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Bloomsburg Women Win Hoops Season Opener

SYRACUSE, NY— Meggi Rothermel (Minersville, Pa./Nativity) scored 16 of her game-high 25 points in the second half to lead Bloomsburg to a 64-52 non-conference women's basketball win over Le Moyne in the season-opening Brooklyn Pickle Tip-off Classic.

The Huskies scored the first eight points of the second half to turn a 31-24 halftime deficit into a 32-31 edge on a free throw by Dominique Deveaux (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) at the 17:31 mark. Le Moyne regained the lead for the final time on a Jill Hammond (Bloomfield, N.Y./Bloomfield) putback that made it 34-33 at the 16:16 mark. On the ensuing possession, Rothermel finished off a feed from Tiffany Metzler (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg) to put the Huskies up for good. Rothermel's layup sparked an 11-2 Bloomsburg run. Le Moyne trimmed it to a two-point game on two occasions in the second half. Hammond pulled the Dolphins to within 45-43 at the 9:41 mark, but Steph Weikel (Coal Township, Pa./Lourdes Regional) answered with a jumper after Rothermel's hustle play on an offensive rebound set up a Bloomsburg timeout.

The Huskies pulled away with an 11-0 burst over a four and a half minute span that turned a four-point lead into a 61-46 edge with 2:24 remaining. Michelle Albanese (Wilmington, Del./St. Mark's) scored 16 points and Deveaux netted 11 to join Rothermel in double figures for Bloomsburg. Metzler helped the Huskies to a 55-41 rebounding edge with a game-high 13 boards.

Bloomsburg shot just 28.4% (19/67) from the field, but used a sizable advantage from the free throw line. After shooting 41.7% (5/12) from the line in the first half, the Huskies made 17-of-24 (70.8%) from the charity stripe in the second stanza.

Sophomores Ann Belforti (Watertown, Conn./Taft) scored 12 points and Maureen Van Vorst (Middletown, N.Y./Minisink Valley) added 11 to land in double figures. The Dolphins were forced into 15 second-half turnovers. Junior Lani Hall (Methuen, Mass./Catholic Central) grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.

Bloomsburg will play Saint Rose in tomorrow's opening game at 1 p.m. The Golden Knights toppled Bloomfield 66-33 in the classic opener.