SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University women's basketball team dropped a back-and-forth battle to Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division foe Bloomsburg Saturday afternoon at Heiges Field House, 61-53.
Shippensburg (2-18, 1-12 PSAC East) enjoyed strong stretches in the first quarter and again in the third to remain withing striking distance against Bloomsburg (11-9, 7-6) before fading late.
The Raiders used a 7-0 run to tie the score after one quarter, 14-14, and a 6-1 spurt to bring them to within three of the Huskies inside the final minute of the third quarter, 41-38.
Melana Eyer provided the early spark, pouring in eight first quarter points including a pair of three-point makes. Eyer finished with 12 points on 4-of-7 from the field (57 percent) to go along with two assists and three steals.
A second quarter scoring drought allowed the Huskies to take a 28-21 halftime edge.
Michelle Olak found her scoring touch in the third, scoring nine of the Raiders' first 11 points in the frame. A three-point play from Olak trimmed what had been a ten-point deficit down to five, 35-30.
Later in the frame, freshman point guard
Riley Watson keyed the run that got the Raiders to within three.
Watson finished a baseline drive with a slick reverse lay-in late in the shot clock, and
Abbie Johns converted on the next possession to trim the deficit to 41-38 in the final minute of the third quarter.
Bloomsburg responded with a 10-2 stretch that spanned the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth to extend the lead back to double digits, 51-40.
Olak finished the game with a team-best 14 points as well as four rebounds and two steals. She has now reached double figures in scoring in seven consecutive games.
Johns made it three Raiders in double figures, logging 10 points and three assists. Watson contributed a career-high four points, two assists and two steals in 16 minutes off the Raider bench.
Bloomsburg point guard Kelly Leszcynski paced the Huskies with 16 points, making 10-of-10 from the foul line, while Maddison Maynard added 15.
The Huskies converted 27-of-30 of their total free throw attempts (90 percent). Shippensburg, meanwhile, finished 10-of-15 (66.7 percent) from the stripe.
Shippensburg has a quick turnaround as they travel to Shepherd for a makeup game Monday beginning at 5:30 p.m.
