Women's Basketball | 2/21/2017 5:57:00 PM

BLOOMSBURG (9-15, 8-12 PSAC East) vs KUTZTOWN (11-17, 8-12 PSAC East)
Wednesday, February 22, 2017 - 5:30 p.m.
Bloomsburg, Pa. | Nelson Field House

GAME NOTES:
Bloomsburg vs Kutztown Game Notes

GAME COVERAGE:
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/bloomu/wbball/
Live Audio (WHLM): http://www.whlm.com
Live Video: Link Coming Soon

RELATED LINKS:
Bloomsburg - Roster | Schedule | Statistics
Kutztown - Roster | Schedule | Statistics

LAST TIME OUT ...
Bloomsburg fell on the road to East Stroudsburg, 87-61, last Saturday afternoon. The Huskies only trailed, 20-13, after the first quarter, but the Warriors won the second quarter, 25-11, and took a 45-24 lead into the break. The Huskies battled in the second half but were unable to cut into the deficit. Senior Alex Ross led the way with 16 points and seven rebounds, while freshman Taylor Montana (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) recorded her first career double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. The Huskies shot just 36.4% as a team from the field, and 3-15 (20%) from three-point range.

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 1,053 points for her career and needs 55 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 12 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 11 games and are currently in a tie for fourth place in the PSAC Eastern Division with an 9-15 overall record and an 8-12 mark in league play. The Huskies' magic number to clinch a playoff spot is one. While Bloomsburg is only tied for 15th in the conference in scoring offense at 57.3 points per game, the Huskies have shown improvement on the offensive end during the 11-game stretch. Bloomsburg is averaging 61.6 points per game during its last 11 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 tied for sixth in the conference in scoring defense (63.1) and have limited opponents to under 70 points in a game 17 times this season. Over the last 11 games (eight wins), the Huskies have allowed a total of 675 points (61.4 per game). Bloomsburg is tied for ninth in the PSAC in opponents' field-goal percentage (39.8%) and 11th in opponents' three-point percentage (30.9%). The Huskies also rank second in the league in blocks per game (4.4) and sixth in steals per game (8.3).

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 15 games, averaging 30.3 minutes in those 15 starts, and is posting 5.7   points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.7 assists over her last 16 contests. And, sophomore Marissa Molnar (Erie, Pa./McDowell) has reached double-figures in scoring in four of her last six games after hitting double figures only twice in her first 40 collegiate contests. She is averaging 10.3 points over her last six 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 Kutztown, 70-22.

LAST MEETING AGAINST KUTZTOWN ...
Bloomsburg defeated Kutztown, 68-66, on the road back on January 18. The Huskies trailed by 12 points entering the fourth quarter, but held the Golden Bears to just seven points over the final 10 minutes, and went on a 21-2 run in the last 6:56 of the contest. Morgan Klunk poured in 20 points, grabbed six rebounds and had six steals in the win. Alyssa Mack (Walnutport, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) tallied 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field, and connected on four shots from three-point range. Bloomsburg shot 46.2% from the field as a team, and nailed 15-of-21 from the free throw line, (10-of-13 in the second half). Taylor Sneidman (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) dished out a career-high six assists for the Huskies, who earned their then third-straight win in epic fashion.

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN BEARS  ...
Kutztown comes into the matchup with a record of 11-17, including an 8-12 mark in the PSAC. The Golden Bears are coming off of a 51-49 win versus Millersville on senior day, last Saturday. Senior Jenna Altomare led the way with 12 points in the win, and is the fourth leading scorer on a team that has four players averaging over 11 points a game.

Graduate student Alex Heck (12.8), freshman Sierra Taylor (11.6) and senior Kelsey Watson (11.3) are the other three members of the team hitting that mark for the season. Altomare leads the team with 59 three-pointers made this year, and boasts the best mark from the free throw line at 82.3%.

Watson and Heck average 7.7 and 7.3 rebounds per game respectively for a Kutztown team that is third in the PSAC in total rebounds with 1,033. The Golden Bears are 10th in the conference with a 30.1% clip from three-point range, and are also tied for seventh in three-point field goal percentage defense, holding teams to a 29.1% mark from beyond the arc.

MONTANA RECORDS FIRST DOUBLE-DOUBLE ...
Freshman Taylor Montana (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) registered her first career double-double against East Stroudsburg last Saturday, scoring 11 points and pulling down 12 rebounds in just 22 minutes of action. Montana is currently leading the team in field goal percentage (.545), and is third on the roster with 4.3 rebounds per game.

HEATING UP ...
Senior Alex Ross has hit double figures in scoring in each of the last nine games and is averaging 13.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.9 assists during the stretch. Sophomore Marissa Molnar (Erie, Pa./McDowell) has been in double figures in four of the last six games, after reaching double digits only twice in her first 40 career games. She is averaging 10.5 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 55 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 12 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 63.1 points per game. That figure is tied for sixth-best in the PSAC. Over the last 11 games, in which Bloomsburg has gone 8-3, the Huskies have allowed a total of 675 points (61.4 per game). Bloomsburg is tied for ninth in the PSAC in opponents' field-goal percentage (39.8%) and 11th in opponents' three-point percentage (30.9%). It also ranks second in the league in blocks per game (4.4) and sixth in steals per game (8.3).

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 (9.8), second in rebounding (5.7), first in assists (2.9), first in blocks (1.3), and second in steals (1.2). Her game has really picked up during the Huskies' 8-3 stretch. She has hit double figures in each of the last nine games and is averaging 13.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in those 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 (4.4). The Huskies have blocked at least four shots in 15 of their 24 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 1.3 blocks per game - seventh in the PSAC. Freshman Taylor Montana (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) is tied for 11th in the league at 1.0 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 105 blocks.

UP NEXT ...
Bloomsburg will remain home for its regular season finale versus Lock Haven University, beginning at 3:00 p.m. at the Nelson Field House. The Huskies defeated the Bald Eagles, 62-54, back on January 25. Bloomsburg will honor seniors Alex Ross and Morgan Klunk prior to tipoff.