MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - The Bloomsburg women's basketball team could not muster the energy to overcome early mistakes in a 68-51 road defeat to Millersville Wednesday evening.

The Huskies (15-11, 9-10 PSAC) were outworked from the opening whistle by the Marauders (15-10, 10-8), as the hosts committed to defending their home court. Despite shooting well from the field in the first half (10-of-21, 47.6 percent), Bloomsburg could not keep pace with Millersville's up-and-down intensity. The effects carried over into the second half, with a few miscues in the opening series providing the necessary space to create an insurmountable gap. 

Katie Starr (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) was the lone player for the Huskies in double figures, posting 13 points and six rebounds to go with two steals and a block. Ella Kale (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) and Leah Kale (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) each finished with eight points, with the eldest tacking on two steals. Lex Ferguson (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) provided fresh perspective off the bench, tallying her post points in a conference game in her career (6) while securing four rebounds and a steal. 

How It Happened: 
Starr provided the early offense for Bloomsburg, as her team was playing from behind for much of the opening quarter. The Marauders went on a three-minute, 12-4 from led by two makes from deep by leading sharpshooter Kali March to grab an early 10-point advantage in the first. L. Kale knocked down a pair of jumpers to get her team within single digits with under a minute in the quarter as continued pressure in the paint from Millersville led to one more bucket and a 22-12 lead after one.

The Huskies seemed to find something working on the defensive end of the court in the second quarter. Bloomsburg held Millersville to 3-of-14 (21.4 percent) from the field in the 10 minutes before halftime to create the opportunities to get back into the game. Despite the positive results on one side of the court, the Huskies' errors on the offensive end prevented them from more than a 12-8 advantage in the second. Bloomsburg finished with as many turnovers (8) as shot attempts despite shooting 50 percent from the floor. The Huskies cut the game to four points with 36 seconds remaining in the first half following a three from Maddison Maynard (Lansford, Pa./Panther Valley) and four consecutive midrange points from E. Kale. A pair of last-second free throws for Millersville sent the game into the locker rooms with Bloomsburg trailing 30-24.

The same mistakes that plagued the Huskies in the first half carried over into the second, leading to the hard work of the second quarter being erased by an 8-0 run through the first three minutes of the third quarter to make it a 38-24 edge for the Marauders. Ava Stevenson (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Trinity) knocked down a triple to end the initial push, but continued streaky shooting on offense resulted in a 6-0 stretch for Millersville to extend the lead further. Ferguson scored four of her points in the closing stretch of the third quarter before Kelly Leszcynski (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth) and E. Kale chipped in on the team's final two possessions in the quarter.

The Huskies continued to show signs of life in the fourth, opening the final 10 minutes with a 6-0 run through the first 90 seconds to get the game back within single digits. Leszcynski stepped out behind the arc to knock down a triple before Starr and Kalleigh Nerone (Pittsburgh, Pa./Highlands) found space inside for some points at the rim. That burst from Bloomsburg was quickly negated by a return 6-0 stretch by Millersville, deflating the chance at a momentum swing. The Huskies continued to battle down the stretch, but the host Marauders' advantage proved too large. 

Numbers of Note: 
43-24 - Bloomsburg has had to contest against several teams' emphasis on the glass, and Wednesday's game was an example. Millersville finished with a 43-24 advantage on the glass, the worst margin for the Huskies this season, including 14 offensive rebounds, seven of which came in the first quarter.

48-24 - Continuing to combat a shooting slump, Bloomsburg met another offensive hurdle in the paint against the Marauders. The Huskies had just 24 points in the paint to 48 for Millersville in the contest.

On The Horizon:
Bloomsburg returns to Nelson Field House for the final regular-season home contest and senior day against West Chester on Saturday, February 22. The opening tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m.