BLOOMSBURG (1-8, 0-5 PSAC East) at WEST CHESTER (2-7, 2-3 PSAC East)
Friday, December 30, 2016 - 5:30 p.m.
West Chester, Pa. | Hollinger Field House

GAME NOTES:
Bloomsburg vs West Chester Game Notes

GAME COVERAGE:
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/wcupa/wbball/
Live Video: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/wcupa/
Live Audio (WHLM-AM): http://www.whlmam.com

RELATED LINKS:
Bloomsburg - Roster | Schedule | Statistics
West Chester - Roster | Schedule | Statistics

LAST TIME OUT ...
Bloomsburg suffered its eighth loss in nine games this season with an 80-45 setback to second-ranked California (PA) on December 18. The Vulcans jumped out to a 26-4 lead after the opening quarter and held the Huskies without a field goal in the opening ten minutes. In fact, Bloomsburg did not record its first field goal until freshman Taylor Montana (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) hit a layup with 7:31 left in the first half. The Vulcans led 44-15 at the break and then only outscored the Huskies, 36-30, in the second half. Senior Morgan Klunk (Felton, Pa./York Catholic) was the only player in double figures for Bloomsburg as she finished with 13 points. Seairra Barrett led three Vulcans in double figures with 16. The Huskies turned the ball over 27 times which led to 31 California points. The Vulcans, meanwhile, turned the ball over 18 times but the Huskies turned the miscues into only seven points.

STARTING FIVE ...
1 - Points have been tough to come by through the first nine games of the season. Bloomsburg is 17th in the PSAC, and 296th in the country, in points per game (52.9). The Huskies have been held to under 60 points in seven of the nine games this season - they scored 61 against Georgian Court in their only win of the season and then scored 63 (seven in overtime) in a loss at Gannon.
2 - Defensively, Bloomsburg has been good. The Huskies are ranked seventh in the conference in scoring defense (63.8) and have limited opponents to under 70 points in a game six times. Bloomsburg is also sixth in the PSAC in opponents' field goal percentage (38.3%), sixth in the league in opponents' three-point shooting (28.0%), and second in the conference in blocked shots per game (5.2). In fact, the Huskies are 16th in the country in blocks per contest.
3 - Sophomore Taylor Sneidman (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley), arguably, had the best game of her collegiate career in the loss to the second-ranked Vulcans. Sneidman played a career-high 33 minutes and scored a career-high seven points while tying a career-best in rebounds with four. She also buried her first career three-pointer and blocked her first career shot in the loss. In her first 26 games with the Huskies, Sneidman had scored a total of seven points.
4 - Senior Morgan Klunk (Felton, Pa./York Catholic) is tops on the team in nearly every statistical category through nine games this season. She leads the team in scoring (11.2), assists (2.9), and steals (2.1). She is one rebound behind senior Alex Ross (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) (5.7) from being the team leader in that department as well (5.6). Klunk has moved into 13th place on the school's all-time list for career assists with 249. She needs eight helpers to tie Kayla Oxenrider (2009-13) for 12th on the list. Klunk also needs 152 points to reach the 1,000-point milestone for her career.
5 - The Huskies 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. Barber was an All-PSAC Second Team selection and an NSCAA (National Soccer Coaches Association of America) All-Atlantic Region Third Team honoree for the Huskies' women's soccer team this fall.

THE SERIES ...
Bloomsburg leads the all-time series against West Chester, 38-35.

LAST MEETING AGAINST WEST CHESTER ...
West Chester jumped out to a 36-22 lead at halftime and held off the Huskies, 78-65, at the Nelson Field House on February 3, 2016. The Golden Rams outscored the Huskies, 18-13, in the first quarter and then 18-9 in the second quarter to build up the 14-point advantage. Bloomsburg cut the lead to five points after three quarters but West Chester scored 15 of the first 19 points of the fourth quarter to hold off Bloomsburg's comeback bid. Adreana Sadowski (Fleetwood/Brandywine Heights) (16 points, 11 rebounds) and Alex Ross (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) (12 points, 10 rebounds) each posted double-doubles for the Huskies while Morgan Klunk (Felton, Pa./York Catholic) joined the duo in double figures in scoring with 13 points. West Chester had five players finish in double figures - Dallas Ely (15), Kendall Benovy (15), Madison Torresin (14), Jasmen Clark (13), and Brittany Sicinski (12).

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN RAMS ...
West Chester enters the contest with a record of 2-7 overall and 2-3 in the PSAC Eastern Division. The Golden Rams posted their first victory over Gannon (65-59) on November 19 and then knocked off Slippery Rock (85-78), on the road, on December 3. Since then, West Chester has lost four straight, including a 69-60 setback at Holy Family in its last game on December 18. The Golden Rams are ninth in the PSAC in scoring offense (68.4) but are dead last in the conference in points allowed per game (78.0). Porscha Speller leads the team in scoring as she averages 14.7 points per game. She is also tops on the team in assists per game (4.7) and is second in rebounding (5.9). Speller is fourth in the PSAC in assists and tied for 13th in the league in scoring. Madison Torresin is a double-double threat as she averages 12.4 points and a team-high 8.3 rebounds per game. She started the season with three double-doubles in her first four games but has not had one since. Alexis Anderson (11.0) and Tori Smick (10.3) are also averaging double digits in scoring this season. West Chester is 14th in the PSAC in turnover margin (-4.89) as it averages 20.2 turnovers per game. The Golden Rams are also -1.2 in rebounding margin - 12th overall in the conference.

