BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - The Bloomsburg University women's basketball team dropped its game against nationally-ranked Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) foe California (Pa.) 61-38 on Saturday (Dec. 2).
 
The Huskies hung with the No. 4 team in the country in the first quarter, only being behind 13-11 after 10 minutes. The Vulcans held a 6-0 lead after three possessions thanks to two layups from Shatara Parsons and a pair of free throws from Mia Cushon. Bloomsburg responded with back-to-back scoring possessions with a jumper from Taylor Montana (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) and a layup from Emma Saxton (York, Pa./Central York) to cut the deficit to two. The following trip down the floor, Montana split a pair of free throws to get her team within one. To follow that up, Parsons netted another bucket to get her team back up by three approaching the halfway point of the frame. Just before the halfway mark, Saxton scored another layup to yet again get the Huskies within one point. On the next offensive possession for the Huskies, Darcy Lee (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) knocked down a jumper to give the Huskies a 9-8 lead with four and a half minutes to play in the frame. Coming out of a media timeout with just under four minutes left, Leah Myers (York, Pa./Eastern York) got her team a three-point advantage with a layup to get the Huskies into double-digits. California (Pa.) scored the final points of the frame on a split pair at the foul line by Parsons and two buckets from Jiahna Flood-Francis.
 
The Huskies were held to just nine points in the second quarter, trailing 26-20 at the half. Just over a minute into the second, Montana tied the game at 13 with a layup. The No. 4 Vulcans would proceed to go on an 11-0 run that would span past the halfway point of the frame. Parsons started the run on the ensuing trip down the floor, after drawing a foul from Montana. Parson hit both shots from the line, before DJ Hahn got the game to a four-point difference with a steal and a jumper. The next trip down the floor looked similar, except it was Abbey Sporio getting the steal and knocking down the fast-break jumper. A few empty possessions for both teams just stretched out the run, until Parsons knocked down a jumper off an assist from Cushon to give the Vulcans an eight-point lead with 5:35 left in the half. The next trip down the floor after the halfway point, Bianca Jasper knocked down a long ball to stretch Cal's lead to double-digits. Lee finally ended the Huskies cold spell with a jumper to get the game back within single digits. Layups from Megan Brandt (Lebanon, Pa./Northern Lebanon) and Lee on the next two possessions would get the lead back down to five, before Alyssa Mack (Walnutport, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) split a pair at the charity stripe to get the game to 24-20. Hahn knocked down a jumper in the final minute to get her team's lead back to six before the half.
 
The third quarter would play out similar to the second, with California (Pa.) holding Bloomsburg to single-digit scoring and out-scoring them 18-7. Payton Spadaccino (Ivyland, Pa./Council Rock South) started the second half out with a jumper to get Bloomsburg within four. Parsons got the lead back up to six, before one Myers foul shot cut the lead to five. A couple turnover-laden possessions for both teams limited the scoring for about a minute, before Saxton found Myers for a layup to get Bloomsburg back within one possession with 6:39 left in the quarter. About another minute passed before Jasper knocked down another long ball to get the Vulcans back up by six. Coming out of a media timeout, Myers would get the Huskies back within four with a layup with 4:09 left in the quarter. The Vulcans did their damage after that Myers bucket, going on a 19-0 run that spanned three minutes into the fourth quarter. No. 4 California (Pa.) maintained a lead of at least 20 for the majority of the fourth quarter.
 
As a team, the Huskies shot 35.4 percent from the floor, just 16.7 percent from beyond the arc and 33.3 percent from the charity stripe. Myers led the Huskies in scoring with seven while Brandt, Saxton and Lee each scored six. Spadaccino and Montana each scored five. Two other Huskies found the scoresheet in the loss. Lee hauled down a team-high six boards, while Saxton and Lauren Oeth (Doylestown, Pa./Germantown Academy) each recorded two assists. Five other Huskies added helpers in the contest.
 
Bloomsburg falls to 3-5 and 0-3 in conference on the year. The Huskies are back at home on Sunday (Dec. 3) when they welcome Slippery Rock for a 1:00 p.m. tipoff.