Women's Basketball | 3/2/2025 10:30:00 AM

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - The Bloomsburg women's basketball team prepares for the 2025 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament as the No. 3 seed in the East with a first-round battle against sixth-seeded East Stroudsburg on Monday at Nelson Field House.

The Huskies enter the tournament with a 17-11 overall record, featuring an 11-10 mark in PSAC action. Overall, Bloomsburg was 10-6 against division opponents from the East and enters the postseason with a win in its last two games of the regular season by an average of 15 points. The Warriors enter the postseason with a 13-14 record this season and a 10-11 conference record. East Stroudsburg is coming off a gut-wrenching 61-57 defeat in its regular-season finale on Saturday. 

Fans can purchase tickets with the following link through Hudl Tickets. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for kids K-12. PSAC students with a valid member institution I.D. receive free admission. Tickets can only be purchased via Hudl Tickets and must be made with a cashless purchase.

Inside The Matchup
With the records reset and the focus on the postseason, both sides enter this matchup with the last two results between the two teams in mind. Bloomsburg took both regular-season contests, with a 74-61 victory on the road in mid-January and a 63-54 win at home in mid-February. Before this season, the Huskies had dropped their last three to Warriors, with the previous two games at Nelson Field House being double-digit defeats. A hallmark of this season is gritty defense, with Bloomsburg's 74 points in January's contest the most by one side by an opponent since the 2018-19 season. Before the Huskies' last two victories in the series, the winner between the two sides had scored 60 or more points just once. Game one this season was an outlier to past results, with both sides ending that contest shooting over 55 percent from the field. The Huskies held the Warriors to a lowly 28.1 percent from the floor in game two. 

Bloomsburg's primary focus on Monday will center around mitigating the impact of one of the most prolific posts in the PSAC and the country, Emily Chmiel. The senior center is in the middle of East Stroudsburg's efforts. Chmiel is the conference leader and among the top 10 nationally in an array of categories, notably, double-doubles (22, 2nd in DII), rebounds per game (12.3, 2nd in DII), points per game (22.2, 6th in DII) and free throw attempts and makes (8th and 9th in DII). In the two previous meetings, the senior averaged 21.5 points and 15.0 rebounds per game on 13-of-27 (48.1 percent) shooting. Despite the figures, the Huskies have found ways to rattle the imposing focal point, with Chmiel registering four turnovers and four fouls in both games. In the most recent matchup, Bloomsburg held Chmiel to 6-of-16 (37.5 percent) shooting, but the post had 15 attempts at the line to offset the raw statistics. 

Moving away from the Warriors' star player and single-season record point scorer, East Stroudsburg employs an eight-player rotation that will look to find its revenge against the Huskies. Freshman Brie Droege is the only other player for the Warriors to record double figures, aside from Chmiel, in both games. The rookie wing had a solid offensive night in the first meeting, with 11 points on 50 percent shooting; however, youthfulness impacted effectiveness with a game-high six turnovers. Senior Jessica Polin provided a potent shooting touch in the first matchup, inserting herself as the team's go-to option in the first half. Polin finished with 16 points in the game, including knocking down four three-pointers. The senior faced similar issues as her aforementioned teammates, committing four turnovers during the first matchup. Senior point guard Corrin Gill, whether off the bench or in the starting lineup, will be critical as the team's initiator on offense. The point guard is the team leader with 3.4 assists per game and is second in the PSAC with a 1.48 assist-to-turnover ratio. 

In the PSAC Tournament, these teams have met on just three occasions, with East Stroudsburg holding a 2-1 edge in the head-to-head postseason series. The home team has won the three prior contests by a double-digit difference. 

Return to The Show
After a two-year gap, Bloomsburg women's basketball is back fighting in the PSAC Tournament. The appearance is the 33rd in the program's history and the first since 2022. Monday's showdown will be the Huskies' sixth time appearing in the first round. The program holds a 2-3 lifetime record in those games. Bloomsburg is 2-2 in four first-round contests under head coach Alison Tagliaferri. The Huskies' last showing in the semifinals of the PSAC Tournament came in 2019. Bloomsburg has captured the conference crown twice, the program last doing so in 2013 and the first, coming in 1992.

