KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Senior Taylor Montana (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) finished a layup with 5:22 to play in the fourth quarter to eclipse 1,000 career points but the Bloomsburg University women's basketball team dropped a 66-55 decision to Kutztown on the road Wednesday evening. With the loss, the Huskies fell to 8-10 on the year and 5-9 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) while the Golden Bears improved to 12-8 on the year and 9-5 in the PSAC.
 
Montana entered the game needing just eight points to reach the 1,000-point milestone and posted 13 for the game, including nine in the second half. Montana was 4-of-7 from the field for the game and 5-of-8 from the free-throw line. The senior finished the game with 1,005 career points. Junior Emma Saxton (York, Pa./Central York) led the Huskies with 19 points and nine rebounds. Freshman McKenna Hayward (Ebensburg, Pa./Central Cambria) and junior Megan Brandt (Lebanon, Pa./Northern Lebanon) each handed out three assists for Bloomsburg.
 
As a team, the Huskies shot 21-of-56 from the field and were just 3-of-14 from beyond the arc for the game. The Huskies shot 10-of-13 from the free-throw line, including a perfect 7-of-7 in the first half.
 
With 1:12 left in the second quarter, Bloomsburg went on a 4-0 run to close out the half, with all four points coming at the free-throw line by Saxton, to hold a 28-24 lead at halftime. The Golden Bears cut the lead down to two, 28-26, with 9:12 to play in the third but a layup from Saxton and a three from freshman Megan Fisher (New Holland, Pa./Garden Spot) pushed Bloomsburg lead to seven, 33-26, its largest lead of the game, with 7:56 to play.
 
Over the next 4:06 of game time, the Golden Bears turned the tide and went on a 16-0 run to turn a seven-point deficit into a nine-point lead, 42-33, with 3:50 to go in the quarter. Saxton and Brandt hit baskets exactly a minute apart from each other to cut the lead down to five, 42-37, with 1:21 to play in the third but Kutztown took its largest lead of the game so far, 47-37, with five unanswered points to end the quarter.
 
Bloomsburg's offense came alive to open the fourth quarter as the Huskies used an 8-0 run in the first 2:25, capped by a layup from Montana at the 7:35 mark to cut the lead down to two, 47-45. The two-point gap would be as close as the Huskies would get, however, as Kutztown used a 6-0 run over the next two minutes of action to push its lead back to eight, 53-45. Montana's 1,000-point basket at 5:22 ended the run kicked off a 6-2 run for Bloomsburg to get the Huskies back to within four, 55-51, with 2:59 to play.
 
Kutztown closed out the game with an 11-4 run over the final three minutes to seal the 66-55 win over the Huskies.
 
Trailing 18-10 with 8:38 to play in the second quarter, Bloomsburg clawed its way back and eventually took a 24-22 lead with 2:24 to play in the quarter. Brianna Tarabocchia tied the game at 24-24 before the 4-0 run to end the half gave Bloomsburg the lead.
 
With eight regular season games remaining, the Huskies sit tied for sixth in the East with West Chester, though the Golden Rams hold the tiebreaker over Bloomsburg as of right now.

The Huskies begin the second half of their conference schedule as they travel to Millersville on Saturday to face the Marauders for the second time this season. The crucial PSAC contest for Bloomsburg gets underway at 1:00 p.m. in Millersville, Pa. The Marauders come into the game with a 7-12 overall record and a 4-10 slate in conference play after defeating West Chester 65-44 Wednesday. The Huskies defeated Millersville 62-61 earlier this season in a thriller at Nelson Field House.