BLOOMSBURG (1-10, 0-7 PSAC East) at SHIPPENSBURG (8-5, 3-4 PSAC East)
Friday, January 6, 2017 - 6:00 p.m.
Shippensburg, Pa. | Heiges Field House

GAME NOTES:
Bloomsburg vs Shippensburg Game Notes

GAME COVERAGE:
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RELATED LINKS:
Bloomsburg - Roster | Schedule | Statistics
Shippensburg - Roster | Schedule | Statistics

LAST TIME OUT ...
Bloomsburg struggled to find its shot on Tuesday night and suffered its seventh consecutive loss with a 59-48 setback to visiting Cheyney at the Nelson Field House. The Huskies were held to just 15 points in the first half and 27 points through three quarters before making things interesting in the fourth. Bloomsburg cut a 16-point lead down to four midway through the fourth quarter before the Wolves pulled away again down the stretch. Bloomsburg made only 4-of-33 (12.1%) from the floor in the first half and finished the game connecting on 17-of-67 (25.4%). Sophomore Alyssa Mack (Walnutport, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) was the only Bloomsburg player in double figures as she finished with 17 points, including a career-high five three-pointers.

STARTING FIVE ...
1 - Points have been tough to come by this season. Bloomsburg is 17th in the PSAC, and 294th in the country, in points per game (53.7). Only Cheyney is averaging fewer points (46.6) in the PSAC. The Huskies have been held to under 60 points in eight of the eleven 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. They are posted a season-high 67 points last Friday at West Chester. The Huskies are 14th in the league in field goal percentage (36.9%), 16th in three-point percentage (25.6%), and 15th in free throw shooting (63.0%).

2 - The Huskies are, however, ranked seventh in the conference in scoring defense (64.9) and have limited opponents to under 70 points in a game seven times. However, since allowing a season-low 41 points at Georgian Court on November 26, Bloomsburg's points allowed were trending in the wrong direction - 57 at Philadelphia, 66 at Mercyhurst, 71 at Gannon, 74 at Clarion, 80 against California, and 81 at West Chester - before allowing only 59 to Cheyney on Tuesday. The Huskies are still second in the conference in blocked shots per game (5.0). In fact, the Huskies are 21st 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 California on December 18. Sneidman played a then-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. Over her last three games, Sneidman is averaging 5.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.0 assists.

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 (11.4), assists (3.0), and steals (2.1). She is also tied for the team lead in rebounding (5.5). Klunk has moved into 13th place on the school's all-time list for career assists with 256. She needs one helper to tie Kayla Oxenrider (2009-13) for 12th on the list. Klunk also needs 128 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 ...
Shippensburg leads the all-time series against Bloomsburg, 31-25.

LAST MEETING AGAINST SHIPPENSBURG ...
Bloomsburg could not generate much in the way of offense as Shippensburg handed the Huskies a 60-42 loss in the final game of the regular season a year ago (February 24, 2016) in Shippensburg. The Raiders only held a 28-24 lead at halftime before limiting Bloomsburg to just 18 second-half points. For the game, Bloomsburg shot 14-of-50 (28.0%) and was outrebounded by a 41-26 margin. Morgan Klunk (Felton, Pa./York Catholic) led the Huskies with 11 points while Adreana Sadowski (Fleetwood/Brandywine Heights) chipped in with 10 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks. Lauren Gold led Shippensburg with 20 points while Morgan Griffith had 12 points and 16 rebounds.

SCOUTING THE RAIDERS ...
Picked to win the PSAC Eastern Division, Shippensburg is off to an 8-5 start overall and a 3-4 mark in conference play. The Raiders have won three straight including a 76-46 victory over Millersville on Tuesday night. Shippensburg leads the PSAC in field goal percentage (47.2%) which also puts it eighth overall in all of Division II. The Raiders also lead the PSAC in assist/turnover ratio (1.18). The Raiders have five players averaging double figures, led by Stephanie Knauer's 14.3 scoring average. Knauer leads the PSAC in field goal percentage (63.6%). Lauren Gold is averaging 12.0 points per game and leads the team with 48 assists. Morgan Griffith has posted a team-high four double-doubles and is averaging 11.0 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. Her rebounding average is fourth in the conference. Logan Snyder (10.6) and Colleen Young (10.6) are also in double digits. Knauer, Gold, and Griffith are all over 1,000 points for their collegiate careers and Griffith needs 14 rebounds to reach 1,000 for her career in that department. Shippensburg has won 12 of its last 13 games against PSAC East opponents.

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 53.7 points per game - 17th in the PSAC and 294th in the country. The Huskies average more points than only Cheyney (46.6) in the PSAC. The Huskies have shot better than 40% in a game four times this season and are 14th in the PSAC at 36.9% on the year. However, the Huskies' defense has allowed 70 or more points in a game only four times and allow only 64.9 points per game to their opponents. That figure is the seventh-best in the PSAC.

BLOCK PARTY ...
The Huskies are second in the conference, and 21st in the country, in blocked shots per game (5.0). The Huskies have blocked at least four shots in nine of the eleven 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 tied for third in the PSAC in blocks (1.6) while senior Alex Ross (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) is tied for tenth in the league (1.3). Freshman Meghan Corridoni (Exeter, Pa./Holy Redeemer) is tied for 13th as she averages exactly one block per game. In fact, the Huskies have four players ranked in the top 30 in the PSAC in blocks per game.

STRUGGLING FROM DEEP ...
Bloomsburg enters the game having made only 41 three-pointers in eleven games this season (3.7 per game). The Huskies are 15th in the league in triples made per game and 16th in the PSAC in three-point shooting percentage (25.6%). Sophomore Alyssa Mack (Walnutport, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) hit all five of Bloomsburg's three-pointers on Tuesday and has accounted for 19 of the team's 41 three-pointers while sophomore Marissa Molnar (Erie, Pa./McDowell) is second with nine. The duo has combined to shoot 28-of-97 from deep (28.9%) while the rest of the team is 13-of-63 (20.6%).

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 (33.2). She is tops on the team in scoring (11.4), assists (3.0), and steals (2.1) while tying for the team lead in rebounding (5.5). She 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 256 and she needs 128 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), tied for first in rebounding (5.5), tied for second in assists (2.2), second in blocks (1.3), and fourth 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 ...
Four 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 10.3 points per game this season, which is second on the team. She is also tied for second in assists (2.2) and leads the team in three-pointers (19). Casey Warley (West Chester, Pa./Bayard Rustin) has started ten games this season and, after averaging only 1.3 points and 0.9 rebounds a year ago, is up to 5.4 points and 3.0 boards this season. She is averaging 6.6 points and 3.1 rebounds over her last seven games. Marissa Molnar (Erie, Pa./McDowell) has also increased from 1.8 points and 0.8 rebounds to 3.7 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. Finally, Taylor Sneidman (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) scored only seven points in 21 games last season but is averaging 2.0 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 0.9 assists this season - 5.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.0 assists over her last three games.

UP NEXT ...
Bloomsburg will return home to host Edinboro University at the Nelson Field House on Monday, January 9. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Edinboro leads the all-time series, 15-12.