BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – The Bloomsburg women's basketball team fell 71-42 Saturday afternoon at Nelson Field House against Kutztown.

The Huskies' offense faced an uphill climb for most of the game but received notable performances from Maddie LaFrance (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) and Leah Kale (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove). LaFrance led all scorers with 19 points, shooting 7-of-12 (58.3 percent) and 5-of-9 (55.6 percent) from behind the arc. Kale added 12 points, going 5-of-9 from the field. Bloomsburg's struggles reared as the team shot a combined 36.4 on the day. 

The Huskies now sit at 4-12 overall with a 2-8 mark against PSAC opponents. The Golden Bears improve to 8-9 with a 6-5 record in the conference.

How It Happened: 
Kutztown started the game red hot, using a dominant first quarter to propel them throughout the game, shooting 76.9 percent as a team. The Golden Bears opened the contest on a 9-0 run before LaFrance put Bloomsburg on the board with her first triple. Kutztown continued to answer the Huskies' attempts, eventually closing the first quarter with a 25-7 lead.

Bloomsburg looked to find a way back into the game after its early struggles. LaFrance notched the first five points of the quarter for the Huskies to keep them even with the Golden Bears through the first three minutes. The efforts spurned a 12-0 run and made it a single-digit game at 30-21 off a bucket from Alison Hatajik (Duncansville, Pa./Hollidaysburg). A 7-0 run in the final 1:20 of the half from Kutztown gave the visitors a 41-24 edge at the break. 

The second half played out like the first quarter, putting Bloomsburg in uncomfortable scenarios for the remainder of the game. Ella Kale's (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) first basket of the game and first of the half for the Huskies ended a 7-0 spurt from the Golden Bears four minutes out of halftime. LaFrance ended the third quarter scoring nine of Bloomsburg's 11 points. 

The fourth quarter saw Kutztown continue to pull away and secure the victory on the night. Several Huskies saw extended minutes in the final stretch of the game, highlighted by the defensive efforts of Emma Spindler (Wallkill, N.Y./Wallkill Senior). The first-year guard totaled two steals and a block in 15 minutes off the bench.
 
On the Horizon:
The Huskies are back at Nelson Field House on Wednesday, January 24, at 5:30 p.m. for a PSAC matchup with East Stroudsburg.