Women's Basketball | 3/4/2025 12:40:00 PM

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - The third-seeded Bloomsburg women's basketball team readies for its Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament Quarterfinal contest on the road at No. 2 seed Lock Haven Wednesday evening.

The Huskies sit at 18-11 overall this season and are coming off a tight 60-57 result over East Stroudsburg on Monday. The Bald Eagles enter the midweek matchup rested after earning a first-round bye. Lock Haven is 19-8 to this point in the season, having compiled a 14-7 record against PSAC East opposition. The last time out, the Bald Eagles erased an eight-point, fourth-quarter lead on the road to earn a 61-57 win over the same Warriors squad in their regular-season finale. 

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
The scouting reports will be fresh in the mind of both teams, as the sides are meeting for the third time, having recently faced off last Wednesday. Bloomsburg ended a three-game losing skid to Lock Haven, putting a damper on the Bald Eagles' senior night with a 65-51 victory at Thomas Field House. A torrent start from Huskies saw them up 11 at the half but a strong third-quarter run helped Lock Haven cut the lead to four. Bloomsburg responded with a dominant fourth quarter, outpacing the Bald Eagles, 22-12, through the final 10 minutes. That result was one of Lock Haven's least inspiring offensive outputs of the season, currently sitting as one of the five lowest performances in regards to points, field goal percentage, three-point and field goal percentage while also committing the third-most turnovers. The Bald Eagles were on the better end of a 66-47 win at Nelson Field House in late January, piecing together a dominant display from the opening tip. The Huskies shot just over 36 percent from the field and only 21 percent from behind the arc en route to 47 points. Prior to its win last week, Bloomsburg had lost its prior three games to Lock Haven by an average of 19 points. Despite the last four games being double-digit victories, three of the four games between 2022 and 2023 were decided by three points or less.

Wednesday's battle will have a different look but a similar feel for the Huskies. The Bald Eagles have five threats on the offensive end capable of going off at any time, with those five players all finishing the regular season averaging double-digit points. The offense is led by the backcourt tandem of Kiera Baughman and Jenadia Jordan. Baughman, an IUP transfer, is the team's offensive leader at 14.1 points per game after averaging 11.5 in her three seasons for the Crimson Hawks. Baughman was named a first-team All-PSAC West selection during the 2022-23 campaign. The graduate transfer guard additionally averages just under three rebounds and three assists and is second on the team with 44 steals. Baughman provides floor spacing for her side, shooting a team-leading 35.4 percent from behind the arc on 96 attempts. Lock Haven will search for a productive return from its leading scorer, with the guard averaging just 9.0 points on 25.9 percent shooting from the field and a 7.7 percent mark from three-point range. Baughman has found her way to the free throw line, with the 84 percent free throw shooter on the season 12-for-15 (80 percent) over that same stretch. Her running mate in the backcourt is a third-year guard and returning starter in Jordan. The first-team All-PSAC East selection from a year ago was the team leader a season ago in scoring at 16.2 points per game. While a slight step back from her prior season's standards, Jordan is still second on the team in scoring at 13.0 points per game and has seen a bump in her efficiency from the field to 39.4 percent. A noticeable difference from last season is the guard's consistency from behind the arc, with the junior shooting 24 percent from distance on 100 attempts this season compared to 37 percent on 116 shots in 2023-24. Jordan remains a reliable, athletic outlet for the Bald Eagles. On top of her scoring, Jordan averages 5.0 rebounds, 3.5 rebounds and over one steal per game.

In addition to its perimeter options, Lock Haven has a trio of options around the block. Leading that group is sophomore Madeline Evans. The forward is among the more productive bigs in the PSAC, entering Wednesday as one of five players in the conference to average a double-double and amassing 10 on the season. Evans is a prolific rebounder on the offensive glass, possessing a school-record 118 offensive boards at a rate of 4.4 per contest for third in the conference and 10th in Division II. The post's cumulative rebound total of 10.4 per game is 22nd in the country. Evans is also the most active Bald Eagle in getting to the free throw line, totaling the 47th-most attempts in Division II (146) and the 49th-most makes (114) at a respectable rate of 78.1 percent. The defensive glue to Lock Haven's efforts is in the hands of reigning PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Year Alana Robinson. The first-team all-conference choice from a season ago has seen her offensive and rebounding rates decline to the emergence of additional support in the front court from the Bald Eagles but is as disruptive as ever defensively. The junior set a new career high with 71 steals to lead the East in total and per game (2.6). The wing is also one of the more aggressive shot blockers in the conference, averaging the second-most at 1.6 per game. Offensively, Robinson is averaging 11.1 points per contest on 43 percent shooting, taking advantage of a strong mid-range game at the elbows. The final player to watch for Lock Haven is last season's PSAC East Freshman of the Year Rhlyn Rouse. The sophomore is averaging 10.6 points and 6.4 rebounds this season on improved efficiency at 46.7 percent. Rouse plays a key role in providing consistent looks offensively and rotating into the game with Evans to give the Bald Eagles a consistent and reliable paint presence. 

