BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - The Bloomsburg women's basketball fell in a well-fought battle, 52-51, against Kutztown at Nelson Field House Sunday afternoon.

Trailing for much of the second half, the Huskies (15-10, 9-9 PSAC) clawed their way back into gaming, tying the matchup up twice in the fourth quarter. Ella Kale (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) tied the game for Bloomsburg with just over a minute to play before the Golden Bears (16-10, 11-6 PSAC) grabbed the deciding one-point advantage off of a controversial foul call with under a minute in the contest. Kutztown's Abbey Hearn knocked down the second attempt after missing the first to give her team the lead.

The Huskies had several chances on its final possessions to find an answer, with a turnover around the 40-second mark eventually negated by a five-second call on the opposite end. Bloomsburg had three opportunities in the final 15 seconds, with another late whistle on the floor with a foul to give and a near-turnover raising the tension in the building. On the last attempt of the game, the Huskies did not receive the same favor found on the other end, with a contact play at the basket allowed to continue and eventually end the night with another narrow defeat.

Katie Starr (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) led all players with a game-high 14 points on Sunday, additionally grabbing eight rebounds and adding on two assists, a block and a steal to her tallies. Allison Hatajik joined her post partner in double figures, netting 10 points and securing seven boards. Maddie LaFrance (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) (9) and Ella Kale (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) (8) rounded out the remainder of Bloomsburg's leading scorers.

How It Happened: 
The Huskies looked to reverse a less-than-stellar output from their previous matchup with the Golden Bears on the road with a strong first quarter. Ava Stevenson (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Trinity) and Hatajik rattled off the first four points of the contest for Bloomsburg as Bella Quinn provided the offense for her side with the Golden Bears' first five points of the day. Starr followed by finding her touch with four consecutive points before both offenses stalled for the next minute and a half. 

Experiencing a cold shooting stretch from the three-point line, the Huskies got a breath of fresh air with back-to-back triples from LaFrance and Leah Kale (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) to put Bloomsburg up 14-8. Kutztown did not allow the Huskies to pull away at the end of the first quarter, keeping the game within two at 17-15 after 10 minutes played.

Bloomsburg's first-quarter momentum stalled in the second quarter, mustering just four points before halftime. Starr got a layup to fall on the Huskies' opening possession. That basket would be one of two made from the field for Bloomsburg before Starr found another nearly six minutes later in the quarter. The Huskies' defensive effort kept them within striking distance. The stagnant results allowed for a 10-4 second in favor of the Golden Bears, allowing the visitors to take a 25-21 lead into the break.

The early going of the third quarter showed signs that Bloomsburg would once again retake the lead with a 6-2 run to begin the second half. Hatajik and E. Kale combined for six points to tie the game at 27-27. Kutztown responded with a 6-0 run of its own to nullify the initial charge. LaFrance broke the run with her second three-point make of the day to set off an exchange of points between the sides. The Golden Bears built up a game-high seven-point lead twice, but another response from behind the arc by LaFrance made it a six-point Kutztown at 43-37 with 10 minutes to play. 

The Huskies again flashed the energy to begin a quarter, opening the fourth with a 6-0 run to tie the game at 43-43. Hatajik knocked down a pair of shots before Maddison Maynard (Lansford, Pa./Panther Valley) followed up a miss with a layup for the tie. Kutztown's leading scorers, Naia Pulliam and Leila Hurley, recorded the next six points of the game to make the effort again to pull away from Bloomsburg. 

The Huskies' defense continued to will the team back into the game, generating stops and additional opportunities to chip away at the deficit. After a pair of free throws by Starr to make it a two-point contest, Bloomsburg forced a turnover on the other end of the court to set up a mid-range jumper from E. Kale to tie the game at 51-51. Kutztown was held to one make from the field inside the final five minutes, and a four-minute scoring drought ended with one final trip at the line for the visitors. The Golden Bears notched all they needed with one make and got the necessary stops to scrape by with the victory. 

Numbers of Note: 
10 - Kutztown remains the hottest team in the PSAC entering the final stretch. The Golden Bears have extended their current winning streak to 10 games. The next longest stretch in the conference is four games.

2-13 - A key indicator on Sunday would be the Huskies' capability to contain the green-light three-point shooting from Kutztown. Bloomsburg answered the call, holding the Golden Bears to just two makes from behind the arc to equal a season-low.

38-26 | 8-15 - 5-6 - There were two primary areas where Kutztown established an edge offensively over Bloomsburg to earn the win. The Golden Bears finished the game with a +12 margin in points in the paint over the Huskies while getting the benefit of nine extra attempts at the free throw line despite shooting just over 50 percent from the stripe. 

On The Horizon:
Bloomsburg looks to refocus and capitalize on the opportunities ahead down the stretch. With a spot in the PSAC Tournament secured, the Huskies look to play for seeding in a matchup with Millersville at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 19.