BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – The Bloomsburg women's basketball team dropped a contested defensive battle to East Stroudsburg at Nelson Field House Wednesday evening.

In her return to the lineup, Katie Starr (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) led the way for the Huskies. The junior led the team in points (15), rebounds (13) and blocks (4). The forward has nine games with a double-double this season while matching a career-high with her block tally. Defensively, Bloomsburg was aggressive all night, setting a season-high five blocks and matching a season-best 11 steals, with three players recording multiple steals. 

The Huskies now sit at 4-13 overall with a 2-9 mark against PSAC opponents. The Warriors improve to 6-10 with a 4-7 record in the conference.

How It Happened: 
The two sides were in for a long night on their respective offensive ends as both sides struggled to find ways to get on the scoreboard. East Stroudsburg found a bucket early on to grab the first lead of the game at 2-0. Allison Hileman (Hollidaysburg, Pa./Hollidaysburg) secured Bloomsburg's basket of the day at 7:59. The Huskies grabbed one of their only leads of the night off of free throws from Starr before a Warriors three past the 7:00-minute mark. The two teams would combine for three more baskets in the remaining time in the first quarter, with East Stroudsburg taking a 9-6 lead into the second.

Struggles continued in the Huskies' best shooting quarter of the night. Starr drove home with a layup after a minute of play to make it a one-point game. East Stroudsburg would begin an exchange of makes from 7:19 to 6:37, giving the Warriors a three-point edge. Bloomsburg again brought the game within one off of free throws from Lauren Kirsch (Palmyra, Pa./Lower Dauphin). The Huskies grabbed a 14-13 advantage off a jumper from Ava Stevenson (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Trinity) that would hold for a moment. Hailey Hudak (Schwenksville, Pa./Spring Ford) put up Bloomsburg's final basket of the half with 2:06 to play as ESU entered the break with a 19-16 lead. 

The teams continued to trade baskets out of the break, with neither side able to produce substantial momentum. Ella Kale (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) had the only basket inside three minutes out of halftime before the Warriors took a five-point lead. East Stroudsburg led by as many as eight, but six points from Starr at the tail end of the quarter kept it a two-possession contest at 32-26.

In the final quarter, it was the Warriors who found a spurt of energy and a better run of offensive form to come away with the win. ESU went on a 10-1 to open the fourth quarter and grab the largest lead of the game at 15 with 7:00 to play. Starr and Hileman spearheaded a 7-0 run for the Huskies to bring it back within single digits at 42-34. Both teams had significant opportunities from the free throw line in the fourth quarter, but the Warriors edged out Bloomsburg in makes (11-6) and opportunities (17-11).

Kirsch had a well-rounded performance for Bloomsburg, finishing with six points, a season-high seven rebounds and two steals. Hileman was the second-leading Husky scorer with seven points, adding three steals to her total. Leah Kale (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) was the final Bloomsburg guard to record multiple steals in the game. 
 
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.