Women's Basketball | 2/4/2019 11:45:00 AM

 
GAME COVERAGE
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GAME PREVIEWS
• Bloomsburg Game Notes (.pdf)

RELATED LINKS
• Bloomsburg Women's Basketball: Schedule | Roster | Statistics
• Kutztown Golden Bears: Schedule | Roster | Statistics

THE STORY
• The first-place Huskies are vying for a seventh consecutive victory and a berth in the 2019 PSAC Tournament at Kutztown Wednesday night. Bloomsburg is one game clear of the Golden Bears for first place in the PSAC East, and defeated Kutztown 81-74 at home back on January 5. The Huskies will be the first team in the Eastern division to clinch a berth in the PSAC Tournament with a win.

THE HISTORY: BLOOMSBURG vs. KUTZTOWN
• Bloomsburg leads the all-time series with Kutztown 72-25, including an 81-74 home win over the Golden Bears on January 5. Bella Ricci (Etters, Pa./Red Land) splashed in a career-high 24 points in the win, while Emma Saxton (York, Pa./Central York) added 13 points. The Huskies held Kutztown to just 36.1% shooting as a team. The teams split a pair of regular season meetings in 2017-18, but Kutztown defeated Bloomsburg 70-63 in the opening round of the PSAC Tournament a season ago.

LAST TIME OUT
• Four Huskies scored in double figures as Bloomsburg downed West Chester 76-71 at home Saturday afternoon. The win was the Huskies sixth straight, and eighth in their last nine dating back to January 2. Saxton paced the Huskies with 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting, six rebounds, and three assists. Taylor Montana (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) finished with 15 points and nine rebounds, Alyssa Mack (Walnutport, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) notched 14 points, and Megan Brandt (Lebanon, Pa./Northern Lebanon) was the fourth Bloomsburg player in double figures, tallying 11 points. The Huskies' stingy defense was stellar once again Saturday, limiting the Golden Rams to just 40.9% shooting from the field.

THE HUSKIES AT A GLANCE
• Saxton has been the engine of the Huskies offense this season. The sophomore leads the team in scoring at 13.4 points per game, and is second in rebounding at 5.0 per game. Saxton is shooting a blistering 58.3% from the field, which ranks third in the PSAC, and 16th nationally. She has now scored in double figures in her last 13 games, including 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting in Bloomsburg's win over Kutztown earlier this season.

• Leading by one with just :31 seconds to play Saturday, Mack deposited four consecutive free throws to polish off the victory for the Huskies. The senior was a perfect 8-of-8 from the line in the game, and ranks fourth in the PSAC in free throw percentage (85.0%) this season. Mack is 22nd on the Bloomsburg all-time scoring list (1,043 career points), and is just six three-pointers away from passing Jen German (158) for sixth place on the school's career three's list.

• Montana was named the PSAC East Athlete of the Week for the fourth time this season after posting 15 points and nine rebounds Saturday. The forward has notched a team-high four double-doubles on the season, including 17 points and 10 rebounds in last Wednesday's win over Shippensburg, and has posted double figures scoring in seven straight. Montana is second on the team in scoring (13.1), and ranks eighth in the PSAC in rebounding (7.7) and sixth in blocked shots (23).

• The Huskies defense continues to stifle opponents this season, ranking second in the PSAC in opponent field goal percentage (37.7%) and third in three-point percentage defense (28.0%). Bloomsburg allows just 61.9 points per game, which ranks third in the conference, and are fourth in the PSAC in scoring margin (+4.6).

• Bloomsburg is ranked eighth in the latest D2SIDA Atlantic Regional poll. The Huskies received 20 points in this week's rankings and are the third-highest ranked team from the PSAC. IUP has retaken the top spot in the region and received four of the six first-place votes, while California (PA) dropped to third following a loss to Slippery Rock Saturday. Virginia Union collected the other two first-place nods and is second according to the poll.

SCOUTING KUTZTOWN
• The Golden Bears are just one game behind Bloomsburg for first place in the PSAC East at 10-4, 12-9 overall, and have won four straight entering Wednesday's contest. Kutztown notched one of its most impressive wins of the season Saturday with a 97-62 home triumph over Shippensburg. Five players finished in double figures, led by Zoe Zerman with 17 points, Rylee Derr with 16, and Brianna Tarabocchia with a 16. The 97 points were Kutztown's most since the 2015 season.

• Derr has been a force for the Golden Bears this season, leading the team in points (18.4), rebounds (7.0), and assists (2.8). The sophomore leads the PSAC in made three-pointers per game (3.1), and her 18.4 points per game are good for eighth in the conference. Derr tallied a team-high 19 points in Kutztown's loss to Bloomsburg earlier this season. Junior Karen Lapkiewicz is second on the team in scoring at 11.2 points per game, and third in rebounds at 3.8. Tarabocchia chips in 7.4 points and 5.5 boards per contest, while Kalee Fuegel leads the Golden Bears in field goal percentage (61.8%) and ranks eighth in the PSAC in total steals with 52.

• Despite the offensive explosion against Shippensburg, the Golden Bears rank just 13th in the conference in scoring offense, netting 65.1 points per game this season. Kutztown is powered by its defense, ranking sixth in the PSAC in scoring defense (63.6) and fourth in opponent field goal percentage (39.9%). The Golden Bears have tallied the fourth most steals (9.5 per game), but have struggled to defend the three-point line, allowing opponents to shoot 33.9% from behind the arc this season.

UP NEXT
• The Huskies wrap up a two-game road trip this Saturday, February 9, at Lock Haven. Bloomsburg returns home next Wednesday, February 13, to host Cheyney in non-conference action. Tip-off with the Bald Eagles is set for 1:00 p.m. Saturday. 

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