Women's Basketball | 2/27/2017 10:38:00 AM

#5 BLOOMSBURG (10-16, 9-13 PSAC East) at #4 WEST CHESTER (10-16, 10-12 PSAC East)
Monday, February 27, 2017 - 7:00 p.m.
West Chester, Pa. | Hollinger Field House

GAME NOTES:
Bloomsburg vs West Chester Game Notes

GAME COVERAGE:
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/wcupa/wbball/
Live Video: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/wcupa/

RELATED LINKS:
Bloomsburg - Roster | Schedule | Statistics
West Chester - Roster | Schedule | Statistics

LAST TIME OUT ...
Bloomsburg defeated Lock Haven, 61-50, on Saturday afternoon. Morgan Klunk led the way with 13 points and four assists, while Taylor Sneidman (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) chipped-in 13 points (4-6 FG) and three rebounds. The Huskies trailed, 24-21, heading into halftime, but responded with a 23-10 third quarter to take a 44-34, and would not look back. Bloomsburg also got 11 points and five rebounds from Alyssa Mack (Walnutport, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic), as the Huskies turned the ball over just 12 times.

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 1,090 points for her career and needs 18 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 five rebounds and 13 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 287 and needs nine helpers to tie Michelle Simons (1988-92) for ninth on the all-time list.

2 - After a 1-12 start, the Huskies won nine of their last 13 games to finish in fifth place in the PSAC Eastern Division with an 10-16 overall record and an 9-13 mark in league play. While Bloomsburg is 15th in the conference in scoring offense at 57.6 points per game, the Huskies have shown improvement on the offensive end during the final 13 games of the season. Bloomsburg averaged 61.6 points per game during its last 13 games and that included 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 sixth in the conference in scoring defense (63.0) and have limited opponents to under 70 points in a game 18 times this season. Over the last 13 games (nine wins), the Huskies allowed a total of 799 points (61.4 per game). Bloomsburg is ninth in the PSAC in opponents' field-goal percentage (39.9%) and 11th in opponents' three-point percentage (30.9%). The Huskies also rank second in the league in blocks per game (4.2) and sixth in steals per game (8.4).

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 16 games, averaging approx. 30 minutes in those 16 starts, and is posting 5.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.4 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 West Chester, 39-36.

LAST MEETING AGAINST WEST CHESTER ...
The Huskies defeated the Golden Rams, 81-68, at the Nelson Field House back on Feb. 1. Five Huskies scored in double figures, led by sophomore Alyssa Mack (Walnutport, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic)' 20-point effort. Mack did most of her damage in the second half as she scored 18 - 12 in the fourth quarter - of her 20 points over the course of the final 20 minutes. Seniors Alex Ross and Morgan Klunk, along with sophomore Marissa Molnar (Erie, Pa./McDowell), chipped in 13 points apiece while freshman Taylor Montana (Berwick, Pa./Berwick), the then-reigning PSAC East Freshman of the Week, added 12 points in 18 minutes off the bench.

The Huskies ended up shooting 29-of-61 (47.5%) from the field and cashed in on 6-of-17 (35.3%) from long range. Bloomsburg also outrebounded West Chester, 44-35, for the contest with Taylor Sneidman (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) and Ross tying for the team-high with nine each.

Porscha Speller led West Chester with 18 points while Tori Smick added 14 points and a team-high nine rebounds.

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN RAMS ...
West Chester enters the PSAC Tournament with a record of 10-16 overall, and a 10-12 record in conference play. The Golden Rams are stumbling into postseason play however, as they lost five of their final six regular season games, including a 72-59 loss to Millersville on senior day this past Saturday.

West Chester is scoring a modest 68.0 points per game, and is giving up 73.3 points per game. Junior Porscha Speller leads the team with 13.8 points and 4.0 assists per game. Meanwhile, junior Madison Torresin leads the Golden Rams in rebounding with 8.3 boards per contest.

Junior and former PSAC East Freshman of the Year at Bloomsburg, Camden Boehner leads West Chester in three-pointers, as she has hit 30 of the teams' 112 on the season.

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 (.497), and is third on the roster with 4.4 rebounds per game.

HEATING UP ...
Senior Alex Ross has hit double figures in scoring 10 of her last 11 games. Ross has recorded two double-doubles in that stretch of basketball, including a 13-point, 10-rebound effort in a win over Mansfield on Feb. 15. Also, the senior tallied 12 points and 10 rebounds against Kutztown last Wednesday evening.

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 18 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 five rebounds and 13 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 eight times and has limited its opponents only 63.0 points per game. That figure is sixth-best in the PSAC. The Huskies are also ninth in the conference with a scoring defense that holds opponents to just 39.9% shooting from the field.

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 is tied for second on the team in scoring (9.9), first in rebounding (6.0), first in assists (2.8), first in blocks (1.3), and second in steals (1.2). Her game has really picked up during the Huskies' 9-4 stretch. She has scored in double digits in 10 of her last 11 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 (4.2). The Huskies have blocked at least four shots in 15 of their 26 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 10th in the league at 1.1 while freshman Meghan Corridoni (Exeter, Pa./Holy Redeemer) is tied for 17th at 0.8 per contest. Montana, Ross, and Corridoni have combined for 80 of the team's 110 blocks.

UP NEXT ...
With a win, the Huskies will advance to the second round of the PSAC Tournament. A victory would send Bloomsburg to play at Shippensburg on Wednesday, March 1, beginning at 5:30 p.m.