Women's Basketball | 2/28/2017 4:32:00 PM

#5 BLOOMSBURG (11-16, 9-13 PSAC East) at #1 SHIPPENSBURG (23-5, 18-4 PSAC East)
Wednesday, March 1, 2017 - 5:30 p.m.
Shippensburg, Pa. | Heiges Field House

GAME NOTES:
Bloomsburg vs. Shippensburg Game Notes

GAME COVERAGE:
Live Stats/Video: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/ship/portal.htm?eventId=352113&streamType=video 

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

LAST TIME OUT ...

Bloomsburg used a 27-13 fourth quarter to defeat West Chester on the road in the first round of the PSAC Tournament. Alex Ross exploded for a career-high 29 points, including 12-straight during the final minutes to seal the win. Morgan Klunk added 17 points, six rebounds and five assists while committing just one turnover. Taylor Montana (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) posted 19 points, nine rebounds and hit 5-of-6 from the free throw line in 31 minutes of action.

The Huskies trailed, 58-52, heading into the final period but forced multiple misses and turnovers from the Golden Rams to score the road playoff win. Bloomsburg shot 51% from the field for the game, and 56% in the second half. The Huskies also nailed 24 of 29 free throw attempts (82.8%). The Bloomsburg defense also held West Chester to just 41% shooting in the second half, and 22.2% (4-18) shooting from three-point range for the game.

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 1,107 points for her career and needs one point 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. Additionally, Klunk reached the 500-rebound mark on Monda night versus West Chester, as she pulled down six boards in the win.

She is now eight helpers away from 300 career assists to go along with her 1,000 career points an 500 career rebounds. Klunk has moved into 10th place on the school's all-time list for career assists with 292 and needs four helpers to tie Michelle Simons (1988-92) for ninth on the all-time list. 

2 - After a 1-12 start, the Huskies won 10 of their last 14 games to finish in fifth place in the PSAC Eastern Division with an 11-16 overall record and an 9-13 mark in league play. While Bloomsburg is 15th in the conference in scoring offense at 58.4 points per game, the Huskies have shown improvement on the offensive end during the final 13 games of the season, and in the first round of the PSAC Tournament, scored 79 points against West Chester.

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 10th in the PSAC in opponents' field-goal percentage (40.1%) 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 (8.3).

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 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 ...

Shippensburg leads the all-time series against the Huskies, 33-25.

LAST MEETING AGAINST SHIPPENSBURG ...

The Huskies fell to the Raiders, 82-56, back on Feb. 4 at the Nelson Field House. Shippensburg saw five players score in double figures, led by Lauren Gold's 17 points. Colleen Young added 14 points and six assists, while Logan Snyder chipped-in 12 points, six assists and five rebounds. The Raiders shot 57.1% from the field for the game, while forcing 18 Bloomsburg turnovers. Morgan Klunk led the way for the Huskies with 17 points and five rebounds, while Alyssa Mack (Walnutport, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) added 11 points and hit three triples.

SCOUTING THE RAIDERS ...

The Raiders enter the postseason with a first-round bye, and are 23-5 (18-4 PSAC) on the season Shippensburg is riding an 18-game winning streak, and has not lost since Dec. 16, 2016, a 74-70 defeat against Goldey Beacom. 

Stephanie Knauer leads the Raiders with 14.1 points per game and leads the PSAC with a 63.7% field goal percentage. 

Shippensburg boasts five players who scored in double digits each night, inclduing Colleen Young (12.3), Logan Snyder (11.4) Morgan Griffith (11.0) and Lauren Gold (10.5)

The Raiders average 70.9 points each night and give up just 56.0 points, good for tops in the PSAC.

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.

ROSS IS THE BOSS ...

Senior Alex Ross has hit double figures in scoring 11 of her last 12 games. Ross has recorded two double-doubles in that stretch of basketball, including a 13-point, 10-rebound effort in a win over Mansfield. Ross also took over in the first round of the PSAC Tournament, scoring a career-high 29 points in a win against West Chester. The senior scored 12 straight points in a crucial three-minute stretch late in the fourth quarter to help the Huskies advance to the quarterfinals against Shippensburg on Wednesday evening.

TWO MILESTONES 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. Additionally, Klunk reached the 500-rebound mark on y night versus West Chester, as she pulled down six boards in the win.

She now needs just one point to crack the top 20 in program history. She also has a chance to hit one more milestone 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 eight helpers to reached the 300 assists mark.

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 nine times and has limited its opponents only 63.3 points per game. That figure is seventh-best in the PSAC. The Huskies are also 10th in the conference with a scoring defense that holds opponents to just 40.1% 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 (10.6), first in rebounding (5.9), first in assists (2.7), first in blocks (1.3), and second in steals (1.2). 

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 semifinals of the PSAC Tournament. A victory would send Bloomsburg to the Final Four of the PSAC Tournament, which will be hosted by the highest remaining seed from the Eastern Division.