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MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - The Bloomsburg University women's basketball team used a big run to close out the first half and carried that momentum into the second half to post a 59-49 victory at Millersville University on Wednesday night at the Pucillo Gymnasium. It marked the seventh win in the last nine games for the Huskies, who moved into a tie for fourth place in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division with the Marauders after the victory. Bloomsburg improved to 8-14 overall and 7-11 in league play while Millersville dropped to 9-14 overall and 7-11 in the division.
Trailing by six, 20-14, with 6:52 left in the second quarter, the Huskies outscored the Marauders, 13-1, over the remaining time to take a 27-21 advantage into the locker room at halftime. Sophomore
Marissa Molnar (Erie, Pa./McDowell)'s layup with 2:36 left in the first half gave Bloomsburg a 22-21 lead. The Huskies would never trail again.
Senior
Morgan Klunk (Felton, Pa./York Catholic), who scored her 1,000th career point on Saturday afternoon against Shippensburg, led the Huskies with 18 points on Wednesday night. She made 8-of-14 from the field and was 2-of-3 from the foul line. Senior
Alex Ross (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) reached double figures for the seventh straight game as she finished with 14 points, five rebounds, and six assists. Sophomore
Alyssa Mack (Walnutport, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) added 11 points while Molnar chipped in with 10 - her third double-digit scoring effort in the last four games. She had two such outings in her first 40 collegiate contests.
The first quarter was back-and-forth until Millersville closed out the period on a 6-2 run to take a 15-12 advantage after the opening ten minutes. Klunk (7) and Ross (5) combined to score all 12 of Bloomsburg's points in the first quarter.
The Marauders started the second quarter by scoring five of the first seven points to take their largest lead of the game, 20-14, with 6:52 left in the first half. Then, the Huskies started their run.
Sophomore
Taylor Sneidman (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) nailed a three-pointer to cut the lead to three and then, after Millersville's Kendra Bamberger hit 1-of-2 at the foul line, Klunk converted a layup to trim the lead to two, 21-19, with 4:34 left in the half. Sophomore
Casey Warley (West Chester, Pa./Bayard Rustin) followed with a 1-of-2 trip at the line and Molnar hit a layup with 2:36 left to give the Huskies the lead. Ross converted a three-point play and sophomore
Allie Barber (Pittston Township, Pa./Pittston Area) hit a layup just before the first-half buzzer to give the Huskies a 27-21 lead at the break.
The third quarter remained close and the Marauders pulled to within three, 35-32, with 3:39 left after Jade Farquhar nailed a three-pointer. But, a basket by Ross and back-to-back three-pointers from Molnar concluded an 8-0 run and gave the Huskies their largest lead, 43-32, with 2:33 left in the third. Bloomsburg closed out the quarter with a 44-34 advantage.
Millersville never got closer than eight points in the fourth quarter as the Huskies would answer every basket that the Marauders hit. Mack started the quarter strong as she scored Bloomsburg's first eight points of the period. Ross hit a layup to give the Huskies their largest lead of the game, 54-40, with 5:34 left and then, even though Millersville outscored Bloomsburg, 9-5, the rest of the way, the Huskies still managed the double-digit win.
The Huskies shot 24-of-53 (45.3%) from the field but were outrebounded by a substantial, 36-23, margin. Bloomsburg, however, forced Millersville into 29 turnovers and limited the Marauders to just 19-of-50 (38.0%) from the field.
Celeste Robinson paced Millersville with 18 points and was the only Marauder in double figures on Wednesday.
Bloomsburg will next head to Mansfield University on Wednesday, February 15. Start time is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. as the Huskies will look to complete the season sweep of the Mountaineers. Bloomsburg defeated Mansfield, 53-37, at the Nelson Field House on January 11.
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