SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. - Despite a comfortable first-half lead, the Bloomsburg women's basketball team stumbled on the road, 56-53, to Shepherd Saturday afternoon.

The Huskies (14-9, 8-8 PSAC) had a 19-6 advantage after the first quarter. However, the Rams (5-18, 2-14) defended their home court admirably, outscoring the Huskies 50-34 through the final three minutes, including a definitive 20-10 fourth quarter. 

Ella Kale (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) and Katie Starr (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) finished with 11 points to lead Bloomsburg's efforts on the court. Kale tacked on five assists and three steals to her totals, while Starr finished with nine rebounds, four steals and three assists. 

How It Happened:
The Huskies looked to have a solidified early advantage through the opening quarter with a 13-point advantage. Bloomsburg opened the game with a 9-0 advantage through the first four minutes of the contest. Leah Kale (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) registered five points, including an opening-possession triple, while Starr and E. Kale each had a make deep inside the paint. The Huskies continued establishing their presence inside early as Alison Hatajik (Duncansville, Pa./Hollidaysburg) and Kalleigh Nerone (Pittsburgh, Pa./Highlands) found two points from the field before converting for a pair from the free throw line. 

The day for Bloomsburg fell off from there, as the team could not maintain the success it saw in the early going. Shepherd opened the second quarter on a 7-3 advantage through the first four minutes to cut the lead to single digits. The Huskies fought to keep a double-digit edge with an and-one from E. Kale before Maddison Maynard (Lansford, Pa./Panther Valley) and Ava Stevenson (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Trinity) found the next points for Bloomsburg. Starr delivered the final two points of the half for the Huskies, as Shepherd converted twice inside the final two minutes to make it a 32-24 game through 20 minutes.

The third quarter got off to a sluggish start, with both sides going one for two in their first two attempts at the line through the opening three-and-half minutes. Starr found a lane inside to record the first basket of the half and again pushed the lead to double digits, this time at 36-26. An 8-2 run from the Rams to close the quarter cut the game to six, as Maynard knocked down one free throw to make it a 43-36 contest entering the fourth.

The final frame for the Huskies proved to be a worst-case scenario, as the team could not manage the end-of-game situations. The sides responded with three-pointers on successive possessions, with Maddie LaFrance (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) having the response for Bloomsburg. As the lead hung around seven, Shepherd rattled off an 8-0 run, holding the Huskies scoreless for nearly five-and-a-half minutes of action, including the hosts taking their first lead of the game at 49-48. 

Hatajik tied the game at 49-49, but the Rams used the momentum to find and build around a two-possession lead in the closing minutes of the game. Starr and E. Kale gave Bloomsburg a chance with a one-possession game following a pair of critical misses at the line for the Huskies. The most crucial of Bloomsburg's 23 turnovers came during the final possession, as the team could not get up a shot on the final offensive possession of the night, with Shepherd able to clutch up a defensive stop for the victory. 

Numbers of Note: 
23 & 24 - The bane to the Huskies' existence on Saturday was turnovers, with Bloomsburg committing 23 on the day. Those mistakes led to 24 of Shepherd's 58 points on the day in the road defeat. 

38-27 - Despite a second-straight defeat, it was another positive day on the glass for Bloomsburg. The Huskies finished with a +11 differential at 38-27 against the Rams in the weekend contest, the best rate against NCAA D-II opposition all season.

On the Horizon: 
The Bloomsburg women's basketball team returns to Nelson Field House on Wednesday, February 12, at 7:30 p.m. for a clash with East Stroudsburg.