KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The sixth-seeded Bloomsburg University women's basketball team needed an impressive defensive stand in the final minute of action and got it as the Huskies knocked off the third-seeded Kutztown University, 61-57, in the opening round of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament, Monday evening. With the win, the Huskies improved to 14-13 on the year while the Golden Bears end their season at 18-11.
 
With 49 seconds left in regulation and the Golden Bears trailing 59-56, Casey Remolde drew a foul under the basket and went to the free throw line. Remolde hit the first two free throws though grabbed her own rebound after missing the second. Remolde got a layup off with 33 seconds left but redshirt junior Meghan Corridoni (Exeter, Pa./Holy Redeemer) blocked the shot. Brianna Tarabocchia grabbed the offensive board but she couldn't get her layup to fall and got the offensive rebound. The Golden Bears kicked it back out and went back inside with Gabbi Wright attempting a short-ranged jumper but was too strong and Corridoni came down with the rebound.
 
Head coach Alison Tagliaferri called a timeout to advance the ball past mid-court and freshman McKenna Hayward (Ebensburg, Pa./Central Cambria) drew a foul on the inbound pass. Hayward hit the first of two free throws and the Golden Bears came down with the rebound. Kutztown attempted two three-pointers in the next 18 seconds but couldn't get its shot to fall and Corridoni sealed the game with a free throw with five seconds left. Annie Whalen attempted a last ditch three as time was expiring but the Bloomsburg defense held its ground for the first-round win.
 
Kutztown opened the game with an 8-0 run in the first four minutes before Corridoni drained the first jumper of the game for the Huskies and kicked off an 8-0 run for Bloomsburg to tie the game at 8-8 with 4:27 to play in the opening quarter. Kutztown went on a quick four-point run to push its lead back to four, 12-8, but a jumper from junior Emma Saxton (York, Pa./Central York) ignited a 4-1 run to end the quarter, including junior Payton Spadaccino's (Ivyland, Pa./Council Rock South) three-pointer at the buzzer to give Bloomsburg a 14-13 lead at the end of the first.
 
Alexis Smith made a layup at the 8:29 mark in the second and made her free throw to give Kutztown a 16-14 lead. Spadaccino answered at the other end of the court with another three to push the Bloomsburg lead back to 17-16 and the Huskies worked a 24-20 advantage with 5:55 to play in the quarter. The Golden Bears came back to tie it at 24-24 but a layup from Corridoni and a three from Hayward sandwiched around a layup from Annie Whalen gave the Huskies a 29-26 lead with 3:23 to play before the break. The Golden Bears pulled back to within one, 29-28, but Hayward's second three of the quarter gave Bloomsburg a 32-28 lead. Whalen hit a free throw with 51 seconds left in the half but freshman Megan Fisher (New Holland, Pa./Garden Spot) hit a jumper with just 14 seconds left to send the teams into the locker room with the Huskies in front, 34-29.
 
Bloomsburg used an 8-0 run in the first 4:35 of the third to take a 13-point lead, 42-29. The Golden Bears halted the run, however, with a pair of free throws, but Bloomsburg took the 13-point advantage right back with free throws of their own by Corridoni with 4:51 to play. Spadaccino added a pair of free throws of her own to push the Bloomsburg lead to 46-31.  Kutztown cut the lead down to single-digits with six-straight free throws to pull to 46-37 with 1:49 left in the third but a pair of foul shots by freshman Emma Gochnauer (Strasburg, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg) extended the Huskies lead back to 11, 48-37. Corridoni hit a jumper in Bloomsburg's final possession of the third to give the Huskies a 50-37 lead going into the final quarter.
 
The Huskies defense did not allow a point from the field in the third quarter by Kutztown as the Golden Bears went 0-6 from the field and 0-4 from long range. All eight Kutztown points in the quarter came at the foul line.
 
Kutztown would not go quietly, however, and battled back in the fourth and out-scored the Huskies 20-11 in the final 10 minutes of action. The Golden Bears cut the lead down to six, 57-51, with 4:02 to play before making it a one-possession game for the first time since the second quarter with a three from Zoe Zerman with 3:09 to play. Hayward hit a jumper on the Huskies next possession to set up the thrilling final two minutes of action.
 
As a team, the Huskies shot 40.4% from the field (21-of-52) while going 5-of-12 from long range. Bloomsburg was 14-of-19 from the free throw line. Meanwhile, the Huskies held the Golden Bears to their fewest field goals made of the season (16) and tied for third fewest three pointers made (5).
 
The rebounds were tied 31-31 but Bloomsburg grabbed one more offensive board and out-scored the Golden Bears 15-5 on second chance points. Bloomsburg converted Kutztown's 19 turnovers into 19 points.
 
Hayward led the offense with 14 points, including three three-pointers while Corridoni chipped in 13 and senior Taylor Montana (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) finished with 11 points.
 
Bloomsburg's postseason run continues as the Huskies travel to No. 2 East Stroudsburg on Wednesday for the PSAC Tournament quarterfinal at 5:30 p.m. The Huskies and Warriors split the season series with Bloomsburg winning most recently, 63-46, in Bloomsburg on February 5.