Women's Basketball | 2/17/2017 4:01:00 PM

BLOOMSBURG (9-14, 8-11 PSAC East) at EAST STROUDSBURG (16-7, 12-7 PSAC East)
Saturday, February 18, 2017 - 1:00 p.m.
East Stroudsburg, Pa. | Koehler Fieldhouse

GAME NOTES:
Bloomsburg vs East Stroudsburg Game Notes

GAME COVERAGE:
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/esu/wbball/
Live Audio (WHLM): http://www.whlm.com
Live Video: http://esuwarriors.com/watch/?Live=114

RELATED LINKS:
Bloomsburg - Roster | Schedule | Statistics
East Stroudsburg - Roster | Schedule | Statistics

LAST TIME OUT ...
Bloomsburg won for the eighth time in its last ten games as it hung on for a 69-66 win at Mansfield on Wednesday night. The Huskies opened the game on a 10-0 run and led, 34-25, at halftime before having to hold off the Mountaineers down the stretch. Senior Morgan Klunk, who poured in a career-high 26 points, hit a jumper and four free throws over the last 90 seconds to preserve the victory. Klunk was 9-of-16 from the field, hit two three-pointers, and was a perfect 6-of-6 at the line. She added five rebounds and four assists. Senior Alex Ross chipped in her second double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds while sophomore Marissa Molnar (Erie, Pa./McDowell) reached double digits for the fourth time in five games as she added 10 points in the win.

STARTING FIVE ...
1 - Senior Morgan Klunk became the 21st player in school history to record 1,000 career points when she nailed a three-pointer with 2:59 left in regulation against Shippensburg on Saturday, February 4. She now has 1,044 points for her career and needs 64 points to tie Holly Curnow (1995-99) for 20th on the school's all-time list. The senior is on milestone watch in two other categories - rebounds and assists. She is now 17 rebounds and 19 assists shy of reaching 500 career rebounds and 300 career assists to go along with her 1,000 career points. Klunk has moved into 10th place on the school's all-time list for career assists with 281. She needs 15 helpers to tie Michelle Simons (1988-92) for ninth on the all-time list.

2 - After a 1-12 start, the Huskies have won eight of their last ten games and are currently in fourth place in the PSAC Eastern Division with an 9-14 overall record and an 8-11 mark in league play. The Huskies' magic number to clinch a playoff spot is one. While Bloomsburg is still only tied for 15th in the conference in scoring offense at 57.1 points per game, the Huskies have shown improvement on the offensive end during the ten-game stretch. Bloomsburg is averaging 61.7 points per game during its last ten games and that includes a 53-37 win over Mansfield on January 11 and a 52-43 victory over Millersville on January 14 to start the run.

3 - Defensively, the Huskies are ranked sixth in the conference in scoring defense (62.1) and have limited opponents to under 70 points in a game 17 times this season. Over the last ten games (eight wins), the Huskies have allowed a total of 588 points (58.8 per game). Bloomsburg is sixth in the PSAC in opponents' field-goal percentage (39.1%) and 11th in opponents' three-point percentage (30.3%). It also ranks second in the league in blocks per game (4.5) and tied for fifth in steals per game (8.5).

4 - The Huskies have turned to a pair of unsung heroes to contribute during the hot streak. Sophomore Taylor Sneidman (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) has started each of the last 14 games, averaging 31.0 minutes in those 14 starts, and is posting 6.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.7 assists over her last 15 contests. And, sophomore Marissa Molnar (Erie, Pa./McDowell) has reached double-figures in scoring in four of her last five games after hitting double figures only twice in her first 40 collegiate contests. She is averaging 11.0 points over her last five games.

5 - The Huskies have a very young roster that features only two seniors - Morgan Klunk and Alex Ross - 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 East Stroudsburg, 51-24.

LAST MEETING AGAINST EAST STROUDSBURG ...
Bloomsburg dropped a 75-55 decision against East Stroudsburg on January 21 at the Nelson Field House. The Warriors, who never trailed, jumped out to a 28-15 lead after one quarter and had a 40-27 lead at intermission. The Huskies cut the lead to 10 at the outset of the third quarter but East Stroudsburg went on a 9-0 run to take a 49-30 lead with 4:03 left in the frame. The lead grew to as many as 24 points before East Stroudsburg settled for the 20-point win. Senior Alex Ross led the Huskies with 21 points - one shy of her career-high. She added five rebounds and five assists. Senior Morgan Klunk had eight points and eight rebounds. Imani Brown paced East Stroudsburg with 18 points while Noelle Powell added 17 in the victory.

