Box Score

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – Bloomsburg's Marissa Molnar sank a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:49 remaining in regulation, and those would turn out to be the final points of the contest, as the Huskies handed East Stroudsburg University a 62-61 setback on Wednesday night.

Alyssa Mack had a game-high 19 points for Bloomsburg (11-15, 8-12 PSAC) which won its fifth straight game and ended a five-game winning streak for the Warriors (16-7, 14-5 PSAC). Junior guard Noelle Powell led the visitors with a season-high 18 points in 26 minutes off the bench, while senior guard Imani Brown and sophomore guard Tiffany Lapotsky added 13 points apiece.

ESU had several chances to pull back ahead in the closing minutes, but went 0 for 4 from the field and 0 for 2 from the free throw line following Molnar's basket. BU's Meghan Corridoni had a key block with three seconds left on the clock. The Warriors maintained possession afterwards, but a final potential game-winning jumper at the buzzer fell short.

With the victory, the Huskies halt a five-game losing streak in the series, and they avenge a 63-59 defeat at Koehler Fieldhouse back on Jan. 13.

ESU started strong offensively, as Lapotsky and freshman forward Marlene Bassett combined for 15 points during a 17-6 run to begin the game. The Warriors never trailed in the opening half, though their lead was down to 33-29 by halftime.

A Corridoni layup gave Bloomsburg its first lead of the game at 38-36 two and a half minutes into the third quarter, beginning a back-and-forth finish to the contest which included two ties and 11 lead changes.

Powell had a team-high seven points in the second quarter, and she added eight more points in the third. The last of those came on a jumper with 3:23 on the clock which made the score 46-45 in favor of ESU. Brown then scored the Warriors' last seven points in the frame to help the visitors maintain a 53-52 advantage heading into the final 10 minutes.

A 3-point play by Bassett had ESU in front 61-56 with 4:16 remaining. Mack and Molnar, though, followed with consecutive 3-pointers to close out the scoring.

Powell's 18 points came on 7 of 13 shooting from the floor, and she hit 4 of 6 attempts from 3-point range. Her 26 minutes played were a new season high. Lapotsky (5-13 FG) reached double figures for a third time in the past four games, while Brown has scored 10+ points in 20 of 23 games on the year.

Sophomore guard Jordan Hertz chipped in a game-high six assists for ESU. She has dished out 25 assists in the past three games, including a career-high 11 at Cheyney on Monday, and she is ranked second in the PSAC overall in assists per game for the season (4.5).

Tonight's loss locks the Warriors into the No. 2 seed in the upcoming PSAC tournament. They will host a quarterfinal round game on Wednesday, Feb. 28.

Prior to that contest, ESU has three games remaining in its regular season schedule, beginning with a 1 p.m. home tilt against PSAC East leaders West Chester on Saturday. The Golden Rams (20-4, 17-3 PSAC) topped Lock Haven by an 82-63 final for their 15th straight victory on Wednesday.