FROSTBURG, Md.  - The Bloomsburg women's basketball team hung on for a 70-67 win in its season opener over West Virginia Wesleyan Friday afternoon.

After a close first half with the Huskies (1-0) up three, Bloomsburg used a stellar third quarter to go up nine against the Bobcats (0-1) heading into the fourth. The Huskies' lead grew to as much as 14 in the fourth quarter before West Virginia Wesleyan attempted to mount a furious comeback. The Bobcats cut the lead to as little as one point with 19 seconds remaining. In the end, four consecutive makes from the free throw line by Kelly Leszcynski (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth) gave Bloomsburg enough of a cushion to come away with the win. 

Leszcynski led the Huskies with 17 points in the contest. The redshirt junior stuffed the stat sheet in the season opener, additionally recording seven assists, six rebounds, and two steals on 50 percent shooting from the floor and going 3-of-4 from behind the arc. Alison Hatajik (Duncansville, Pa./Hollidaysburg) set a new career high with 16 points in the win, adding eight boards and a career-best five assists. Maddie LaFrance (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) provided support from the perimeter, ending the day with 16 points, 50 percent shooting from the floor, and making four-of-nine (.444) from beyond the arc. Leah Kale (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) rounded out the group with double-digit points for Bloomsburg, netting 12 with a pair of threes.

How It Happened: 
The game started even before a quick scoring burst from the Huskies to grab a 12-4 advantage. LaFrance knocked down Bloomsburg's first triple of the contest to start the 8-0 run. Kale took over with five consecutive points, putting away a short jumper before stepping out beyond the arc for a triple. West Virginia Wesleyan would chip away at the short-lived lead, closing the first quarter on a 12-4 run led by six points by Kilah Dandridge to make it a 16-16 game.

Hatajik became the focal point of the offense to begin the second quarter. The forward got some great feeds inside the paint and took care of the rest for a quick 20-16 lead. The second was back and forth between the two sides, featuring several lead changes and tied possessions as the time dwindled in the first half. Down 29-27, LaFrance stepped into a three-point attempt on an assist by Maddison Maynard (Lansford, Pa./Panther Valley) to put the Huskies up one. Maynard would turn provider one final time in the half, finding Hatajik inside for the final bucket and to send Bloomsburg into the half up three.

Last season, the Huskies struggled at times in the second and third quarters. Still, Friday was a positive sign of potential improvements in that area. After regaining the lead late in the first half, Bloomsburg came out hot to start the second. The Huskies opened the third quarter with a 10-0 run to grow the gap to 12.

Hatajik started the run with four points inside the first two minutes. Bloomsburg then lit it up from deep with back-to-back three pointers from Kale and Leszcynski to see the lead increase to 42-29. The lead for the Huskies would hover around nine as the two teams traded baskets heading into the fourth quarter.

Bloomsburg's aggressiveness on the offensive end of the floor carried over to begin the fourth, as a layup from Maynard would precede two three-pointers from Leszcynski and LaFrance to see the lead back up to 13. With under four minutes to play in the game, the Huskies would see their lead balloon to a game-high 14 after layups from Hatajik and LaFrance. However, that final make from LaFrance would be Bloomsburg's final field goal of the contest, as the team would go 0-of-5 from the floor with two turnovers in the final 4:20 in the game.

That cold stretch allowed the Bobcats to claw their way back into the contest on a 13-0 run with 20 seconds to play. Wanting to force the Huskies to shoot free throws, West Virginia Wesleyan had to foul five times with less than 20 seconds left to get Bloomsburg into the bonus. At the line, it was Leszcynski who remained composed from the charity stripe to knock down a set and push the lead back up to three.

Following a timeout from the Bobcats to advance the ball, West Virginia Wesleyan opted to go for a quick two with a timeout in the pocket and cut the lead back down to one. Back into the inbound game, Bloomsburg got the ball back into play with just enough time to force another trip to the line for Leszcynski. Just as she did before, the guard kept her poise at the line to sink the free throws. Needing a three against one of the best perimeter defenses in Division II a season ago, Kilah Dandridge was closed out in the corner by LaFrance, forcing the guard to chuck up a desperation three that bounced off the top corner of the backboard and off the front of the rim as time expired to see the Huskies pick up their first win of the season. 

Numbers of Note: 
4 - A new-approach Huskies squad showcased the balanced approach the team looks to maintain this season. Of the nine players that touched the court for Bloomsburg, four finished the afternoon in double figures.

21-27 - Bloomsburg continued its trend of sharing the basketball, and it paid off in full on Friday. On the Huskies' 27 made baskets against West Virginia Wesleyan, the team finished with 21 assists. 

22:00 - Although it teetered at times, Bloomsburg finished Friday's game with the lead for the final 22:00 minutes.