PHILADELPHIA - The Bloomsburg women's basketball erased a 19-point first-half deficit to come away with a 77-75 road win against Chestnut Hill Tuesday afternoon.

Trailing 43-24 coming out of halftime, the Huskies (3-1) needed to find a response and did so with an explosive second-half response. The Bloomsburg offense came out with renewed energy, scoring 26 points in the third quarter while emphasizing offensive rebounding. Crashing the glass for six offensive boards in the quarter, the Huskies cut the deficit to 63-50 with 10 minutes to play. The Huskies saved their best for last, closing out with a 27-12 fourth quarter to come out with the win.

Ava Stevenson (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Trinity) was the leader on the offensive end, finishing with a career day in Maroon & Gold. The senior finished the day with a career-best 20 points while grabbing a career-high six boards to lead the second-half dramatics. Leah Kale (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) and Katie Starr (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) joined Stevenson in double figures, with L. Kale going for 16 points and three assists while Starr ended with 15 points, a team-high seven boards, and two steals.

How It Happened: 
A sluggish start by Bloomsburg allowed Chestnut Hill (1-4) to climb out to a 10-2 lead through the first four-and-half minutes. A five-point stretch from Alison Hatajik (Duncansville, Pa./Hollidaysburg) offset the opening surge and helped make it a 10-9 contest. 

Despite an early five points, including a three-point make from Stevenson, the Griffins closed the opening quarter on a 14-3 run to claim a 24-12 edge. Bloomsburg, through the first half, struggled to find any flow in the offense, shooting 5-of-17 (29.4 percent) in the first quarter and 10-for-35 (28.6 percent) overall in the opening half.

L. Kale started the second quarter with a three, but that momentum was neutralized with a 12-0 burst from Chestnut Hill to extend its advantage to 21. Another three, this time from the hands of Lauren Kirsch (Palmyra, Pa./Lower Dauphin), got the Huskies back on the scoreboard. Bloomsburg trailed by as much as 23 in the quarter. Makes from Kirsch and Ella Kale (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) sent the game into the break at 43-24.

The first five minutes of the second half put the Huskies back on track, outscoring the Griffins 20-8 through the initial five minutes. L. Kale started things with a triple as Bloomsburg looked to Starr to help get the offense rolling after early foul trouble from the forward. By the five-minute mark in the third, the Huskies brought Chestnut Hill's lead down to single digits, 51-44. Back-to-back three-pointers from the Griffins helped the home side bring its lead back up to 13 heading into the final quarter. 

Bloomsburg began the game's final stretch, funneling through the hot hands. Stevenson and Starr carried the early workload through the first four minutes of the fourth, combining for 11 points to make it a 67-61 contest. L. Kale joined in on the surging comeback efforts with four points in a minute before Starr dropped in a layup to cut the game to 69-67 with four remaining. 

Chestnut Hill found answers to keep it a two-possession game nearing two minutes left. The Huskies' aggressive approach began to pay dividends with each possession, able to catch the Griffins on the back foot. A steal by Starr with one minute to play set up a fastbreak layup to L. Kale to cut the game to 75-74.

Starr's abilities on both ends of the court came through, forcing her matchup into a travel call on a pivotal possession for Chestnut Hill and grabbing a critical rebound. Out of the timeout, Bloomsburg set up its halfcourt offense, allowing L. Kale to get free from the perimeter and drive past her defender for the lead at 76-75. Following a make at the free throw line to make it 77-75, the Griffins had enough time for one final possession. The second-half theme was effort, and the rotation on the defensive end of the court sealed the game, with a swarming Bloomsburg defense preventing Seton Hill from getting up a final shot.

Numbers of Note: 
51/40/24 - Needing to find answers in the second half, the Huskies found some in trusting its trio of leading scorers. The three players combined for 51 of the team's 77 points in the comeback, with 40 coming in the final 20 minutes and 24 in the final 10.

17 - Bloomsburg adjustments on the glass helped the Huskies settle back into Tuesday's contest. Bloomsburg grabbed a season-high 17 offensive rebounds, the most in a game for the team since nabbing 17 against Millersville on January 4, 2023.

25/12 - The defensive pressure that benefited the Huskies for much of this season paved the way for a monstrous fourth-quarter display. Bloomsburg finished the game with 25 total points off turnovers compared to the Griffins' 12. The Huskies managed 12 points off turnovers in the fourth quarter alone to match the total points scored by Chestnut Hill through the final 10 minutes.

On The Horizon:
The Huskies head West for the beginning of conference play on Friday, November 22, at 3:00 p.m. for a matchup on the road with last season's PSAC Champions, Gannon.