, 59-47, at the Shepherd University Tournament last weekend. The Lady Cats had five players in double figures in the upset victory over Shaw to start the season. Pitt-Johnstown has had a balanced scoring attack through the first two games as six players are averaging at least eight points. Jamie Tabon leads the way by averaging 11.0 points per game while ranking second on the team in rebounding (8.5). Nicole Corcoran is second on the team in scoring at 10.5 points per game while Olivia McCabe averages a double-double with 10.0 points and a PSAC-high 10.5 rebounds. Pitt-Johnstown is shooting just 37% from the field but has limited the opponents to 34.7% shooting.

LAST MEETING AGAINST IUP ...
Bloomsburg was outscored, 35-23, in the second half and suffered a 67-53 loss to then-#25 IUP at Nelson Field House on December 20, 2014. The Huskies shot just 7-of-25 (28.0%) from the field and was 0-for-8 from long distance in the second half. Marla Simmons (13) and Jocelyn Ford (12) were the only Huskies to finish in double figures. The duo also tied for the team lead in rebounds with six apiece. Leslie Stapleton led three Crimson Hawks in scoring with 17 points while Lindsay Stamp had 11 points and a game-high nine boards.

SCOUTING THE CRIMSON HAWKS ...
IUP is off to a slow start, having lost its first two games of the season (the team is scheduled to play at Lock Haven on Saturday afternoon). The Crimson Hawks dropped a 59-45 decision to Bowie State before bowing to Virginia-Wise, 54-51, last Saturday at the Wolf's Bus Lines Classic hosted by Shippensburg. The team is averaging only 48.0 points per game and is shooting just 31.9% from the field (36-of-113), 22.5% from long range (9-of-40), and 65.2% from the foul line (15-of-23). Megan Smith leads the team in scoring, averaging 16.0 points through the first two games. She is also tied for the team lead in rebounding (6.0). Carolyn Appleby has chipped in 13.0 points per contest. The tandem have combined to score more than half (58-of-96) of the team's points through the first two games of the year.

TAG, YOU'RE IT ...
Alison Tagliaferri takes over the reins as the head coach of the Bloomsburg women's basketball team after serving four seasons as the head coach at Mansfield. Tagliaferri replaces Bill Cleary who, after eight seasons, departed for Division I Colgate University. Cleary went 164-69 in his eight seasons with the Huskies and posted a 97-42 record against PSAC opponents. Bloomsburg reached double figures in wins in all eight years under Cleary's tutelage. Tagliaferri is certainly no stranger to the PSAC East. Prior to her four-year coaching stint at her alma mater, Tagliaferri was a force on the floor for the Mountaineers from 2002-06. She departed as the program's all-time leading scorer with 1,795 points and is the most accurate shooter in program history (48.4%). She also ranks first in Mansfield's record books in career blocks (130) and free throws made (457) while ranking fourth in rebounds (852). During her senior season, she was named the PSAC East Player of the Year to become the first Mansfield women's athlete ever to earn the distinction. In 2011, Tagliaferri was inducted into both the Mansfield University Athletic/Alumni Hall of Fame as well as the West Branch Hall of Fame.

SENIOR CO-CAPTAINS ...
Seniors Alex Ross (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) and Morgan Klunk (Felton, Pa./York Catholic) have been named co-captains for the 2016-17 season. The duo will serve as mentors both on- and off-the-floor as they are the only two upperclassmen on this year's roster. The rest of the roster is made up of five sophomores, one redshirt freshman, and four true freshman.

A LOOK AT THE EXHIBITIONS ...
The Huskies played exhibition contests against two Division I schools prior to the start of the regular season. Bloomsburg dropped an 85-41 decision at Penn State on October 30. Freshman Meghan Corridoni (Exeter, Pa./Holy Redeemer) scored nine points to lead the Huskies while fellow freshman Ciara Forde (Glenmoore, Pa./Bishop Shanahan) added eight in the loss. The Huskies shot only 29.8% from the field and turned the ball over 29 times to the Nittany Lions. Then, on November 4, the Huskies dropped a 65-45 decision at Buffalo. Sophomore Alyssa Mack (Walnutport, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) led the way with 14 points while also pulling down eight rebounds. Senior Morgan Klunk (Felton, Pa./York Catholic) added 13 points and a team-high nine boards. After falling behind 39-17 at halftime, the Huskies outscored the Bulls, 28-26, in the second half.

THE ROOKIES ...
Sophomore Allie Barber (Pittston Township, Pa./Pittston Area), who was an All-PSAC Second Team selection for the Bloomsburg women's soccer team in the fall, joins the women's basketball squad for the first time this winter. She will provide depth at the guard position.
 
The Huskies also brought in five freshmen – one redshirt – to join the roster and to provide depth. Headlining the rookies are Ciara Forde (Glenmoore, Pa./Bishop Shanahan) and redshirt Leah Myers (York, Pa./Eastern York) at the guard position. Tagliaferri expects both of them to provide an immediate boost to the team.
 
Forde led Bishop Shanahan High School in scoring in each of her final three seasons. She was also a three-time First Team All-League selection. Myers was a two-time First Team All-County selection at Eastern York High School. She was also a Second Team All-County honoree twice.
 
At the post position, Meghan Corridoni (Exeter, Pa./Holy Redeemer) and Taylor Montana (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) are expected to battle for playing time and provide depth inside.
 
Corridoni joins the Huskies from Holy Redeemer High School where she helped the team to the district championship as a senior. Montana was a four-year starter at Berwick High School where she was a two-time First Team All-Conference selection.
 
The fifth rookie, Lauren Oeth (Doylestown, Pa./Germantown Academy), is expected to redshirt this season. Oeth comes to Bloomsburg from Germantown Academy where she was a Second Team All-Conference selection in 2014-15.

UP NEXT ...
The Huskies will return to the Nelson Field House to host Chestnut Hill College on Tuesday evening, November 22, at 5:30 p.m. Bloomsburg is a perfect 6-0 lifetime against the Griffins with the last victory coming on November 9, 2013 - a 97-57 win in Philadelphia.