SCOUTING THE WARRIORS  ...
East Stroudsburg comes into the game with an overall record of 16-7 and a 12-7 mark in the PSAC Eastern Division. The Warriors have won seven straight heading into Saturday's contest which began with their 20-point win over Bloomsburg on January 21. It is the program's longest winning streak since the 2006-07 season. During the streak, the Warriors have averaged 73.4 points per game on offense and have allowed only 55.6 points per game to their opponents. All told, East Stroudsburg is second in the PSAC in scoring offense on the season (71.9) and is seventh in scoring defense (63.3). The Warriors also have the third-best turnover margin in the conference at +2.83. Allison Howard leads East Stroudsburg in scoring as she averages 14.2 points per game. She is also tops on the team in rebounding at 7.2. She ranks 12th in the league in scoring and tied for 13th in rebounding. Noelle Powell and Imani Brown are tied for second in scoring at 12.9 points per game. Powell has hit a team-high 47 three-pointers and is second on the team in assists with 45. Brown is second in rebounding (5.6) and second in three-pointers with 41. Jordan Hertz leads the team in assists with 73 and is tied for 14th in the league in assists per game (3.2). She is tied for second in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.4).

KLUNK LIGHTS UP MANSFIELD ...
Senior Morgan Klunk scored a career-high 26 points in Wednesday's 69-66 victory at Mansfield. She was 9-of-16 from the field, 2-of-3 from long range, and 6-of-6 from the foul line. Over her last four contests, Klunk is averaging 18.5 points per game and has moved into a tie for 19th in the conference in scoring this season (12.9).

HEATING UP ...
Senior Alex Ross has hit double figures in scoring in each of the last eight games and is averaging 13.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.1 assists during the stretch. Sophomore Marissa Molnar (Erie, Pa./McDowell) has been in double figures in four of the last five games, after reaching double digits only twice in her first 40 career games. She is averaging 11.0 points during the spurt.

ONE MILESTONE DOWN ...
Senior Morgan Klunk became the 21st player in school history to record 1,000 career points when she poured in 17 against Shippensburg on Saturday, February 4. She now needs 64 points to crack the top 20 in program history. She also has a chance to hit two more milestones during the season and become one of a handful of players in program history to record 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, and 300 assists. She needs 17 rebounds and 19 assists to hit the other two figures.

DEE-FENSE ...
Despite Bloomsburg's scoring woes for much of the season, the Huskies have been in a number of games because they have been able to keep their opponents off the board. Bloomsburg's defense has allowed 70 or more points in a game only six times and has limited its opponents only 62.1 points per game. That figure is sixth-best in the PSAC. Over the last ten games, in which Bloomsburg has gone 8-2, the Huskies have allowed a total of 588 points (58.8 per game). Bloomsburg is sixth in the PSAC in opponents' field-goal percentage (39.1%) and 11th in opponents' three-point percentage (30.3%). It also ranks second in the league in blocks per game (4.5) and tied for fifth in steals per game (8.5).

DO-IT-ALL ...
Senior Alex Ross has done some of everything for the Huskies this season and leads the team, or is near the top, in almost every statistical category. She ranks third on the team in scoring (9.5), second in rebounding (5.7), first in assists (2.9), first in blocks (1.4), and second in steals (1.2). Her game has really picked up during the Huskies' 8-2 stretch. She has hit double figures in each of the last eight games and is averaging 11.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.5 assists over the last 12 contests.

MONTANA PSAC EAST FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK ...
Freshman Taylor Montana (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) earned the first weekly honor of the season for a Bloomsburg player when she was named the PSAC East Freshman of the Week on Monday, January 30. During the 2-0 week for the Huskies, she scored a career-high 19 points at Lock Haven (January 25) and then added seven at Cheyney (January 28) to average 13.0 points and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 61.1% from the field in the Bloomsburg wins.

BLOCK PARTY ...
The Huskies are second in the conference in blocked shots per game (4.5). The Huskies have blocked at least four shots in 15 of their 23 games and have blocked ten shots in a game twice - against Chestnut Hill on November 22 and at Philadelphia on November 27. Senior Alex Ross has taken over the team lead as she averages 1.4 blocks per game - seventh in the PSAC. Freshman Taylor Montana (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) is tied for 10th in the league at 1.1 while freshman Meghan Corridoni (Exeter, Pa./Holy Redeemer) is tied for 17th at 0.9 per contest. Montana, Ross, and Corridoni have combined for 75 of the team's 104 blocks.

UP NEXT ...
Bloomsburg will return home for its final two games of the regular season. The Huskies will host Kutztown University on Wednesday, February 22. Start time is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Bloomsburg defeated the Golden Bears, 68-66, in Kutztown on January 18.