It has been 35 years since these two sides were last pitted against one another in the PSAC Tournament and overall, Lock Haven holds the edge in the postseason, 3-0. The Huskies and Bald Eagles saw one another in the PSAC Semifinals three times in four seasons between 1987 and 1990. Bloomsburg has never eclipsed 60 points against Lock Haven, averaging just 56 points in those contests while Wednesday's hosts averaged over 67 points across those three games. 

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 first since 2022. After the program moved to 3-3 in first-round games, the team is back in the PSAC Quarterfinals for the first time since 2020. Bloomsburg is 1-2 in three quarter final contests under head coach Alison Tagliaferri. The Huskies' are 11-11 all time in PSAC Tournament Quarterfinal games and are 6-2 in those games in their last eight showings.The last semifinal appearance in the PSAC Tournament for Bloomsburg came in 2019. The Huskies captured the conference crown twice, 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 and one of three players in the top 10 in both categories following Monday's game. Starr additionally has 163 steals, 122 assists and 84 blocks while shooting over 54 percent from the floor in her four seasons.

Over the last two seasons, Starr has eclipsed 400 points. 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 appear to have taken a step back, but her play across the board has helped put her team in a better spot than a season ago. Starr is averaging 14.9 points and 7.4 rebounds, while posting career-best numbers in steals per game (2.4), blocks per game (1.2), assists per game (1.5) and field goal percentage (56.7 percent).

In the PSAC, Starr ranks among the top-10 in field goal percentage (3rd), steals per game (6th), rebounds per game (8th), blocks per game (8th) and offensive rebounds per game (8th). Nationally, the forward is 13th in field goal percentage and is among the top-100 in steals (34th), steals per game (44th), field goals made (61st), blocks (62nd), offensive rebounds per game (86th), blocks per game (89th) and points scored (96th). Starr's presence in the paint is undeniable as the only player in the conference averaging at least seven rebounds, two steals and a block per contest.

Senior Stalwarts
The Bloomsburg women's basketball team is led by a plethora of upperclassmen, with eight players on the roster having at least four years of college basketball experience. Joining Starr as featured contributors among the group 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 333 cumulative games played between them at Bloomsburg with 166 starts. All four players have career-high point totals of at least 20 points and add to the team's versatility.

Kale is the seasoned leader of the team and plays an integral role as the team's leader in minutes per game (33.3). The Huskies' do-it-all point guard supplies a much-needed level of composure and stability to the rotation. Kale averages 6.9 points per game while leading the team in assists (4.7) and being second on the squad in rebounds per contest (4.0). The veteran guard is additionally second on the team with 1.3 steals per contest while shooting 47.5 percent from the floor. Kale leads the PSAC in assist to turnover ratio (1.88) and total assists (135) and second in assists per game. All three marks rank among the top 30 nationally.

LaFrance, Kirsch and Stevenson each contribute to a flexible guard rotation for Bloomsburg. 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 7.9 points per contest while averaging two rebounds and nearly two assists. The guard has served as a reliable option from downtown this season, shooting 38 percent on over 100 attempts behind the arc. Stevenson has scored in double figures 10 times this season. The senior was the go-to option for the Huskies against East Stroudsburg, recording a team-high 19 points. 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 was 7-for-17 (41.2 percent) from behind the arc in the final four games of the regular season and set Bloomsburg up for success in the regular-season finale, registering 12 points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals. Kirsch boasts 110 career games played for the Huskies and provides another shooting option for the Huskies. The guard is 11th in program history with 113 career three-pointers made. Kirsch hit arguably one of the biggest shots in Monday's win, knocking down a corner three to put her team up four with a minute to play.

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 are one of the best teams at sharing the basketball in the conference and in the country. The Huskies are second in the PSAC with 15.0 assists per game, a top-50 mark in the country. Bloomsburg also has a tendency to find itself in close games. The Huskies are 4-7 in games decided by five points or less and are now 2-6 in those results against conference foes following Monday's victory.

