LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - The Bloomsburg women's basketball team ended the regular season on a high note with a 65-51 victory on the road against Lock Haven on Wednesday evening.

The Huskies (17-11, 11-10 PSAC) pieced together a well-rounded, team-oriented performance against the Bald Eagles (18-8, 13-7 PSAC). Five players for Bloomsburg finished with at least 10 points and two assists. Defensively, the Huskies pieced together a stellar performance, holding Lock Haven to under 31 percent shooting from the field and forcing 22 turnovers by the Bald Eagles.

Bloomsburg got contributions across the court on both ends of the floor. Leah Kale (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) led the way, finishing with a game-high 14 points. The sophomore guard finished 5-of-7 (71.4 percent) from the floor and went 3-for-4 from behind the arc in her return to the starting lineup. Ava Stevenson (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Trinity) chipped in 13 points, going 6-of-9 from the field with one make from three. Off the bench, Maddie LaFrance (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) chipped in with excellent energy, recording 12 points, three assists, three steals, and a pair of makes from deep. 

Katie Starr (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) and Ella Kale (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points each. Starr was a difference-making presence on defense Wednesday, ending the night matching a career-high six steals while tallying three blocks. E. Kale filled the stat sheet in her own way, adding five assists and five rebounds to her totals while registering two blocks and a steal for herself.

How It Happened: 
The Huskies made their opening move in the first quarter with a smothering performance on the defensive end. Bloomsburg held Lock Haven to just 2-of-12 (16.7 percent) shooting from the floor through the first 10 minutes. Knotted up at 7-7, the Huskies closed the first quarter on a 9-2 run through the final two-and-a-half minutes. Bloomsburg got to its spots in the paint, with Starr and Kash Santos (Bethlehem, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic) rattling off six straight points in the paint before E. Kale knocked down a midrange jumper on the team's last offensive possession quarter to push it to a 15-9 game.

The tempo of the contest picked up in the second quarter, with the Huskies able to continuously find answers to the Bald Eagles' threats at the lead. LaFrance got things rolling with a spot-up make from behind the arc in the face of a defender before dishing the ball inside to Lex Ferguson (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) for a finish through contact to get the Bloomsburg bench off its feet. That moment sparked a quick 6-0 run to push the lead into double-figures, as Lock Haven did everything in its ability to keep pace with the Huskies. 

L. Kale provided the offense down the final stretch of the first half for the Huskies, first putting away a basket with a tremendous backdoor play between her and Starr. The guard then got the direct pass and used the space from a screen to knock down a three and help send her side up 33-22 at the half. 

The Bald Eagles looked to have righted their ship and had Bloomsburg on its heels with a tremendous effort to begin the second half. Lock Haven carried a 13-0 run past the media timeout and nearly six minutes deep into the third quarter, taking its first lead since the first quarter at 35-33. Off the Huskies' next offensive look, E. Kale provided another midrange make to help her side regain its first-half confidence. 

Needing the momentum back, LaFrance reigned things in for Bloomsburg and took control of the closing moments of the third quarter. The redshirt junior scored six of the team's eight points through the final three minutes, settling a full-court pass from Starr for a midrange shot before giving the Huskies a 43-39 advantage entering the fourth with a critical three to ignite the side.

LaFrance's third-quarter shot stoked the flames for Bloomsburg's hopes on the road. The Huskies carried the momentum over with a 12-2 run nearly five minutes into the fourth. Despite Lock Haven breaking its drought, the Kale sisters answered an initial push from the Bald Eagles with six consecutive points for their team. Lock Haven attempted on both ends to pull themselves back in, but two buckets from Starr clinched the game and a double-digit victory for Bloomsburg.

Numbers of Note: 
57.1 - The Huskies put together their most efficient offense game of the season. Bloomsburg shot 57.1 percent on the game, going 28-of-49 from the field while making 6-of-9 attempts from behind the arc. That is the best mark since shooting 60.4 percent in a 63-46 win over East Stroudsburg on February 6, 2020.

5 & 11 - The Bald Eagles thrive on chaos and being able to create and run in the open court. The Huskies' winning effort Wednesday was in part to limiting these two facets. Lock Haven finished with just five fastbreak points while scoring 11 points off turnovers. Bloomsburg edged the Bald Eagles in both categories, registering eight points on the fastbreak and 16 off of turnovers.

14 & 9 - Another key to the Huskies win was limiting one of the rebounding teams in the conference. Lock Haven possesses a +7.5 rebounding margin to lead the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. Despite the Bald Eagles recording 14 offensive rebounds, Bloomsburg did a tremendous job limiting points off those extra possessions, as Lock Haven had nine second chance points.

On The Horizon:
With a PSAC Tournament spot secured and Wednesday's result, the Huskies will host an opening-round tie as they await their matchup.