BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - The Bloomsburg women's basketball team fell in its final crossover conference game, 71-59, against Edinboro at Nelson Field House Saturday afternoon.

Trailing by two at the half, the Huskies (6-5, 1-4 PSAC) managed to tie the contest at 30-30 with 7:27 remaining in the third quarter. The Fighting Scots (10-2, 6-0 PSAC) put up a strong front at that moment, going on a 9-0 run and holding Bloomsburg scoreless for nearly three-and-a-half minutes for a 39-30 advantage. Even with the Huskies' attempts to fight back, Edinboro entered the fourth with a 49-39 edge, with 10 minutes to play. 

Facing as much as a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter, Bloomsburg continued to fight its way back into the mix. The Huskies cut the contest to 61-57 with two minutes remaining in the game before an argued call on a play in the paint resulted in four free throws for the Fighting Scots. The call took the wind out of Bloomsburg's sails as the team could not close the gap in the remaining time. 

Offensively, the Huskies were led by Leah Kale (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove), who scored 16 points on the 6-of-10 shooting floor while knocking down a pair of triples. Kelly Leszcynski (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth) finished second on the team with 12 points and added a career-high seven rebounds with two assists to round out her stat line. Katie Starr (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) recorded her second-consecutive double-double and third of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Starr additionally tallied four assists, two steals and a block. 

How It Happened: 
Saturday's game opened up back and forth between the two sides, with the teams trading points through the early going. Back-to-back connections between L. Kale and Ella Kale (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) gave Bloomsburg its largest lead of the game at three with 3:23 to play in the first as the two teams continued to trade buckets. The Huskies' final lead of the day came at 13-12 with 1:22 remaining in the quarter before a quick three from Edinboro's Gabby McDuffie ended the first at 15-13. 

Bloomsburg continued to trail for the remainder of the first half, searching for answers against the Fighting Scots. Edinboro saw its first-half advantage go to as much as eight points with just over six to play in the opening half. Three-point makes from L. Kale and Leszcynski kept the Huskies in touching distance as the Fighting Scots looked to pull away. Defense ruled the closing minutes of the second quarter, with a free throw Starr the final points of the half. Bloomsburg held Edinboro with a point for the final 3:16 of the half, while the Huskies were without a point for the final 2:26 to make it 28-26 after 20 minutes. 

The third quarter was the turning point on Saturday, with several calls working against the Huskies and several advantages favoring the Fighting Scots. Bloomsburg faced a 6-0 foul discrepancy, with Edinboro going the whole third quarter without a whistle. That benefit led to seven free throws for the Fighting Scots and foul trouble for the Huskies. Edinboro finished the third with a 12-7 advantage on the glass to help its cause. 

The fourth quarter reflected several themes of the game between the two teams. The sides were even through the final 10 minutes from the field (8-of-16) and on the glass (eight rebounds). The two teams also recorded five assists to three turnovers. Despite Bloomsburg being able to make it a two-possession contest, the Fighting Scots took advantage of the game's circumstances to go on a late 9-0 run to come away with the double-digit victory. 

Numbers of Note: 
20-11 / 7-24 - Bloomsburg again fell on the bad end of the foul discrepancy in Saturday's contest. The Huskies finished the game with nine more fouls than the visiting Fighting Scots, including receiving two technical fouls. The difference against the whistle led to 24 foul shots for Edinboro to Bloomsburg's seven.

+2 - The Huskies remained within reach for most of the game due to the team's efforts on the glass. Bloomsburg was +7 in the department in the first half, featuring seven offensive boards, and ended the game with a 36-34 edge in the statistic. 

15-30 - While the Huskies' defense has seen a stark improvement from last season, Bloomsburg could not generate stops at the rim in the second half. As a team, Edinboro shot 15-of-30 (50 percent) in the second half, with the Fighting Scots taking advantage of a sluggish 6-of-17 (35.3 percent) showing by the Huskies in the third quarter.

9 - E. Kale's production as the primary playmaker has been on full display in the Huskies' last several contests. The starting point guard has notched at least seven assists in five of Bloomsburg's previous six games after notching nine assists Saturday. The senior guard is now averaging 5.9 per contest.

On The Horizon:
The Huskies will look to bounce back in the new year with the first game of 2025 against Mansfield on Friday, January 3, at 5:30 p.m. inside Nelson Field House.