ERIE, Pa. – The Bloomsburg women's basketball team lost its first game of the 2024 calendar year, 68-58, to Mercyhurst Wednesday. 

Four Huskies finished the afternoon with at least eight points, led by Katie Starr (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) with 12 points and two steals after sitting out most of the first half due to foul trouble. Allison Hileman (Hollidaysburg, Pa./Hollidaysburg) was the other Bloomsburg player to finish in double figures on the day, scoring 11. Ella Kale (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) finished the afternoon with an all-encompassing performance that included eight points, six rebounds and five assists.

The Huskies drop to 4-8 on the year with a 2-4 record in PSAC action. The Lakers remain undefeated in conference play, improving to 6-0 and improve to 10-2 on the season. 

How It Happened: 
Bloomsburg and Starr opened the scoring in the first quarter with a layup before running into some early troubles. After the initial basket, Mercyhurst went on a 6-0 run spanning over two minutes to take the lead, a run that featured two early fouls on Starr that saw the forward leave the court for the remainder of the first half. 

Despite the setback, the Huskies looked to keep pace with the home side, using an Kale three to keep it a one-score game at 10-7. Despite several attempts, Bloomsburg could not break free in the first quarter as the Lakers responded to several advances to tie the game. Alison Hatajik (Duncansville, Pa./Hollidaysburg) helped relieve some of the interior pressure in the opening frame with four points from free throws.

Needing a spark, the Huskies found their form on both ends of the court in the second quarter. Mercyhurst grew its lead to seven points a minute into the second before Bloomsburg started to heat up from the floor. Maddie LaFrance (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) kicked off what would be a 9-1 run with a three to cut the lead to six. The sophomore guard totaled all nine of her points in the quarter to force a 29-29 tie with under five minutes until halftime.

The two teams remained in a deadlock with under three minutes to play in the half before a Hileman three gave the Huskies its first lead since the beginning of the game. Bloomsburg ended the second quarter on a 9-1 run to take a 38-31 lead into the break. The Huskies outscored the Lakers 22-9 while shooting 60 percent from the field and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc.

Roles reversed in the second half, as Mercyhurst rebounded from its halftime deficit with a 22-9 quarter of its own in the third. The Lakers used a 10-0 run to reclaim the lead at 41-38 as Bloomsburg went nearly four minutes without points before Starr knocked down a pair of free throws to make it a one-point contest. The home team continued to take advantage of poor shooting form and miscues from the Huskies to enter the fourth quarter with a 53-47 lead.

In the fourth, Mercyhurst continued to control the pace of play, taking advantage of critical opportunities to grow its lead to double digits and put the game out of reach. With her second-half effort, Starr maintained her scoring run, scoring 10-plus points in all 12 games this season.

On the Horizon:
The Huskies return to Nelson Field House on Saturday, January 6, at 1:00 p.m. for a PSAC East matchup with Shippensburg.