SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV – The women's basketball team was able to fend of Shepherd in order to hang on for a 79-70 win during an away Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division contest Saturday afternoon.
 
The Huskies (9-13, 7-11 PSAC) put together a double-digit lead in the first half, and despite the Rams (1-22, 1-17 PSAC) scoring 24 points in the fourth quarter and making it a two-possession game with under two minutes to play, Bloomsburg sealed the game by going 8-for-8 from the free throw line to hang on for the win.
 
Lauren Kirsch (Palmyra, PA/Lower Dauphin) paved the way offensively for the Huskies as the sophomore guard set a new career high in points with 28. Kirsch knocked down six three pointers and went 4-for-4 from the free throw line. Katie Starr (Berwick, PA/Berwick) had a 22-point game and led the team in rebounding with eight to go along with two blocks, one steal and three assists. Emma Gochnauer (Strasburg, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg) was the third and final player to finish in double figures as she scored 11 points, dished out four assists and grabbed seven rebounds.
 
For Shepherd, Meghan Shipley led the team in scoring with 19 points. Sydney Bolles had 12 points while Kendal Haggerty and Neresha Miller each had 11 points. Miller finished with 12 rebounds to record a double-double.
 
Even though Bloomsburg was able to get a double-digit lead before halftime, it was Shepherd who started the game off on the right foot by scoring the first seven points of the game. The seven-point lead to start the game would be Shepherd's largest of the contest, however, as Bloomsburg responded with a 12-4 scoring run to gain its first lead. The first quarter continued to be a back-and-forth affair, and Shepherd would regain its lead in the closing seconds when Haggerty knocked down a pair of free throws to make the score 21-20 heading into the second.
 
The second quarter was all Bloomsburg, and the team's shooting from behind the arc played a big role in their strong play. The Huskies went 4-for-7 from three-point range in the frame and finished the first half 7-for-11 (63.6%). Kirsch was 5-for-8 from deep and scored 17 of her points in the first half. Hileman was also 2-for-3 from three and Starr finished with eight first-half points.
 
Starr played an even bigger role on the offensive end for the Huskies in the second half, scoring a total of 14 points in 15 minutes of play. At one point in the third quarter, Starr scored eight straight points for the Huskies in just over one minute of play. Starr's scoring helped the Huskies build its double-digit lead up to 15, but that's when Shepherd would go on to make its run.
 
Trailing 55-40 with 7:26 in the third quarter, the Rams went on a 14-4 scoring run to cut their deficit to just five points. Shepherd was able to make it a three-point game a couple minutes later at 61-58, but Bloomsburg went on a 10-3 scoring run to go back up by double-digits. The Huskies then sealed the game by making their final eight free throws in crunch time.  
 
As a team, Bloomsburg shot the ball 86.4% (19-for-22) from the charity stripe. In the fourth quarter alone, the Huskies went 14-for-15 (93.33%) as their shooting from the line helped them close out the game. Meanwhile, Shepherd shot just 62.5% (15-for-24) from the free throw line.
 
The Huskies shot 26-for-56 (46.4%) from the floor and scored 28 points in the paint. Bloomsburg's three-point shooting cooled off in the second half, but the team finished with a. total of eight threes on 19 attempts (42.1%).
 
Bloomsburg will be back on the court on Wednesday, Feb. 15, with another road game at Mansfield.