SHEPHERDSTOWN, W. Va. – The Bloomsburg University women's basketball team had the ball and trailed by two with two seconds to play but couldn't get a final shot off as the Shepherd University Rams slipped past the Huskies, 75-73 in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference action, Saturday afternoon. The loss drops the Huskies to 10-11 on the year and 7-10 in PSAC play while the Rams improved to 17-5 for the season and 11-5 against PSAC teams.
 
With 51 seconds left, Marley McLaughlin hit a jumper to push the Ram lead back to four, 75-71 and immediately called a time out to set up their defense. With seven seconds left in their possession, senior Taylor Montana (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) was fouled and headed to the free throw line. Montana sunk both of her free throws to cut the lead back to two, 75-73. McLaughlin missed a jumper with just two seconds left and redshirt junior Meghan Corridoni (Exeter, Pa./Holy Redeemer) grabbed the rebound and head coach Alison Tagliaferri called a timeout. The Huskies were unable to get a final shot to go and the Rams held on for the 75-73 win.
 
Junior Emma Saxton (York, Pa./Central York) led the quartet of Huskies in double digits with 21 points while Montana chipped in 19, Corridoni posted 12, and senior Bella Ricci (Etters, Pa./Red Land) added 11. Corridoni finished with her fourth double-double of the year as she led BU with 12 rebounds as well. Saxton handed out a career-best seven assists as well.
 
As a team, the Huskies shot 44.6% from the field for the game (25-of-56) and were 5-of-10 from beyond the arc. Bloomsburg was a season-best 81.8% (18-of-22) from the free throw line. Shepherd shot 46.6% (27-of-58) from the field and were 6-of-20 from three-point range. The Rams were 15-for-20 from the free throw line but turned the Huskies' 16 turnovers into 14 points. The Huskies scored just five points off of eight Shepherd turnovers.
 
Bloomsburg won the rebounding battle 41-27.
 
Junior Megan Brandt (Lebanon, Pa./Northern Lebanon) got the scoring started in the first quarter with a layup 28 seconds into action and the two teams went back and forth as the score was tied five times in the first six and a half minutes. Shepherd took its largest lead of the first quarter with a five-point run to lead 16-11 with 2:49 to play. Bloomsburg cut the lead down to one twice before Corridoni gave the Huskies the lead with 44 seconds with a jumper, 19-18. McLaughlin made a layup with 25 seconds left in the quarter to give Shepherd a 20-19 lead after at the first intermission.
 
Ricci opened the second quarter with a long three to give the lead back to Bloomsburg, 22-20, with 9:18 to play. The score was tied twice more in the half before McLaughlin gave the Rams the lead for good before halftime. The Rams led by as many as seven before Bloomsburg cut the deficit to one, 37-36, with 2:50 to play. A 5-0 run for Shepherd pushed the lead back to six, 42-36 with 1:22 on the clock. Ricci hit another three with 53 seconds left to bring the score to 42-39 in favor of Shepherd at halftime.
 
Bloomsburg came out of the break on a 4-0 run to take a two-point lead, 44-42. The two teams traded baskets before Saxton hit a three with 6:14 to play to push the BU lead to five, 49-44. The lead changed hands once more and was tied three times before Bloomsburg took the lead for the rest of the third quarter 53-52 with 3:23 to play. The Huskies pushed their lead to six, 60-54, with 23 seconds left before Shepherd cut it to four, 60-56, at the end of the quarter.
 
With 8:07 to play in the fourth, McLaughlin hit a pair of free throws for Shepherd to tied the game at 62-62 before Saxton made a layup and hit a free throw to give Bloomsburg a 65-62 lead. A pair of free throws from Sydney Clayton and a three by Cara Minor handed Shepherd the lead, 67-65, with 6:27 to play. The Rams pushed the lead to seven with 3:39 to play, 73-66, and held on for the 75-73 win.
 
With five regular seasons game to go, the Huskies are currently in sixth place in the Eastern Division. Bloomsburg has games against three top teams remaining as the Huskies look to secure their spot in the 2020 PSAC tournament.
 
Bloomsburg returns home on Wednesday as the Huskies host Mansfield in an important PSAC contest at 5:30 p.m. The Mounties come into the contest 3-20 on the year and last in the East with a record of 1-16.