General | 12/11/2023 12:00:00 PM
Welcome back to Huskies on the Horizon, a weekly segment that briefly recaps events surrounding the various athletic programs and previews the week ahead. Included are links to help follow along with each Bloomsburg Huskies athletic team.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Last Week
The Bloomsburg men's basketball team fell to Jefferson, 98-71, on Saturday evening, moving to 2-5 on the season.
The Huskies struggled to shoot the ball for the opening five minutes of the game, finding themselves in an early 16-0 deficit before
Desmond Freeman (Greensboro, N.C./Southeast Guilford) gave Bloomsburg its first basket of the game. The Huskies' defense picked up for several minutes following, with the game going scoreless for the next three minutes before the two teams began trading baskets. The Rams went on another imposing scoring stretch to close the half but not before Bloomsburg closed out the half on a 7-0, led by five points from
Matt Bengel (Erie, Pa./Mercyhurst Prep). In the first, the Huskies shot 36.4 percent from the field.
Bloomsburg's shooting improved in the second half, but not enough to overcome the first half deficit. The two teams traded buckets throughout most of the second half, with several players from the Huskies' bench contributing to a 13-3 stretch in the final three minutes of the contest.
Louie Wild (Philadelphia, PA/Roman Catholic) led all Bloomsburg players with 15 points and three makes beyond the arc. Freeman (11) and Bengel (10) finished the night in double figures.
On the Horizon
The Huskies play the second leg of a four-game road stint on Thursday, December 14, at 6:00 p.m. against Charleston (W.Va.).
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Last Week
The Bloomsburg women's basketball team picked up its biggest win of the season Saturday afternoon with a 107-97 victory over #6/#5 Jefferson in triple overtime.
The first quarter was a high-scoring exchange between the two sides with the Rams grabbing the early lead at 8-3.
Maddie LaFrance (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) was the offensive engine for the Huskies in the first quarter, scoring 11 points in the opening quarter and keeping the team close at several points throughout the first 10 minutes. Trailing by as much as 11 in the first, Bloomsburg responded with threes from LaFrance and
Ava Stevenson (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Trinity) to make it a five-point game after 10 minutes. The two teams continued to exchange points for much of the quarter, with Jefferson holding a 16-15 advantage in the second to take a 43-36 lead into the break. LaFrance led all players at the half with 17 points.
Needing a spark, the Huskies started off the third quarter on fire with a 12-0 run through the first four minutes to grab its first lead of the game. The Rams would score the final eight points of the quarter to reclaim a four-point edge with 10 minutes in regulation. In the fourth quarter,
Katie Starr (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) provided the output necessary to keep Bloomsburg in the game with seven consecutive points to force a tie at 62-62. The two sides remained neck-and-neck until the Rams had a six-point lead with under a minute to play in the fourth. Starr and
Ella Kale (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) each scored with under 30 seconds to play to make it a one possession game. After her sister hit the game-winning shot the last time out,
Leah Kale (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) hit a mid-range jumper with one second on the clock to force overtime.
In the first overtime period, the Huskies possessed an early four-point edge halfway through before Jefferson surged to retake a three-point lead with a minute to play. With seconds remaining, Bloomsburg once again found another clutch shot, this time coming off the hands of Stevenson who faked a defender and drained a three to tie the game at 81-81 and force the second OT after a miss by the Rams. It was a reversal of roles in the second OT period as Jefferson raced out to a six-point advantage at the halfway point of the period. A combined nine consecutive points from Starr and Stevenson gave the Huskies a three-point lead with seconds remaining for the home side. In a final stretch of 2OT with some controversial moments, the Rams chucked up a called three to tie the game at 90-90 and force triple overtime. In what would be the final overtime period, Bloomsburg stepped onto the court ready to put the game away. The Kale sisters combined for an important nine points as
Hailey Hudak (Schwenksville, Pa./Spring Ford) provided a spark on both ends of the court in the paint with six points to help but the Huskies over the edge. The victory marked the first ranked win for the Bloomsburg women's basketball program since 2018.
On the Horizon
The Bloomsburg women's basketball team has the week off before taking on Pitt-Johnstown at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, December 18.
SWIMMING
Last Week
The Bloomsburg swimming teams did not compete last week.
On the Horizon
The Huskies will return to action with a home tri-meet at Nelson Field House against Franklin and Marshall and The College of New Jersey at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 13.
TRACK AND FIELD
The Bloomsburg track & field programs competed at the Susquehanna Early Season Multi and Invite on Friday and Saturday.
On the men's side,
Doug Walsh (Old Forge, Pa./Holy Cross High School) won the heptathlon with a program-record mark of 4,701. The junior had a top-three finish in six of seven events and fell nine points short of the NCAA Provisional metric. Sophomore
Andrew Kane (/) took third in the event with 4,108 points. The team of
Robert Wilson (Ambler, Pa./Wissahickon),
Peter Umbenhaur (),
Finnegan Purtle (), and Salahdin Abdul-Hamid finished with a time of 3:35.01 in the 4x400 relay to take first place in the event. Purtle and Abdul-Hamid teamed with
Andrew Basile (Easton, Pa./Easton Area) and
Jack Brunner () to take second in the sprint medley.
On the women's side, the team finished with three event victories and 22 top-10 finishes. Freshman
Coral Shivok (Allentown, Pa./Parkland High School) cleared the PSAC qualifying mark of 3.30 meters to win the pole vault. Four Huskies finished in the top ten in the long jump with
Devin Hubler (Minersville, Pa./Minersville Area) taking the victory with a jump of 5.27 meters. Hubler also placed second in the triple jump with a 10.72-meter jump on her second attempt.
Kelly Gilmore (Colmar, Pa./North Penn) earned a PSAC qualifying mark in the weight throw with her winning throw of 14.83 meters. The 4x400-meter relay team of
Delaney Porter (Pen Argyl, Pa./Penn Argyl Area),
Megan Gambogi (Lansdale, Pa./North Penn),
Emma Kay (Douglassville, Pa./Daniel Boone Area High School) and
Melissa Sicinski (Fountainville, Pa./Pennridge) took third place with a time of 4:19.81. Porter and Kay paired with Abby Rochester and
Ashlyn Albright (/) to place second in the sprint medley with a time of 4:35.56. Gambogi earned second place in the 800-meter with a 2:25.38, achieving the PSAC qualifying mark.
On the Horizon
The Huskies resume competition in 2024 at the Spartan Invitational in Staten Island on January 12.
WRESTLING
Last Week
The Bloomsburg wrestling team fell in a dual matchup against LIU, 31-8 on Saturday.
Cade Balestrini (Sunbury, Pa./Shikellamy) picked up his ninth win of the year, improving to a record of 9-8 with a 2-1 decision victory at 149 poounds over Drew Witham.
Caden Dobbins (Dallastown, Pa./Dallastown) maintained a strong start to his freshman campaign with his first career tech fall victory, a 15-0 result over James Johnston at 165 pounds. Dobbins moves to 7-6 on the season.
On the Horizon
The Huskies return to action on Sunday, December 17 as they travel to Lewisburg to take on Bucknell and Buffalo beginning at 11 a.m.
