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KUTZTOWN, PA - Three Huskies scored in double figures, including a team-high 12 from
Emma Saxton (York, Pa./Central York), but the Bloomsburg University women's basketball team's run toward to a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) title was ended in an 85-57 semifinal loss to Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) Saturday afternoon.
The number two seed in the PSAC East entering the tournament, Bloomsburg advanced to their first final four since the 2014-15 season with a quarterfinal win over West Chester Wednesday night. IUP, the top seed in the PSAC East and number four team in the latest Atlantic Region rankings, advanced to the semifinals with an impressive win over Seton Hill Wednesday. The Huskies hoped to avenge a loss to the Crimson Hawks earlier this season with a win Saturday, but IUP would once again use its imposing interior attack to notch the victory.
Forward Brittany Robinson paced the Crimson Hawks with a game-high 23 points and eight rebounds, while Carolyn Appleby and Natalie Myers each scored 13 points. Lexi Griggs was the fourth IUP player to reach double-digits, finishing with 12 points. The Crimson Hawks made just five three-pointers in the game as a team, but were tremendous around the basket, tallying a whopping 58 points in the paint.
Saxton was 5-of-9 from the field for her 12 points, while
Taylor Montana (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) finished with 11 points and rebounds, and
Marissa Molnar (Erie, Pa./McDowell) added 10 points.
Megan Brandt (Lebanon, Pa./Northern Lebanon) chipped in eight points on 4-of-8 shooting, and
Bella Ricci (Etters, Pa./Red Land) posted six points and a team-high five rebounds. The Huskies shot just 39.6% from the field as a team, and had 16 turnovers. Bloomsburg was unable to contain the high-powered IUP attack in the second half, as the Crimson Hawks 18-of-28 (64.3%) from the floor en route to 42 second-half points. IUP dominated the glass as well, out-rebounding the Huskies 37-23.
The Crimson Hawks were hot from the opening tip Saturday, jumping out to a 26-11 lead after the opening period. Myers had 7 points in the first frame for IUP, while Robinson tallied six points. Montana notched five points to pace Bloomsburg, but the Huskies shot just 27.3% (3-of-11) from the field in the opening quarter.
Bloomsburg would fall behind be as much as 19 midway through the second quarter om a layup from Kendall Hunter, but the Huskies punched back with a 10-2 run over the final 2:48 to trim the Crimson Hawks lead to just 11 at the half. Molnar book-ended the run with a deep three-pointer and a layup just before the end of the half, while Saxton added five points of her own during the outburst.
Momentum would not carry into the second half, however, as IUP raced out to a 14-5 run over the first six minutes of the third quarter to open up a 57-37 lead with 4:11 to play in the stanza. Robinson poured in 11 points in the quarter for the Crimson Hawks, including a layup just before the end of the period to increase the IUP lead to 23 points. The lead would swell to as large as 31 in the fourth quarter, with the Huskies unable to mount a late stab at a comeback.
Despite the loss, there have been an abundance of positives for the Huskies in 2918-19. Bloomsburg advanced to its first PSAC final four since the 2014-15 season, and reached the 20-win plateau for the first time since head coach
Alison Tagliaferri took the reins in 2016. The Huskies will now await their postseason fate in Sunday night's NCAA Division II Selection Show. Bloomsburg was ranked 10th in the latest Atlantic Region rankings, with the top eight earning a spot in the Atlantic Region Tournament. The Selection Show will be streamed live on NCAA.com Sunday night at 10:00 p.m.
