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BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - The Bloomsburg University women's basketball team used a stellar defensive performance on Wednesday night en route to a 64-31 victory over visiting Mansfield University at the Nelson Field House. With the win, the Huskies clinched a first-round bye in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) tournament as they improved to 18-9 overall and 13-6 in the PSAC Eastern Division. The Mountaineers dropped to 2-23 overall and 1-19 in divisional play.

Bloomsburg kept pace with Kutztown atop the PSAC East standings as the Golden Bears rallied for a 62-54 win at East Stroudsburg on Wednesday night. The Huskies play host to Shippensburg on Saturday afternoon while Kutztown entertains Lock Haven on the final day of the regular season to determine the top seed in the division entering the conference tournament on Monday. Both Bloomsburg and Kutztown have clinched the top two seeds and will not play until the quarterfinal round on Wednesday, March 6.

The 31 points allowed by the Huskies on Wednesday night marked the fewest given up in a game since an 86-30 win at Cheyney on February 4, 2012. Mansfield scored eight points in the first quarter, nine in the second, twelve in the third, and just two points in the fourth quarter as the Huskies led from wire-to-wire.

All 12 players scored for Bloomsburg in the victory as sophomore Megan Brandt (Lebanon, Pa./Northern Lebanon) and senior Marissa Molnar (Erie, Pa./McDowell) led the way with ten points apiece. Brandt also pulled down five rebounds and recorded a career-high six steals in the win. Molnar, meanwhile, added a team-high four assists. Sophomore Emma Saxton (York, Pa./Central York) chipped in with nine points while redshirt sophomore Lauren Oeth (Doylestown, Pa./Germantown Academy) added seven points, seven rebounds, and three steals in 15 minutes off the bench.

Bloomsburg jumped out to a 22-8 advantage at the end of the first quarter as Molnar scored six of her ten points in the opening ten minutes. The Huskies shot 9-of-17 (52.9%) from the field in the first quarter while holding the Mountaineers to just 3-of-13 (23.1%) from the floor. The Huskies shot just 4-of-17 (23.5%) in the second quarter but still managed to outscore Mansfield, 11-9, in the frame to take a 33-17 lead at halftime. Molnar and Brandt had eight points apiece to lead Bloomsburg at the break.

The Huskies got things going again in the third as they outscored the Mountaineers, 21-12, to extend the advantage to 54-29 through three quarters. Bloomsburg then really clamped down defensively in the fourth, holding Mansfield to just two points on 1-of-13 (7.7%) shooting. The Mountaineers' only points in the final period came from Mia Leonard with 7:55 left before the Huskies scored the final ten points of the quarter for the game's final margin.

Bloomsburg was 25-of-58 (43.1%) from the field but went just 3-of-14 (21.4%) from long range. Mansfield was 12-of-50 (24.0%) from the field and 2-of-19 (10.5%) from beyond the arc. The Huskies out-rebounded the Mountaineers, 39-34, and forced the visitors into 24 turnovers. Oeth led all players with seven rebounds while Brandt and sophomore Darcy Lee (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) added five rebounds apiece.

Leonard led Mansfield with nine points and six rebounds.

The Huskies will close out the regular season on Saturday, March 2, when they host Shippensburg University at the Nelson Field House. Bloomsburg will honor its two seniors - Marissa Molnar (Erie, Pa./McDowell) and Alyssa Mack (Walnutport, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) - prior to the opening tip-off which is slated for 1:00 p.m.

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