SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - The Bloomsburg women's basketball team picked up its first win of the season with a 61-54 result over Fayetteville State.
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The Huskies (1-1) found themselves down four with 8:33 left in the game before flipping the switch defensively. The Broncos (0-2) finished the game 0-10 from the field down the stretch. Bloomsburg's performance on the defensive end of the court helped them finish the day on a 14-3 run to come away with the win.
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Kelly Leszcynski (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth) led all scorers on Saturday with 19 points, going 6-for-11 from the field and 3-of-6 from behind the arc. The guard added three steals and three assists in the contest.
Lex Ferguson (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) supplied 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting to go with five rebounds, a career-high five steals, and a block.
Maddison Maynard (Lansford, Pa./Panther Valley) rounded out the Huskies in double figures with 13 points to pair with eight rebounds.
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How It Happened:
The game started back and forth, with a narrow one-point margin through most of the first quarter. Tied 11 with around a minute remaining in the opening quarter, Bloomsburg sought to build a lead.
Alison Hatajik (Duncansville, Pa./Hollidaysburg) rattled off the team's next four points to break the deadlock. On the team's final possession of the quarter, Leszcynski was able to carve out space to pull up from mid-range and get the shot to fall to beat the buzzer and give the Huskies a 17-12 advantage after one period of action.
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Fayetteville State utilized the opening minutes of the second quarter to erase the Bloomsburg lead and tie the game at 19-19. For every attempt the Huskies made to pull away, the Broncos managed to keep them from pulling away beyond a three-point margin. A three-pointer from
Olivia Selverian (Marlton, N.J./Cherokee) and a make from Maynard helped Bloomsburg take a four-point edge into the halftime break.
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In the third, the Huskies built the largest lead of the day at nine. Leading 35-33 at the 7:25 mark in the quarter,
Lex Ferguson (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) scored four points in 30 seconds to give Bloomsburg a six-point cushion and force a timeout from Fayetteville State. The Broncos again made it a one-possession contest, but back-to-back threes from
Carleigh Anderson (Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Catholic) and Leszcynski saw the lead jump to nine. The lead did not last for the Huskies, as the Broncos closed on an 11-0 run in the final four minutes of the third quarter to take a 47-45 lead into the fourth.
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Trailing by four, Bloomsburg flipped the necessary switch to stake a claim in the game. Leszcynski pulled the Huskies back within one following a three-pointer as the Bloomsburg defense began to hound Fayetteville State until the end. Leszcynski retook the lead for the Huskies at 52-51. The two teams went over five minutes without a make from the field, with the sides trading trips to the line to make it a 55-54 game entering the final stretch. Ferguson came through with a critical make inside, created by Maynard pulling defenders on a drive toward the basket. A crucial stop on the defensive end allowed Bloomsburg to bring the ball up the court and take time off the clock, as the Huskies knocked down their last four free throws to seal the victory.
Numbers of Note:
85 - Through the first two games of the season, the trio of Leszcynski, Ferguson, and Maynard have combined for 85 points.
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17 - A large part of Fayetteville State's offense on Saturday came from production from the free-throw line. Bloomsburg held the Broncos to 17 total makes from the field on 34.7 percent shooting. Fayetteville State had as many makes from the foul line for approximately 31.5 percent of its offensive production.
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On the Horizon:
The Huskies play their first official road contest of the season on Wednesday, November 18, at 5:00 p.m. against Georgian Court.
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