Women's Basketball | 12/7/2018 12:29:00 PM

THE DETAILS
Bloomsburg (6-2, 2-0 PSAC East) at Mercyhurst (1-6, 0-2 PSAC West)
Saturday, December 8, 2018 - 1:00 p.m.
Mercyhurst Athletic Center - Erie, Pa.

GAME COVERAGE
Live Stats - CLICK HERE
Live Video - CLICK HERE
Live Audio - CLICK HERE

RELATED LINKS
Bloomsburg - Schedule | Roster | Statistics
Mercyhurst - Schedule | Roster | Statistics

STORYLINE
The Bloomsburg University women's basketball team looks to make it four consecutive victories when it heads to Mercyhurst University on Saturday afternoon for a PSAC contest at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center. The Huskies are 0-2 on the road this season while the Lakers have played only one home game this season and earned a 78-76 win over Walsh on November 17.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES
Bloomsburg leads the all-time series against Mercyhurst, 7-4. In the last meeting between the two schools, the Lakers defeated the Huskies, 66-46, in Erie on December 3, 2016. Marissa Molnar (Erie, Pa./McDowell) was the only Bloomsburg player in double figures as she finished with 11 points. The Huskies trailed by only six at halftime but were outscored, 35-21, in the second half. Natalie Piaggesi and Angela Heintz combined to score 42 of Mercyhurst's 66 points in the victory.
 
SCOUTING BLOOMSBURG
Bloomsburg is ranked tenth in the Atlantic Region according to the latest D2SIDA poll released earlier this week. The Huskies are riding a three-game winning streak which includes home victories over Gannon (56-41) and then-#19 Edinboro (70-62) last weekend at the Nelson Field House. Bloomsburg is 16th out of 17 teams in the PSAC in scoring offense this season (62.6 ppg) but is fourth in the conference in points allowed per game (57.1 ppg). Only IUP (48.0), Clarion (53.6), and California (55.6) have allowed fewer points per game than the Huskies this season. Bloomsburg is tenth in the PSAC in rebounding margin (-1.5) and seventh in turnover margin (+1.38). Junior Taylor Montana (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) earned her second honor from the PSAC as she was named PSAC East Co-Athlete of the Week on Monday after guiding the Huskies to a 3-0 week last week. Montana averaged 13.7 points and 12.0 rebounds, recording double-doubles against Chestnut Hill (16 pts, 15 reb) and Edinboro (16 pts, 14 reb), over the course of the three games. The 15 rebounds against Chestnut Hill were a career-high. For the year, Montana is second on the team in scoring as she averages 12.4 points per game while ranking tied for sixth in the PSAC in rebounding at 8.8 boards per contest. Senior Alyssa Mack (Walnutport, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) leads the team in scoring at 14.4 points per game which puts her tied for 18th in the conference. She has had three 20-point games and has reached double figures in five of the eight contests this season. She leads the conference in three-point percentage (48.8%) as she has connected on 21-of-43 from beyond the arc this season. Mack is 113 points away from reaching the 1,000-point milestone in her collegiate career. Sophomore Emma Saxton (York, Pa./Central York), senior Marissa Molnar (Erie, Pa./McDowell), and junior Bella Ricci (Etters, Pa./Red Land) have also provided help on the offensive end. Saxton averages 8.8 points while ranking tied for second on the team with 17 assists. Molnar is at 8.4 points per game and is fourth in the PSAC in three-point percentage (40.0%) as she is 18-of-45 from long range. Ricci is chipping in 7.4 points and 4.0 rebounds while leading the team with 26 assists.

SCOUTING MERCYHURST
Mercyhurst is 1-6 overall and 0-2 in the PSAC West but four of its six losses have come by seven points or fewer. Last weekend, the Lakers opened conference play with a 65-64 loss at East Stroudsburg on Saturday and a 66-60 setback at Lock Haven on Sunday. Mercyhurst's only victory came on November 17 - a 78-76 win over Walsh at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center which happens to be the Lakers' only home game of the year to date. Mercyhurst is tenth in the PSAC in scoring offense (67.7 ppg) but is 15th in the conference in scoring defense (76.0 ppg). The Lakers are 13th in the league in rebounding margin (-3.7) and ninth in turnover margin (-0.43). Nicolete Newman leads Mercyhurst in scoring at 15.7 points per game which is tenth in the PSAC. She is third on the team in both rebounding (4.6) and assists (2.0) while leading the Lakers in steals (14). Maria Lapertosa is second at 14.6 points per game while leading the way by pulling down 5.8 rebounds per contest. Lapertosa, however, missed both games last weekend. Emily Shopene is also in double figures at 11.6 points per game while pulling down 5.4 rebounds per contest. Shopene leads the team with 23 assists.

UP NEXT
Bloomsburg returns to action next Saturday, December 15, when it travels to Jefferson University for a non-conference matchup against the Rams. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.

Stay up to date with the Huskies all season long by following us on our official social media accounts: Twitter (@GoBUHuskies), Facebook (BUHuskies), and Instagram (BUHuskies).