BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - The Bloomsburg women's basketball team ended the first half of intradivision play with a 66-47 defeat to Lock Haven Wednesday evening.
The Huskies (13-7, 7-6 PSAC) never found an offensive rhythm as a team, falling behind by double digits in the first half and were ultimately unable to overcome the hurdle against the Bald Eagles (14-5, 9-4 PSAC).
Katie Starr (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) was the standout for a flat Bloomsburg shooting day, scoring a game-high 20 points on 7-of-12 (58.3 percent) shooting from the floor. The senior forward added seven rebounds, a career-high six steals, two assists and a block to her game-day totals. As a team, the Huskies shot just 36.5 percent from the floor compared to a 50.9 percent mark from Lock Haven.
How It Happened:
Bloomsburg made quick work of the opening two possessions to jump out to an early 4-0 lead. Kelly Leszcynski (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth) found Alison Hatajik (Duncansville, Pa./Hollidaysburg) in space for a long mid-range attempt before Starr grabbed her first steal of the night and got to work for her first basket just outside the first minute of regulation.
Lock Haven responded with a 7-0 run that lasted over four minutes, stunting the early momentum the Huskies thought they had established. Starr willed her team forward with the team's final nine points of the first, but the Bald Eagles' aggressive play on both ends resulted in a 7-2 stretch to end the quarter for a 16-11 lead for the visitors.
After surrendering the first four points of the second, Maddie LaFrance (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) sought to ignite her side with a three on what proved to be a cold shooting night for Bloomsburg. Another small 4-0 run allowed Lock Haven to extend into double figures for the first time, holding the Huskies without a point for over three minutes. Bloomsburg looked to have found some footing with baskets from Maddison Maynard (Lansford, Pa./Panther Valley) and Ella Kale (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) to pull the team within seven. However, the final two minutes belonged to the Bald Eagles as the visitors closed on a 6-0 run to take a 33-20 lead into halftime.
Coming out of the break, the Huskies needed to find answers and generate a response on the defensive end. Bloomsburg held Lock Haven to its worst quarter in the third, keeping the Bald Eagles at bay with a 6-of-17 (35.3 percent) shooting performance during that 10-minute interval. Still, Lock Haven smothered the Huskies on the defensive end, outsourcing Bloomsburg 15-11 in the third and as the home side shot 4-of-14 (28.6 percent) from the floor.
Leah Kale (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) hit a three on the first look for the Huskies out of the break and shimmered a possible ray of potential to stack positive possessions. With every tough-earned basket Bloomsburg found, the Bald Eagles seemed to find a means of quelling a push with timely makes from the floor, leading to a 17-point lead through three quarters.
The Huskies showed life at the turn of the fourth quarter, going full throttle in the hopes of closing off the gap and rattling the visitors. Leszcynski and Starr rattled off a 9-2 advantage for Bloomsburg through the first two-and-a-half minutes of the fourth quarter before Starr found L. Kale with a cut to the basket for a layup to make it a 50-40 game. After a quick timeout from Lock Haven, the opposing defense gathered itself and iced the Huskies out in the game's final stretch.
Numbers of Note:
34-24 - A key factor to potential success for the Huskies was the ability to compete on the glass against the Bald Eagles. Bloomsburg fell behind the rebounding differential by 10, 34-24, against the PSAC leader in rebounding margin (7.9) and total opponent rebounds (31.7).
8 - Another bright spot for the Huskies on Wednesday was limiting Lock Haven's efforts to get to the free throw line. The Bald Eagles are third in total attempts at the charity stripe (435) and are second in the conference at 22.9 attempts per contest.
On The Horizon:
The Huskies look to bounce back at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 1, as the second half of the PSAC East schedule begins with a matchup against Shippensburg.
