BOX SCORE

BLOOMSBURG—Trailing by 18 points in the second quarter the Bloomsburg University women's basketball team rallied and briefly regained the lead in the fourth period, but could not hang on and lost its season opener, 68-57, to the Mountain Cats of Pitt-Johnstown (UPJ) on Saturday at the Nelson Field House.
 
UPJ took early control of the game opening a nine-point lead, 17-8, after one period. The Huskies struggled from the floor going just 3-14 from the floor in the first period and turning the ball over 11 times in the frame.
 
The Mountain Cats continued to build on their lead pushing it to 18 points, 28-10, their biggest of the game, with 3:45 left in the second period. Bloomsburg, though, cut the gap to 11 at the break by closing out the half on a 7-0 run. Alyssa Mack (Walnutport, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) sent the Huskies to the locker room at halftime on a high note when she drained a deep 3-pointer just before the horn.
 
In the third period the Mountain Cats pushed their lead with 13 points with 6:21 to go in the period on a free throw by Laurel O'Barto. That's when Bloomsburg began to rally cutting the deficit to just six points by the end of the quarter. The Huskies closed out the period on a 6-0 run on buckets by Alex Ross (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township), Meghan Corridoni (Exeter, Pa./Holy Redeemer) and Mack making it a 44-38 game.
 
A bucket by Ross to start the fourth period make it a 44-40 game with 9:18 to go before UPJ scored to push the lead back to six at 46-40. That's when both teams went cold. The squads went a combined 0-11 over the next three minutes with each team turning over the ball once.
 
Bloomsburg finally broke through and got a pair of free throws from Taylor Montana (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) to once again pull within four points. After two free throws from UPJ made it a six-point lead, the Huskies Morgan Klunk (Felton, Pa./York Catholic) converted a traditional three-point play to make it 48-45. After a UPJ turnover, Montana scored on a layup followed by a layup from Casey Worley giving the Huskies a 49-48 lead with 4:38 to play, their first lead in the game since it was 2-0.
 
The lead, though, was short-lived. The Mountain Cats Jamie Tabon came back a minute later and scored to put UPJ back on top 50-49 and start them on a 17-9 run to close the game.
 
Statistically the game was balanced with both teams shooting 40 percent from the floor and each turning the ball over 26 times. The difference in the game was nine more made free throws by the visitors (19 for UPJ to 10 for BU) and two more made three-pointers for UPJ.
 
Bloomsburg (0-1, 0-1 PSAC East) had four players in double figures led by Corridoni with 14, while Mack finished with 13. Ross and Klunk added 10 points each for the Huskies.
 
UPJ (3-0, 1-0 PSAC West) got 16 points and 13 rebounds from Olivia McCabe and 15 points and 10 rebounds from Tabon.
 
The Huskies return to action on Sunday hosting IUP at 1 p.m. at the Nelson Field House.