There are several key indicators for Bloomsburg to find success: 

• 13-3 (9-3 PSAC) in games shooting at least 41.0 percent from the field

• 11-3 (8-3 PSAC) in games shooting at least 33.3 percent from behind the arc

• 16-5 (10-5 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

• 16-3 (10-2 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 the 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 and is the first time since the 2016-17 campaign forcing opponents into at least 17 turnovers per contest. Bloomsburg has just four seasons since 2011-12 holding its competitors to a per game total under the 60-point threshold. 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 13.6 difference in scoring margin from -7.6 to +6.0 throughout the 2024-25 campaign. 

The Huskies defense ranks among the best in the top half of the conference in several metrics, including 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 fifth-best in Division II at 23.3 percent, the scoring defense 50th, and the opponent field goal percentage 96th at 38.2 percent. The most substantial turnaround for the Huskies since last year is with opponent efficiencies. The team's three-point defense is the best in the PSAC, reversing its fortunes from a year ago after surrendering baskets from deep on 35.1 percent of attempts.That flipped script includes a 5.6 percent change in opponent field goal percentage from .438 a season ago. In addition to the opponent inefficiency, teams are consistently forced off the line by the Huskies, with Bloomsburg giving up the third-fewest attempts (356) and second-lowest per-game average (12.3) in the conference this season. The Huskies on average give up just 2.9 threes per game and have surrendered 83 all season, the fewest in all of Division II. 

Numbers to Watch
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. Against the other East playoff teams, Bloomsburg has a 7-4 record while Lock Haven is 5-5. The Huskies have the edge with a 3-0 record over ESU and a 2-0 record against West Chester, the two other sides in which the Bald Eagles split their season series. Lock Haven ended the season 2-0 against Millersville to Bloomsburg's 1-1 mark, while the sides both finished 0-2 against top-seeded Kutztown. 

Rebounding and the opportunity for second-chance points will be a barometer for the direction of the contest. The Huskies are one of the lowest rebounding teams in the country with 34.3 per contest. While the Bald Eagles find themselves closer to the middle of the pack (37.9), Lock Haven is one of the better offensive rebounding teams in the conference with 12.4 per game. The Bald Eagles' efforts on the glass lead to a conference-leading rebound margin of 7.4. In the two earlier matchups, Lock Haven has a combined edge in second-chance points, 19-11, and has been +10 in rebounding margin for both games. That discrepancy includes a 21-9 difference in offensive rebounding across those contests. Limiting the damage the Bald Eagles can do on the boards will go a long way to creating success for Bloomsburg.

With a heavy reliance on five players, most of Lock Haven's points come from known commodities. The Huskies have the edge in bench points per game, ranking third in the conference with 21.5 per game. That total accounts for a third of the team's per-game scoring average (64.4). The Bald Eagles are 10th in the PSAC with 17.4 off the bench per game but have gotten more production from its selected option in the two previous matchups. Lock Haven in the two games has a 34-27 edge in bench scoring.

The biggest discrepancy going into Wednesday is likely the tendency to get to the foul line. The Bald Eagles rank third in the PSAC in total free throw attempts this season with 563, leveling out to 20.9 per game, the 29th-most in the country. Lock Haven makes the most free throws per game of any team in the conference (15.9) at a rate of 76.4 percent (31st in DII). While Bloomsburg shoots at the 61st-best clip in the country from the line (74.4), the trips to its opponent are comparatively few and far between. The Huskies are in the bottom third of the country in free throw attempts per game (15.4), having taken 446 through 29 games this season, the third fewest in the PSAC. A swing in this category in any direction could impact the overall flow and momentum of Wednesday's contest.

Defense will be the story of the midweek battle with two of the best defenses in the conference squaring off. Bloomsburg and Lock Haven are two of the five teams in the PSAC to allow less than 60 points per contest, both ranking inside the top 60 in Division II. The Huskies rank sixth in the conference in opponent field goal percentage (38.2 percent) while the Bald Eagles are ninth at 39.5 percent. While limiting quality looks from behind the arc has been a strength for Bloomsburg, Lock Haven has seen its year-to-year perimeter defense swing in the opposite direction. The Bald Eagles were second in the PSAC last season in three-point defense, holding teams to 24.5 percent shooting from behind the arc. That number has increased nearly six percent to 31.2 percent, the third-worst mark in the conference. Lock Haven has also seen its overall opponent field goal percentage increase from 35.7 a year ago. While the last several results in the series say otherwise, history and the defensive capabilities of both teams could spell a long night for both offenses.