Shining Starr
A focal point for the Huskies and the Warriors will be the presence of senior forward Katie Starr (Berwick, Pa./Berwick). The Berwick, Pa. native has etched her name in the record books with another strong campaign for the Maroon & Gold. Starr became the 27th player in program history to eclipse 1,000 career points. The forward is now over the 1,300-point mark and is one of four players in the team's history to reach the point threshold and grab 700 rebounds. Starr additionally has 157 steals, 121 assists and 81 blocks while shooting 54.2 percent from the floor in her four seasons.

For Starr, it begins with eclipsing the 400-point mark each of the last two seasons. During the 2023-24 season, the post's contributions led to first-team All-PSAC East honors and second-team D2CCA All-Atlantic Region recognition after averaging 17.1 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game as a junior. Starr's statistical numbers might have taken an apparent step back, but her play up and down the court has helped put her team in a better spot than a season ago. Starr, as a senior, is averaging 15.0 points and 7.2 rebounds while posting career-best numbers in steals per game (2.3), blocks per game (1.2), assists per game (1.5) and field goal percentage (56.8 percent).

In the PSAC, Starr ranks among the top 10 in field goal percentage (3rd), offensive rebounds per game (6th), steals per game (7th), rebounds per game (8th) and blocks per game (8th). Nationally, the forward is 14th in field goal percentage and is among the top 100 in steals (43rd), field goals made (56th), steals per game (61st), blocks (75th), points scored (86th), offensive rebounds per game (90th) and blocks per game (99th). Starr is the only player in the conference averaging at least 15 points, seven rebounds and two steals per contest.

Senior Stalwarts
The Bloomsburg women's basketball team benefits from a collection of veteran contributors, with eight players on the roster having at least four years of college basketball experience. Joining Starr as featured contributors include Ella Kale (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove), Maddie LaFrance (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin), Ava Stevenson (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Trinity) and Lauren Kirsch (Palmyra, Pa./Lower Dauphin). The quartet has 329 cumulative games played between them at Bloomsburg, featuring 164 starts. All four players have career-high point totals of at least 20 points, adding to the team's versatility.

Kale is the most seasoned role and is integral as the team's leader in minutes per game (33.5). The Huskies' do-it-all point guard supplies a much-needed level of composure and stability to the rotation. Kale averages 7.0 points per game while leading the team in assists (4.8) and being second on the squad in rebounds per contest (4.0). The veteran guard is second on the team with 1.4 steals per contest and shoots at a 47.7 percent clip from the floor. Kale leads the PSAC in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.96) and total assists (133) and is second in assists per game. All three marks rank among the top 30 nationally. In her last eight games, Kale averages 9.1 points per contest at a notable 56.7 percent mark (34-for-60) compared to 6.2 points per game and 43.1 percent floor shooting (50-for-116).

LaFrance, Kirsch and Stevenson each contribute to a flexible guard rotation for Bloomsburg. LaFrance led the team a season ago with 60 three-pointers made and has provided a beneficial spark on both ends of the court down the stretch. The redshirt junior is 7-for-17 (41.2 percent) from behind the arc in the last four games and set Bloomsburg up for success in the regular-season finale, registering 12 points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals. Kirsch boasts 109 career games played for the Huskies and provides another shooting option. The guard is tied for 11th in program history with 112 career three-pointers made. Stevenson has taken a noticeable jump in her second season at Bloomsburg. The former William & Mary transfer has taken a more involved role in the offense this season, increasing her scoring average to 7.5 points per contest while averaging two rebounds and nearly two assists. The guard has served as a reliable option from downtown this season, shooting 37 percent on 100 attempts behind the arc. Stevenson has scored in double figures nine times this season.

A Delicate Balance
The key to success for the Huskies this season has been taking advantage of complimentary play. A part of Bloomsburg's success this year has been getting buy-in from every player that touches the floor. The Huskies have at least four players averaging at least 7.0 points per contest for the first time since the 2019-2020 season. Additionally, Bloomsburg is one of the best teams at sharing the basketball in the conference and the country. The Huskies are second in the PSAC with 15.1 assists per game, good for 43rd in the country. Bloomsburg can find itself in close games. The Huskies are 3-7 in games decided by five points or less and are just 1-6 in those results against conference foes.

