BLOOMSBURG (1-9, 0-6 PSAC East) vs CHEYNEY (0-6, 0-6 PSAC East)
Tuesday, January 3, 2017 - 7:30 p.m.
Bloomsburg, Pa. | Nelson Field House

GAME NOTES:
Bloomsburg vs Cheyney 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
Cheyney - Roster | Schedule | Statistics

LAST TIME OUT ...
Bloomsburg scored a season-high 67 points but dropped an 81-67 decision at West Chester on Friday evening to drop to 1-9 overall and 0-6 in the PSAC Eastern Division. The Huskies fell behind, 22-12, after the opening quarter and could never quite recover from the slow start. Senior Morgan Klunk (Felton, Pa./York Catholic) paced Bloomsburg with 16 points while also adding five assists, four rebounds, and four steals. Sophomore Alyssa Mack (Walnutport, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) added 12 points while sophomore Casey Warley (West Chester, Pa./Bayard Rustin) posted career-highs in both points (11) and rebounds (8). The Huskies shot 47.4% from the field and made six three-pointers as part of their season-high in points. However, foul shooting proved to be the huge difference - Bloomsburg was just 7-of-14 from the free-throw line while West Chester was 29-of-39. The Golden Rams' Tori Smick, alone, went 18-of-22 from the line - a majority of her game-high 24 points.

STARTING FIVE ...
1 - Points have been tough to come by through the first ten games of the season. Bloomsburg is 17th in the PSAC, and 296th in the country, in points per game (54.3). Only Tuesday's opponent, Cheyney, is averaging fewer points (44.5) in the PSAC. The Huskies have been held to under 60 points in seven of the ten 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. However, they are coming off of a season-high 67 points last Friday at West Chester.

2 - The Huskies are ranked eighth in the conference in scoring defense (65.5) and have limited opponents to under 70 points in a game six times. However, since allowing a season-low 41 points at Georgian Court on November 26, Bloomsburg's points allowed have trended in the wrong direction - 57 at Philadelphia, 66 at Mercyhurst, 71 at Gannon, 74 at Clarion, 80 against California, and 81 at West Chester. The Huskies are still second in the conference in blocked shots per game (5.1). 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. She was awarded with the start at West Chester on Friday and finished with five points and two assists in 25 minutes.

4 - Senior Morgan Klunk (Felton, Pa./York Catholic) is tops on the team in nearly every statistical category this season. She leads the team in scoring (11.7), assists (3.1), and steals (2.3). She is one rebound behind senior Alex Ross (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) (5.5) from being the team leader in that department as well (5.4). Klunk has moved into 13th place on the school's all-time list for career assists with 254. She needs three helpers to tie Kayla Oxenrider (2009-13) for 12th on the list. Klunk also needs 136 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 Cheyney, 48-14.

LAST MEETING AGAINST CHEYNEY ...
Despite 25 points, a career-high 16 rebounds, and six blocks from redshirt senior Adreana Sadowski (Fleetwood/Brandywine Heights) on Senior Day, Bloomsburg dropped a 55-53 decision at home to the Lady Wolves on February 20, 2016. Bloomsburg held a 30-18 halftime lead, limiting the Lady Wolves to just 20.0% shooting in the first half. However, Cheyney outscored the Huskies, 37-23, in the second half as Bloomsburg made only six field goals (28 attempts) over the final two quarters. Alyssa Mack (Walnutport, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) (12 points) joined Sadowski in double figures. The duo combined to score 37 points and shoot 14-of-28 from the field. The rest of the team was 3-of-27. Kyra Hines-Allen led Cheyney with 16 points and eight rebounds while Aerie DeJesus and Amber Genwright had 10 points apiece.

SCOUTING THE LADY WOLVES ...
Cheyney enters the contest with an 0-6 overall record and an 0-6 mark in the PSAC Eastern Division. The Lady Wolves average a PSAC-worst 44.5 points per game and have been outscored by an average of 27.5 points per game. Cheyney is last in the league in field goals (29.4%), three-pointers (18.7%), and foul shooting (53.9%). Marlon Herring leads Cheyney in scoring (9.2) and rebounding (5.3) while blocking a team-high six shots. Briana Hedgepeth is second on the team in scoring (9.0) and leads the team in field goal percentage (50.0%; 22-of-44). TaKayla Ellis and Taschell Phillips have combined to post 34 of the team's 52 assists and 20 of the team's 55 steals. Ellis is 13th in the PSAC in assists (3.3) and is seventh in the league in steals (2.2).

LOW SCORING ...
Bloomsburg comes into the contest having scored more than 60 points in a game only three times this season (61 at Georgian Court on November 26; 63 (seven in OT) at Gannon on December 4; and 67 at West Chester on December 30) and is averaging only 54.3 points per game - 17th in the PSAC and 296th in the country. The Huskies average more points than only Cheyney (44.5) in the PSAC. The Huskies have shot better than 40% in a game four times this season and are 14th in the PSAC at 38.4% on the year. However, the Huskies' defense has allowed only 70 or more points in a game four times and allow only 65.5 points per game to their opponents. That figure is the eighth-best in the PSAC.

BLOCK PARTY ...
The Huskies are second in the conference, and 16th in the country, in blocked shots per game (5.1). The Huskies have blocked at least four shots in eight of the ten 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 (1.6) 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 14th as she averages exactly one block per game. In fact, the Huskies have five players ranked in the top 43 in the PSAC in blocks per game.

STRUGGLING FROM DEEP ...
Bloomsburg enters the game having made only 36 three-pointers in ten games this season (3.6 per game). The Huskies are 15th in the league in triples made per game and tied for 16th in the PSAC in three-point shooting percentage (25.5%). The Huskies did, however, tie a season-high with six triples in the loss at West Chester last Friday. Sophomore Alyssa Mack (Walnutport, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) has accounted for 14 of the team's 36 three-pointers while sophomore Marissa Molnar (Erie, Pa./McDowell) is second with nine. The duo has combined to shoot 23-of-81 from deep (28.4%) while the rest of the team is 13-of-60 (21.7%). Cheyney, Tuesday's opponent, is even worse - it is last in both three-pointers per game (2.3) and three-point percentage (18.7%).

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 (34.1). She is tops on the team in scoring (11.7), assists (3.1), and steals (2.3) while ranking second on the team in rebounding (5.4). 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 254 and she needs 136 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 (5.5), third in assists (2.2), second in blocks (1.3), and tied for second in steals (1.1). Ross is seven 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 9.6 points per game this season, which is second on the team. She is also second in assists (2.4) and leads the team in three-pointers (14). Casey Warley (West Chester, Pa./Bayard Rustin) has started nine games this season and, after averaging only 1.3 points and 0.9 rebounds a year ago, is up to 5.5 points and 3.2 boards this season. She is averaging 7.0 points and 3.4 rebounds over her last seven games. Finally, Marissa Molnar (Erie, Pa./McDowell) has also increased from 1.8 points and 0.8 rebounds to 3.8 and 2.0, 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 nine 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 heads to Shippensburg on Friday, January 6 to battle the Raiders, who were picked to finish first in the PSAC East according to the preseason coaches' poll. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.