BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University women's basketball team exchanged the lead four times with host Bloomsburg in the final 70 seconds of its Saturday afternoon PSAC Eastern Division clash but could not tie the game on its final possession, falling 68-65 to the Huskies at Nelson Field House.

Shippensburg (13-8, 7-4 PSAC East) got double-doubles from both of its starting post players, as freshman Morgan Griffith scored a career-high 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting and added 11 rebounds, while sophomore Stephanie Knauer contributed 13 points and 13 rebounds.

Bloomsburg (19-3, 10-2 PSAC East) began the game on a 23-8 run over the first 12 minutes of play, holding SU to a 2-of-20 rate from the field, before the Raiders embarked upon a 15-2 run that made the score 25-23 with 3:22 to play before the intermission. The Huskies held a six-point halftime lead, 31-25.

Griffith entered Saturday's game just 3-for-5 from three-point range on the season but was 2-for-3 from long range in the game; her second three-pointer with 12:03 left in regulation gave the Raiders their first lead since the opening minute of the game.

The Huskies answered with a 10-1 run to lead 51-43 with 8:55 to go before the Raiders began to benefit from some secondary scoring. Sophomore Caitlyn Deeter scored SU's next five points to chip into the Husky advantage; she finished the game with 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting and grabbed six rebounds. 

A lay-up by Brianna Dudeck gave Bloomsburg a 62-56 lead with 3:21 remaining but the Huskies would not make a field goal for the remainder of the contest. Senior Sarah Strybuc drained a three-pointer with 3:02 to go before freshman Logan Snyder sank two free throws at the 1:57 mark, making it 62-61.

With 1:08 to go, Strybuc stepped inside of her defender and drilled a long jumper to put the Raiders ahead, 63-62. Jocelyn Ford was then sent to the free-throw line with 52.2 seconds left and made both of her attempts, giving the lead back to the Huskies. 

Following a missed lay-up by Deeter, Knauer grabbed the offensive rebound and made a put-back off glass that made it 64-63 in the Raiders' advantage and setup a pivotal possession. Ford drove to the hoop for the Huskies and made contact with her defender, but a block was called and she made two more free throws at the 24-second mark that put the home team back on top.

SU had the ball down just one point and with the shot clock turned off, but lost control of it in the paint with nine seconds to go. After two Dudeck free-throws extended the Bloomsburg lead to three points with 5.5 seconds to play, freshman Lauren Gold got a look at a potential game-tying three-pointer but it was too strong off the back iron as the horn sounded.

Shippensburg, the most prolific free-throw shooting team in the conference, was limited to a 12-of-16 performance at the charity stripe – earning just six attempts in the second half. BU, meanwhile, made six free throws in the final minute to twice re-take the lead.

The Raiders dominated the glass, posting a 49-32 rebounding advantage that included 13 offensive rebounds (six by Knauer). SU's 49 rebounds marks its third-highest total of the season and its most in one game since grabbing 57 against NYIT in the third game of the season. Snyder totaled a career-high eight rebounds in the contest.

The loss dropped Shippensburg to fourth place in a tight PSAC Eastern Division race. West Chester (16-6, 11-1 PSAC East) has clinched a playoff spot, while Bloomsburg (19-3, 10-2 PSAC East) affirmed second place with its 12th consecutive win. East Stroudsburg (13-9, 8-4 PSAC East) moved up to third place after defeating Millersville on Saturday, 57-54.

Shippensburg returns home Wednesday night for a 6 p.m. Eastern Division contest against ESU from Heiges Field House. The Warriors defeated Raiders earlier this season, 71-62 on Jan. 11.