There are several key indicators for Bloomsburg to find success: 

• 12-3 (8-3 PSAC) in games shooting at least 41.0 percent from the field
• 10-3 (7-3 PSAC) in games shooting at least 33.3 percent from behind the arc
• 15-5 (9-5 PSAC) in games with 12+ assists
• 10-0 (5-0 PSAC) in games with less than 15 turnovers
• 11-1 (6-1 PSAC) in games scoring 65+ points
• 15-3 (9-2 PSAC) in games holding opponents to 61 points or less

Defensive Acumen
An important reason for this season's turnaround for the Huskies has been the emphasis on the defensive end. It is just the second time and first since the 2021-22 season that a team under Tagliaferri has held opponents to an average below 60 points. It is also the first time since the 2016-17 campaign forcing opponents into at least 17 turnovers per contest. Since 2011-12, Bloomsburg has just four seasons where competitors average under a per-game threshold of 60 points. The Huskies team defense has seen an over-eight-point swing from 67.0 a year ago to 58.4 this season, leading to a 13.7 difference in scoring margin from -7.6 to +6.1 throughout the 2024-25 campaign. 

The defense is among the best in the conference in three-point defense (1st), scoring defense (3rd) and opponent field goal percentage (6th). All three marks are top 100 nationally, with Bloomsburg's three-point defense being third-best in Division II at 23.1 percent, the 50th-ranked scoring defense, and the 97th-rated opponent field goal percentage at 38.2 percent. The most substantial turnaround for the Huskies since last year is with the discussed three-point defense. Not only is the figure the best in the PSAC and among the best in the country, but Bloomsburg has reversed its fortunes from a year ago after surrendering baskets from deep on 35.1 percent of attempts. In addition to the opponent's inefficiency, Bloomsburg has given up the second-fewest attempts (347) in the conference this season.

Numbers to Watch
One substantial difference between the two teams is the scoring emphasis acumen of the first names off the bench. Bloomsburg has utilized several different starting lineups this season, but that has not hindered the scoring potential of those contributors. Of its 64.5 points per game average, 22.0 (34.1 percent) come from the bench. In comparison, East Stroudsburg is third from the bottom, compiling 13.8 points per game from its usual three off the bench.

The Huskies' biggest strength against the Warriors this season has been the ability to protect the basketball. While Bloomsburg averages just over 15 turnovers per contest, the Huskies have committed 21 to 37 across two games for East Stroudsburg. The next progression in this pattern will help decide the outcome of Monday's matchup.

With the top-six seeds in the East separated by four games and No. 3 through No. 6 either tied or distanced by one game, any team could catch fire and make a run in the tournament. Comparing results against the other East postseason contenders, Bloomsburg has a 6-4 record, while East Stroudsburg is 4-6. While the Huskies have the edge over the Warriors and a 2-0 record against a West Chester side that swept the season series over East Stroudsburg, the Warriors boast a win over top-seeded Kutztown and a 2-0 mark against fourth-seeded Millersville. Both teams finished the regular season 1-1 against No. 2 seed Lock Haven. 

An X factor on the offensive end of the court will be the capabilities of sophomore guard and second-leading scorer Leah Kale (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove). Overall, Kale has increased her scoring numbers from 6.4 as a freshman to right at 10.0 during the 2024-25 campaign, with her efficiency numbers at all three levels (2PT - 41.6%, 3PT - 39.2% and FT - 83%) improving. The second-year guard has had moments of brilliance on the court for the Huskies this season, and her efforts the last two times out have been pivotal to the late-season wins. In Bloomsburg's final two regular-season games, Kale is averaging 16 points on 71.4 percent shooting from the field and going 7-of-8 (87.5 percent) from behind the arc. A revitalized, aggressive and efficient version of L. Kale is a welcome sight during the most important stretch of the season. The Huskies are 9-3 with the sophomore in double figures, including the last five.