Women's Basketball | 1/31/2019 10:43:00 AM

GAME COVERAGE
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GAME PREVIEWS
• Bloomsburg Game Notes (.pdf)
• West Chester Game Preview

RELATED LINKS
• Bloomsburg Women's Basketball: Schedule | Roster | Statistics
• West Chester Golden Rams: Schedule | Roster | Statistics

THE STORY
• The first-place Huskies return home eyeing a sixth consecutive victory Saturday when they host West Chester. Bloomsburg is in sole possession of first place in the PSAC East with a record of 10-3, 14-6 overall, while the Golden Rams come in at 10-11, 6-7 in the PSAC. The Huskies hope to avenge a 73-57 road loss to West Chester back on January 12.
 
NATIONAL GIRLS & WOMEN IN SPORTS DAY
• Bloomsburg will host a free basketball clinic prior to Saturday's doubleheader at the Nelson Field House as part of the National Girls and Women in Sports Day celebration. The game will also serve as the team's annual "Huskies For Hope" contest. Bloomsburg will be wearing pink to help support breast cancer awareness, while pink "Huskies For Hope" t-shirts will be sold with a portion of the proceeds going towards the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition.

THE HISTORY: BLOOMSBURG vs. WEST CHESTER
• Bloomsburg leads the all-time series with West Chester, 40-39, but suffered a 73-57 setback to the Golden Rams on January 12. Four Huskies scored in double figures, including 14 points apiece from Ricci, Montana, and Saxton, but Bloomsburg shot just 22-of-59 (37.3%) from the field and 3-of-19 from three-point territory in the loss. West Chester has won the last three meetings between the teams, with the Huskies last victory coming in the first round of the PSAC Tournament in 2016-17.

LAST TIME OUT
• Bella Ricci (Etters, Pa./Red Land) scored a team-high 24 points as Bloomsburg hung on for a 78-71 road win over Shippensburg Wednesday night. The Raiders rallied in the fourth quarter to pull within striking distance late in the contest, but the Huskies led wire to wire for their fifth straight win, and seventh of their last eight. Ricci led a trio of Huskies in double-figures, posting 24 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field, and an impressive 12-of-14 from the charity stripe. Taylor Montana (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) notched her fourth double-double of the season, tallying 17 points and a team-high 10 rebounds, while Emma Saxton (York, Pa./Central York) finished with 10 points.

THE HUSKIES AT A GLANCE
• Bloomsburg is ranked eighth in the latest D2SIDA Atlantic Regional poll released this week. 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.

• Saxton has been the engine of the Huskies offense this season. The sophomore leads the team in scoring at 13.3 points per game, and is second in rebounding at 5.0 per game. Saxton is shooting a blistering 57.4% from the field, which ranks third in the PSAC, and 17th nationally. She has now scored in double figures in her last 12 games, including 14 points and six rebounds in Bloomsburg's first meeting with West Chester this season.

• Montana was excellent against Shippensburg Wednesday notching her fourth double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds. The junior is second on the team in scoring (13.1), and ranks eighth in the PSAC in rebounding (7.6) and sixth in blocked shots (22).

• The Huskies defense continues to stifle opponents this season, ranking second in the PSAC in opponent field goal percentage (37.5%) and three-point percentage defense (26.7%). Bloomsburg allows just 61.4 points per game, which ranks third in the conference.

SCOUTING WEST CHESTER
• West Chester enters Saturday's game at 10-11 overall, and 6-7 in the PSAC after a 64-52 win over Pitt-Johnstown Wednesday. Redshirt senior Madison Torresin tallied a game-high 20 points, seven rebounds, and five steals, while Katherine Fisher added 14 points. Gabrielle Troisi finished with a game-high nine assists. As a team, West Chester went 43.1 % (25-of-58) from the field and 25.0 % (3-for-12) from deep, but held Pitt-Johnstown to a 30.0% mark from the floor, and 5-of-28 from three-point territory.

• Troisi has been a stat sheet stuffer for the Golden Rams this season. The junior dishes out 5.1 assists, and hauls in 8.5 rebounds per game, which are both good for third in the PSAC. Troisi is second on the team in scoring at 11.2 points per game, and has tallied a team-high four double-doubles this season.

• Torresin has broken out in the second half of the season for West Chester, posting double-figures in each of her last seven games. She is averaging 19.3 points per game over that span, and notched 21 points and 10 rebounds in the Rams' win over Bloomsburg earlier this season. Destiny Jefferson leads the team in scoring this season at 16.2 points per game, while freshman Zhane Snow pours in 10.0 points per contest. Kathryn fisher is second on the team in rebounding (5.0), and chips in 8.8 points per game.

• West Chester ranks eighth in the PSAC in scoring offense at 68.7 points per game, but just 14th in scoring defense (70.8). The Golden Rams shoot 41.8 % from the field as a team, but have struggled with the long-ball this season, ranking 14th in the conference in three-point percentage (27.8%).

UP NEXT
• The Huskies hit the road next Wednesday, February 6, for a pivotal PSAC East battle with Kutztown. Bloomsburg is one game ahead of the Golden Bears in the PSAC East standings entering Saturday's action, and defeated Kutztown 81-74 in the teams' first meeting at the Nelson Field House on January 5. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.