Women's Basketball | 1/28/2019 12:02:00 PM

GAME COVERAGE
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GAME PREVIEW
• Bloomsburg Game Notes (.pdf)
• Shippensburg Game Notes

RELATED LINKS
• Bloomsburg Women's Basketball: Schedule | Roster | Statistics
• Shippensburg Raiders: Schedule | Roster | Statistics

STORYLINE
• The first-place Huskies look to make it five consecutive victories Wednesday night when they battle Shippensburg on the road. Bloomsburg enters the contest in sole possession of first place in the PSAC East at 9-3, and 13-6 overall, while the Raiders come into the game with a record of 10-10, 6-6 in the PSAC East. The Huskies have won four straight games, and have won six of seven since the start of the 2019 calendar year.

ALL-TIME SERIES
• Bloomsburg trails the all-time series with Shippensburg 35-26, but defeated the Raiders 66-58 on the road to close out the regular season a year ago. The teams split a pair of meetings in 2017-18, with Shippensburg holding a 6-5 advantage over the last five seasons.

LAST TIME OUT
• Emma Saxton (York, Pa./Central York) scored a game-high 15 points as Bloomsburg defeated Mansfield 55-42 on the road Saturday afternoon. Saxton was 7-of-17 from the floor, and added four rebounds, while Taylor Montana (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) tallied 12 points, five rebounds, and two assists. The Huskies tenacious defense limited the Mountaineers to just 33.3% shooting, and a 1-of-8 mark from three-point territory.

THE HUSKIES AT A GLANCE
• Saxton has been one of the most efficient scorers in Division II this season. She is shooting 57.1% from the field, which ranks third in the PSAC, and 18th nationally. The sophomore has now scored in double figures in her last 11 games, and is averaging a team-high 16.7 points per game over that span. Saxton leads the team in points per game this season at 13.4, and is second in rebounds per game (5.0).

• Alyssa Mack (Walnutport, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic), Bloomsburg's newest member of the 1,000-point club, averages 13.2 points per game and is ranked third in the PSAC in free throw percentage (82.9%) this season. The senior ranks 22nd on the Huskies all-time scoring list (1022 points) and is Sixth in program history in career made three-pointers (152).

• Montana has been a force around the basket for Bloomsburg, ranking 10th in the conference in rebounds per game (7.5) and sixth in blocked shots (20). The junior is third on the team in scoring, pouring in 12.8 points per game.

• Defense has been the calling card for the Huskies this season, as they rank second in the PSAC in opponent field goal percentage (37.3%) and three-point percentage defense (26.8%). Bloomsburg allows just 60.9 points per game, which ranks third in the conference.

• Bloomsburg is ranked eighth in the latest D2SIDA Atlantic Regional poll released on Monday afternoon. The Huskies received 20 points in this week's rankings and are the third-highest ranked team from the PSAC. California (Pa.) received four of the six first-place votes and is the top team in the region according to the poll. IUP dropped to second following its loss to the Vulcans last week while Virginia Union collected the other two first-place nods and is third.

SCOUTING SHIPPENSBURG
• The Raiders enter Wednesday's contest at 10-10 overall, and 6-6 in the PSAC East after an impressive 79-70 road win at West Chester Saturday afternoon. Shippensburg has won four straight after a season-long four game losing streak to start the calendar year. Ariel Jones netted a game-high 31 points and five assists in Saturday's win over the Golden Rams, while freshman Aunbrielle Green added 17 points and eight boards.

• Jones has been outstanding for Shippensburg this season. The sophomore leads the PSAC in scoring (26.0 points per game), and ranks third in all of Division II in that category. She has scored at least 20 points in 10 of her last 11 games, including a career-high 36 in a win over Salem University on January 19. Jones leads the Raiders in assists per game (3.6) and steals (43) as well.

• In addition to Jones, the Raiders have been fueled by a pair of talented freshmen in Green and Lauren Mills. Green is second on the team in scoring (12.3) and third in rebounds (7.4), while Mills chips in 9.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game this season.

• Shippensburg has been strong on the glass this season, ranking third in the PSAC in rebounding margin (+4.5) as a team. The Raiders have suffered from turnover issues, however, ranking 15th in the conference in turnover margin (-5.5). Shippensburg shoots  42.5% from the floor, and rank sixth in the PSAC in scoring offense (69.6).

UP NEXT
• Bloomsburg returns home this Saturday, February 2, to host West Chester in PSAC East action. Following Saturday's contest, the Huskies will hit the road for a pivotal matchup with Kutztown on Wednesday, February 6. Tip-off with the Golden Rams on Saturday is set for 1:00 p.m.