ERIE, Pa. - The Bloomsburg women's basketball team fell in a tightly contested road battle with No. 4/3 Gannon Friday afternoon, 67-64.

The Huskies (3-2, 0-1 PSAC) entered the fourth quarter trailing 49-46 and made several attempts to get out in front of the ranked Golden Knights (8-0, 1-0 PSAC). Bloomsburg cut the game to one possession numerous times, forcing a tie at 50-50 with eight minutes to play. For every attempt the Huskies had, Gannon found a response, able to pull out by as much as six points with 90 seconds on the clock. After Alison Hatajik (Duncansville, Pa./Hollidaysburg) made it a one-possession game from the free throw line, the defense came through with a stop. An unlucky bounce off the iron allowed the Golden Knights to keep possession and run out the clock on the final inbound. 

Bloomsburg's efforts were led by another career day from Leah Kale (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove). The guard netted a career-best 21 points on 7-of-12 (58.3 percent) shooting with two triples and grabbing five rebounds. Hatajik provided solid support from the low block, scoring 12 points, including eight from the charity stripe, and nabbing 10 rebounds for the sophomore's first career double-double. 

How It Happened: 
The Huskies went toe-to-toe with last season's conference champs from the opening whistle, starting with an even first quarter. Bloomsburg began the game working through the post, with Hatajik and Katie Starr (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) getting things rolling through a defense-focused first four minutes at 4-4. 

The Golden Knights made an initial effort to pull away, leaning on Andrea Maibach in the post for five straight points to set up a 13-8 lead with two minutes remaining in the opening quarter. The Huskies continued to attack the paint, with Hatajik and Lex Ferguson (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) the aggressors in the first to knot the score at 13-13 through one.

The five-point run to close the first carried over into the second, led by Kelly Leszcynski (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth). Leszcynski started the quarter with a three on Bloomsburg's first offensive possession and followed up with a layup to give her team an 18-13 lead three minutes in. The Huskies extended their lead to as much as six following an and-one conversion from L. Kale for a 21-15 advantage with five minutes to play in the opening half. 

Despite the efforts of Hatajik and Kale, Gannon began to rally, retaking the lead on the back of a 9-2 run. The Golden Knights took advantage of Bloomsburg being in foul trouble, with seven of the team's final 11 points of the half coming from the free throw line. A pair of makes from the charity stripe from L. Kale made a 33-29 game for Gannon heading into halftime. 

The Golden Knights again looked to pull away from the Huskies, but Bloomsburg fought valiantly to keep pace with Gannon. The hosts pulled out to a seven-point edge at 39-32 before the Huskies methodically worked back into touching distance. Starr and the Kales kept the game within two possessions to set up Leszcynski for a go-ahead three to give Bloomsburg its first lead since the second quarter. After the Golden Knights regained the lead on their next possession, Gannon closed the quarter with a fastbreak layup in the closing seconds of the quarter for a 49-46 lead entering the fourth. 

The Huskies remained adamant about attacking the paint, and this strategy allowed the team to get good looks inside and find ways to the free-throw line. However, the defensive presence from both sides limited the number of easy looks, and it was the Golden Knights that found better opportunities in the closing minutes to come out on top. 

Numbers of Note: 
3 - Despite the tough loss on the road, Friday's three-point result marks progress for this year's squad. Last season against Gannon, Bloomsburg suffered a 44-point defeat to the eventual Elite Eight and PSAC Champion Golden Knights.

70 - L. Kale's tremendous start on the offensive end has provided a consistent perimeter presence for the Huskies. With 70 points through the first five games, Kale already has more points in a five-game stretch than at any point compared to her freshman campaign. 

37-28 - An encouraging sign for Bloomsburg in Friday's defeat was the team's ability to attack the glass. The Huskies held a plus-nine advantage on the glass for the third time this season, rebounding from a minus-16 differential in Tuesday's come-from-behind victory over Chestnut Hill. 

20 - In the end, turnovers and the ability to get back in transition hurt Bloomsburg in the box score. The Huskies finished the game with 20 turnovers as a team, allowing Gannon to finish with 20 points of turnovers and 20 fastbreak points. 

On The Horizon:
The Huskies wrap up a weekend back-to-back with a matchup against Clarion on Saturday, November 23, at 1:00 p.m.