BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – Surrounded by the friendly confines of Nelson Field House, the Bloomsburg University women's basketball team pushed its winning streak to six and won their 11^th-straight at home, Monday evening. The Huskies completed the season series sweep of Mansfield University with a 60-49 win.
 
The Huskies improved to 18-8 for the year and 16-4 in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) action, thanks in part to graduate student Meghan Corridoni's (Exeter, Pa./Holy Redeemer) ninth double-double of the year. Corridoni finished the day with a team-best 15 points and 11 rebounds, while sophomore Megan Fisher (New Holland, Pa./Garden Spot) posted 12 points. Graduate student Emma Saxton (York, Pa./Central York) dished out a game-best five assists with three steals, eight points, and two rebounds.
 
Saxton anchored another solid defensive effort to the Huskies as they held the Mounties to 49 points after Mansfield came into the game averaging 54.1 points per game. The key to Bloomsburg's success was keeping the Mounties off the boards as BU out-rebounded Mansfield, 33-30. The 30 total boards for the Mounties was their second-lowest total of the season.
 
As a team, the Huskies shot 47.7% from the floor (21-for-44) and were 6-for-19 (31.6%) from beyond the arc. Bloomsburg finished the day 12-for-18 from the free-throw line. The Mounties shot just 35.8% (19-for-53) from the floor and were held to just one three-pointer (1-for-13 • 7.7%). The Huskies came into the game as the top-three-point defense in the league and are now holding opponents to a 22.9% clip from long-range for the season.
 
The Mounties got out to a promising start as they forced a turnover on the Huskies' first possession and converted the miscue for two points to take an early 2-0 lead just 28 seconds into play. Fisher answered on the Huskies' next possession with a three to give BU a 3-2 lead. The Huskies eventually built a 12-6 advantage before the Mounties came back and tied it at 12-12 with 2:31 to play in the first. Corridoni hit a three on the next BU possession, and the Huskies rattled off eight-straight points to close out the first with a 20-12 advantage.
 
The Huskies and Mounties played a tight second quarter as both teams put up 12 points. The Huskies shot 41.7% from the field in the quarter (5-for-12) though were just 1-for-2 from the free-throw line while the Mounties went 3-for-10 from the floor (30.0%) and capitalized on free throws and went 6-for-8 from the line.
 
Saxton opened the third with a layup to push the Huskies' lead to 10, 34-24, nine seconds into the second half. The Huskies kept the Mounties at bay and eventually took a 14-point lead, 40-26, with 7:01 to play. Mansfield closed the gap to six, 44-38, with 3:14 to go, but once again, the Huskies ended the period strong with a 6-3 run to carry a 50-49 lead into the final quarter.
 
With 3:32 to play in the fourth, Saxton hit the first of two free throws to give Bloomsburg a double-digit lead, 56-46, and the Huskies maintained that advantage for the rest of the contest. Freshman Lauren Kirsch (Palmyra, PA/Lower Dauphin) hit a pair of free throws in the final 35 seconds to push the Bloomsburg lead to 12, 60-48, and Kira Merritt hit the first of her two free throws to trim the lead back to 11, 60-49, with 28 ticks on the clock. Kirsch forced a turnover after Jasmine Hilton grabbed the offensive board after a missed free throw, and the Huskies ran out the clock to seal the PSAC victory.
 
Hilton led all players with 19 points, while Paige Whitfield grabbed a team-best eight rebounds for the Mounties.
 
Bloomsburg continues its home stand as the Huskies take the court at Nelson for the final time during the regular season on Saturday, February 19. The Huskies host Shippensburg in a pivotal PSAC matchup at 1:00 pm. Before the start of the game, Bloomsburg will honor its two graduating student-athletes, Corridoni and Saxton, while welcoming back Lauren Oeth (Doylestown, Pa./Germantown Academy), Payton Spadaccino (Ivyland, Pa./Council Rock South), and Megan Brandt (Lebanon, Pa./Northern Lebanon) for their senior day as well.