LOW SCORING ...
Bloomsburg comes into the contest having scored more than 60 points in a game only twice this season (61 at Georgian Court on November 26 and 63 (seven in OT) at Gannon on December 4) and is averaging only 52.9 points per game - 17th in the PSAC and 296th in the country. The Huskies average more points than only Cheyney in the PSAC. The Huskies have shot better than 40% in a game three times this season and are 14th in the PSAC at 37.3% on the year. However, the Huskies' defense has allowed only 70 or more points in a game three times and allow only 63.8 points per game to their opponents. That figure is the seventh-best in the PSAC.

BLOCK PARTY ...
Through nine games this season, the Huskies are second in the conference, and 16th in the country, in blocked shots per game (5.2). Bloomsburg has blocked a total of 47 shots in those nine contests. The Huskies have blocked at least four shots in seven of the nine games and have blocked ten shots in a game twice - against Chestnut Hill on November 22 and at Philadelphia on November 27. Freshman Taylor Montana (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) is third in the PSAC in blocks per game (1.8) while senior Alex Ross (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) is tied for seventh in the league (1.3). Freshman Meghan Corridoni (Exeter, Pa./Holy Redeemer) is tied for 19th as she averages just under one block per game. In fact, the Huskies have five players ranked in the top 40 in the PSAC in blocks per game.

STRUGGLING FROM DEEP ...
Bloomsburg enters the game having made only 30 three-pointers in nine games this season (3.3 per game). The Huskies are 15th in the league in triples made per game and 17th in the PSAC in three-point shooting percentage (24.2%). Sophomore Alyssa Mack (Walnutport, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) has accounted for 12 of the team's 30 three-pointers while sophomore Marissa Molnar (Erie, Pa./McDowell) is second with eight. The duo has combined to shoot 20-of-70 from deep (28.6%) while the rest of the team is 10- of-54 (18.5%). West Chester, Friday's opponent, isn't faring much better - it is tied for 13th in the PSAC in three-pointers per game (4.0) and 15th in three-point percentage (24.8%).

SENIOR LEADERSHIP ...
With only two seniors and no juniors entering the season, a lot of focus has been on the lone upperclassmen - Morgan Klunk (Felton, Pa./York Catholic) and Alex Ross (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township). Klunk has been a mainstay on the floor as she leads the team in minutes played per game (33.7). She is tops on the team in scoring (11.2), assists (2.9), and steals (2.1) while ranking second on the team in rebounding (5.6). She also posted her first double-double of the season, and fourth of her career, with 20 points and 12 rebounds in the Huskies' 61-41 win at Georgian Court. Klunk has moved into 13th place on the school's all-time career assists list with 249 and she needs 152 points to reach the 1,000-career point milestone. Ross has also done some of everything for the Huskies as she is third on the team in scoring (7.6), first in rebounding (5.7), tied for second in assists (2.3), second in blocks (1.3), and second in steals (1.2). Ross is eight blocks shy of moving into the top 15 on the school's list for career blocked shots. She also posted her first double-double of the season in the loss at Clarion.

NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP ...
Three sophomores that saw decent playing time last season have stepped up their roles this year. Alyssa Mack (Walnutport, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic), who averaged 7.1 points per game last season, is up to 9.3 points per game this season, which is second on the team. She is also tied for second in assists (2.3) and leads the team in three-pointers (12). Casey Warley (West Chester, Pa./Bayard Rustin) has started eight games this season and, after averaging only 1.3 points and 0.9 rebounds a year ago, is up to 4.9 points and 2.7 boards this season. She is averaging 6.3 points over her last five games. Finally, Marissa Molnar (Erie, Pa./McDowell) has also increased from 1.8 points and 0.8 rebounds to 3.6 and 2.1, respectively, this season. She tied a career-high with 11 points, and grabbed a career-best five rebounds, at Mercyhurst on December 3. She is second on the team with eight three-pointers.

HUSKIES FOR HIE ...
The women's basketball team held a benefit during its season opener against Pitt-Johnstown for three-year-old Luke Antolick who has been diagnosed with Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE). Luke's parents, Lance and Alyson, grew up with BU head coach Alison Tagliaferri while Alyson, the former Alyson Taylor, played softball at Bloomsburg from 2003-06. The benefit, which is still going on through a GoFundMe page, has raised more than $1,000 for the Antolick family to help with medical expenses. For more information or to donate, visit https://www.gofundme.com/luke-antolick-benefit-fund.

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. 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 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.

TAG, YOU'RE IT ...
Alison Tagliaferri takes over the reins as the head coach 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. 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 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.

UP NEXT ...
Bloomsburg returns home on January 3 to host Cheyney University at Nelson Field House. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The Huskies lead the all-time series against the Wolves, 48-14.