SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Bloomsburg women's basketball team snapped a nine-game losing skid at Shippensburg Saturday afternoon with a 63-52 victory.

Katie Starr (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) led the Huskies in the double-digit victory, finishing the day with 20 points, five rebounds, four steals and a block while anchoring the paint. Leah Kale (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) helped control the pace in the first half, ending the game with 12 points, five rebounds and three assists. Chase Purdy (Sweet Valley, Pa./Lake Lehman) had a complimentary performance off the bench, grabbing a career-high seven rebounds while matching a career-best six points to help anchor the post. 

With the win, Bloomsburg improves to 5-16 on the season with a 3-12 mark in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). The Raiders fall to 3-18 overall with a 2-13 record in conference play.

How It Happened: 
Looking to recover from a midweek defeat, the Huskies captured their first lead after Starr backed into the paint for her first points. The game was back and forth in the early goings of the opening quarter, with both sides honing in defensively. L. Kale knocked down her first three of the game, and Starr knocked down a turnaround jumper to tie the contest at 7-7 through the first five minutes. 

The two teams continued to trade points in the following minutes, with Bloomsburg's aggressive play leading to opportunities at the free throw line. Ella Kale (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) kicked off a 5-0 run to the end of the quarter, with her sister recording the final three points from the charity stripe. L. Kale led all players after the first quarter with eight points, converting 5-of-6 opportunities from the line as the Huskies led 18-13 after one.

The Huskies grabbed their largest lead at seven after Starr opened the second quarter with another layup. Shippensburg began to rally with a 6-0 run with a nearly three-minute scoring drought from Bloomsburg to tie the contest at 20-20. The Raiders used their first three-pointer to grab a 23-21 advantage. 

E. Kale rattled off four more points to establish offensive momentum for Bloomsburg, but not long before Shippensburg took a 28-27 lead with under a minute to play in the half. In the end, E. Kale drained a pull-up jumper to beat the buzzer and tie her with her sister with eight points in the first half, as the Huskies held a 29-28 advantage.

Bloomsburg came out of the gates hot in the second half, opening with an 11-2 run through the first three minutes of the second half. The Huskies established their presence in the paint with Starr and Purdy combining for the first eight points of the third quarter before Maddie LaFrance (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) knocked down her first triple of the game to give Bloomsburg a 10-point edge at 40-30. 

The Raiders began to chip away at the advantage, using a 6-0 stretch to reduce their deficit to single digits, with the Huskies lead at two with one quarter to play. Starr shined in the third quarter, recording eight points and two steals to headline Bloomsburg's third-quarter efforts.

In the fourth quarter, the Huskies continued to play like the better team, opening on an 8-0 run through the first five minutes of the fourth for a 54-44 advantage. Lauren Kirsch (Palmyra, Pa./Lower Dauphin) hit a timely three-pointer to beat the shot clock and give Bloomsburg its largest lead of the day of 13. The Huskies fend off all comeback efforts from the Raiders, coming up with stop after stop on the defensive end. Bloomsburg held Shippensburg to 4-of-14 shooting in the fourth quarter (28.6 percent) to come away with the win. 

On the Horizon:
The Huskies return to Nelson Field House for a two-game stay at home on Wednesday, February 7, at 5:30 p.m. against Mansfield.