BLOOMSBURG, Pa.- The West Chester women's basketball team (4-10, 2-6 PSAC) returned to action on the road at Bloomsburg (11-7, 9-3 PSAC) on Saturday afternoon looking to earn its second PSAC East victory in as many tries. West Chester continually battled back and found itself tied with Bloomsburg at 41-41 entering the fourth quarter, but the Huskies closed the game on an impressive run to escape with a 61-50 victory over the visiting Golden Rams.
In the first quarter, West Chester and Bloomsburg traded runs early but its was the Huskies who closed the frame on a 13-6 run to carry a 19-12 lead into the second.
In the second period of play, West Chester and Bloomsburg traded baskets through the first four minutes of action, making the score 25-18 with six minutes to play but it was the Golden Rams who closed the quarter on a 7-2 run, thanks in large part to four quick points from
Bink Redman (York, Pa./William Penn) to trail by just two points (27-25) heading into the halftime break.
Unamused by the Golden Rams comeback effort to close the second quarter, Bloomsburg opened the third period on a 12-4 run, which spanned the first six minutes of the period to claim a 39-29 lead with four minutes to play in the frame. Undaunted, West Chester answered back with a 12-2 run of its own to erase the 10-point deficit and even the score at 41-41 heading into the fourth and final quarter of play. Freshman
Alexa Abbonizio (Springfield, Pa./Springfield) played a critical role in the rally, scoring a team-high eight points over the final four minutes of the frame as the Golden Rams were 3-of-6 from the field and a perfect 2-for-2 (both made by Abbonizio) during the run.
Meghan Corridoni opened the fourth with a quick layup 41 seconds in, allowing Bloomsburg to retake the lead at 43-41. Abbonizio countered with a made jumper just seconds later to even the score at 43-43 with 8:54 to play in regulation. Bloomsburg answered with a 5-0 run over the next 3:55, which prompted a West Chester timeout as the clock ticked under five minutes to play with the Huskies holding a slim 48-43 lead with 4:59 to play.
Justyn Roberts (Harrisburg, Pa./C.D. East) snapped the cold spell with a pair of made free throws to cut the deficit to three before Bloomsburg countered with a two of its own to extend the lead back to five with 4:30 to play. Down the stretch, Bloomsburg took its largest lead of the game, extending its advantage to 56-45 with 1:47 remaining. With its lead in hand, Bloomsburg held on to earn a 61-50 victory over the upset-minded Golden Rams.
Abbonizio led the Golden Rams in scoring as the only Golden Ram in double figures on the afternoon, ending with a team-high 16 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the field while
Leah Johnson (Columbus, N.J./Notre Dame) who had an uncharacteristically difficult day from the field, ended the contest with seven points along with team-highs in rebounds (7), assists (4), and steals (3) in the setback.
As a team, West Chester shot 30.0 % (18-of-60) from the field and 29.4 % (5-for-17) from three-point territory while going 9-of-10 (90.0 %) from the line in the loss.
For Bloomsburg, Emma Saxton turned in a double-double and led all scorers with a game-high 20 points on 9-of-17 shooting along with 11 rebounds and three assists while Corridoni added 17 of her own as the other Husky in double figures.
As a team, Bloomsburg shot 44.1 % (26-of-59) from the field and 37.5 % (3-for-8) from three while also going 6-of-8 (75.0 %) from the line to earn the narrow victory.
Bloomsburg ended the game with a 47-28 advantage in rebounding and a corresponding 13-9 edge in second-chance points. West Chester ended the game with a 19-10 advantage in points off the bench, led by seven points from Roberts while also ending with an 11-9 advantage in points off turnovers.
West Chester will be back in action on Monday evening at East Stroudsburg with that contest set to begin at 5:30 p.m. before returning home on Wednesday evening to host Lock Haven with that contest also set to start at 5:30 p.m.
