BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - The Bloomsburg women's basketball capped off its regular-season home slate with an emphatic 71-55 victory over West Chester at Nelson Field House Saturday afternoon.

The Huskies (16-11, 10-10 PSAC) put their trust in the hands of the eight members of the senior class and were not let down, getting off to a tremendous 21-9 start after one period of action. Bloomsburg would not relinquish any ground from the opening tip, leading wire-to-wire against the Golden Rams (13-13, 10-9 PSAC).

The eight members honored as part of the team's pregame festivities include Hailey Hudak (Schwenksville, Pa./Spring Ford), Madison Johnson (West Orange, N.J./Union Catholic), Ella Kale (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove), Lauren Kirsch (Palmyra, Pa./Lower Dauphin), Maddie LaFrance (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin), Nickole Schmidt (Montgomery, N.Y./Valley Central), Katie Starr (Berwick, Pa./Berwick), and Ava Stevenson (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Trinity).

Off the bench, Leah Kale (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) paced the Huskies in scoring, finishing with 18 points in 23 minutes. The sophomore shot 5-of-7 (71.4 percent) from the field, including a 4-for-4 day from behind the arc and the free throw line. Her sister, E. Kale, was the next leading scorer with 12. The Bloomsburg point tacked on six rebounds and six assists to her stat line, moving into a tie for seventh in single-season assists with 128. While an off-day to her standards on the offensive end, Starr chipped in everywhere on the court on Saturday. The forward had nine points, a team-high eight rebounds, four steals, and three assists.

How It Happened: 
The Huskies could not have asked for a better start, getting the opportunity to showcase its senior class while getting off to one of their best starts all season. Bloomsburg jumped out in front with an early 7-0 run bolstered by stellar ball movement. Schmidt set up Kirsch for the opening basket with a triple to erupt the home crowd. The New York native found Starr along the baseline for a midrange jumper before turning provider for E. Kale's first basket and forcing a West Chester timeout under three minutes into the contest. 

After the Golden Rams brought the game within three, a nearly three-minute scoring drought ensued. The Huskies' first rotation off the bench reignited things, with Stevenson and LaFrance going back-to-back from three-point range to quickly swing the lead back up to nine. The duo responded to the offensive attempts of West Chester's leading scorer, Michelle Kozicki, once again knocking down alternating threes on consecutive possessions for a 12-point lead after the first quarter. 

The second quarter reflected a contrasting form to the first, with a physical display from both sides leading to a defensive-oriented run of play. Checking in for the first time, L. Kale wasted no time thrusting herself into the action with her first shot attempt from behind the arc good to continue a hot shooting start from deep for Bloomsburg. The Huskies managed to hold the Golden Rams without points for four-and-a-half minutes. 

The scoreless stretch for West Chester was broken by Alainna Hopta converting for three free throws after getting fouled behind the arc. Kozicki was the lone bright spot for her side offensively in the opening half, scoring her team's final six points to close the second. Schmidt would get one last say in the half, knocking down a midrange jumper on the team's final possession of the half to send it to the locker rooms at 33-22. 

The offense for both teams picked up to begin the second half with baskets on five consecutive possessions between the two sides. E. Kale had her midrange game working from the first whistle, knocking down a pair to help keep the Golden Rams in check. West Chester managed to cut its deficit to as little as five in the third, but timely shooting from L. Kale, featuring two makes from deep, kept the Golden Rams at the double-digit threshold. The Kale sisters helped take over the final stretch of the third quarter, spearheading a 10-4 close to maintain an 11-point lead going into the fourth. 

The fourth quarter was sealed by Bloomsburg's defensive intensity. The Huskies went on an 11-0 run for over four minutes to begin the fourth, forcing West Chester to go 0-for-7 from the floor with three turnovers as Bloomsburg put its foot on the gas. With the lead at 61-39, the Golden Rams threw caution into the win, but it did not matter in the end. Johnson tied the proverbial bow with an and-one finish to get the home crowd on its feet one final time. 

Numbers of Note: 
20 - Coming off one of its more stagnant performances against Millersville, the Bloomsburg offense was in full swing from the beginning. The Huskies had just five assists on Wednesday and responded with 20 on 24 made baskets against the Golden Rams. It is the sixth game this season to reach the mark. Bloomsburg is 5-1 in those contests.

1300 - Starr's place as part of the Bloomsburg women's basketball program continues to be cemented. The forward is the 11th player in program history to score 1300 career points and is one of four in team history to have 1300 points and 700 rebounds.

43-1 - The biggest discrepancy in Saturday's contest was the Huskies' contributions received from the bench. Led by L. Kale, Bloomsburg finished with 43 bench points to West Chester's one in the game. Kale, Stevenson, and LaFrance combined for 34 and were 9-of-13 (69.2 percent) from behind the arc as a trio. 

On The Horizon:
Bloomsburg plays its final regular season game on Wednesday, February 26, taking a trip to Lock Haven for a matchup with the Bald Eagles at 5:30 p.m.