BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – The Bloomsburg women's basketball team could not overcome a second-half shooting slump in a 71-65 defeat to Shippensburg Friday evening. 

Katie Starr (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) again found her way into double figures, finishing the night with a team-best 18 in the defeat. The junior forward extends her double-digit scoring streak this season to 13 games. Maddie LaFrance (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) was the second-leading scorer in the contest for the Huskies with 14 points. Lauren Kirsch (Palmyra, Pa./Lower Dauphin) worked her way into 11 points, shooting 50 percent (3-of-6) from three, a season-high five rebounds and two steals. 

The Huskies fall to 4-9 on the season with a 2-5 mark in PSAC action as Shippensburg improves to 2-11, securing their first win in conference play (1-6).

How It Happened: 
The Bloomsburg defense was tested early along the perimeter, as the Raiders came out emphatically when shooting from behind the arc. The Huskies' post players kicked off the scoring in the contest with the first four points from the floor from Alison Hatajik (Duncansville, Pa./Hollidaysburg) and Starr. 

The visitors from Shippensburg shot 80 percent from the three-point line, going four-for-five to capture a game-high lead of eight with just over three minutes remaining in the first quarter. Bloomsburg established its presence in the paint early, using six consecutive makes from the charity stripe to force a five-point deficit at 22-17. In total, the Huskies were 9-of-10 on free throw attempts in the opening quarter.

Bloomsburg reversed its fortunes in the second quarter with added pressure on the defensive end. Three different scorers aided in a 7-0 run that forced a tie at 24-24 and got the Huskies back into the game. Bloomsburg eventually got its first lead off a layup to put the home side on top. Hatajik and LaFrance were the contingent to give the Huskies a 34-29 at halftime. The Huskies outscored Shippensburg 17-7 while holding the Raiders to just 20 percent shooting (3-of-15) from the field.

The two teams traded minor flurries of scoring runs to open the second half, highlighting the game's competitive nature. Bloomsburg found itself up by nine points with under 3:30 in the third quarter before defensive deficiencies poked their head in the final minutes of the period. Treasure George and Taja Colbert elevated their level of play in the closing moments of the third as the pair combined for 10 points to help make it a 50-49 game entering the fourth quarter. 

Despite finishing the quarter 5-of-11 (45.5 percent) from the field, the Huskies' defense could not withstand the comeback efforts of the Raiders. Shippensburg regained the lead for the first time since the second period with an 11-2 run that had Bloomsburg on its heels. Starr mustered several baskets on the tails of the visitors' offensive outburst but was not enough to keep the Huskies within distance, as Shippensburg pulled out to a 65-54 lead.

Critical time ticked off the clock with Bloomsburg unable to buy a basket in the end phase of the contest, despite seven points from LaFrance in the final quarter. Kirsch pulled Bloomsburg within three points with 24 seconds on the clock, but the efforts in situational play were not enough at the buzzer. 

On the Horizon:
The Huskies head out for their first divisional road test of the season on Wednesday, January 10, at 5:30 p.m. against Mansfield.