BLOOMSBURG – Following their Senior Day game this past weekend, the Mansfield University women's basketball team travels to Bloomsburg on Wednesday, February 27^th for their final road game of the season. 
 
Despite a well-balanced team effort, the Mounties (2-22, 1-18 PSAC) were edged 75-65 by Shippensburg on Saturday. Sophomores Paige Whitfield, Erin Gibbons, and Mia Leonard added another strong showing to a three-game stretch which included contests versus Kutztown, Salem, and Shippensburg. The trio has combined for 132 points, 26 assists, 32 rebounds, and 16 steals in those games. Gibbons and Whitfield collectively shot 40% from 3-point land (18-for-45), reaching career-high marks for single game trifectas (five) versus Salem and Shippensburg, respectively.  Gibbons accounted for 12 three's, shooting 46% from downtown, and averaging 19 points per game during that stretch.
 
In addition to that incredible offensive output, Leonard reached a historic mark on the defensive side of things. The Cheltenham High grad had been working her way up the single-season blocks leaderboard. Against East Stroudsburg on February 9^th, Leonard surpassed Lisa Sherman's mark of 56 blocks in the 1987-88 season for sole possession of second place at Mansfield University. Deb Gmys' mark of 68 blocks in 1988-1989 seemed to be within striking distance, especially with six games remaining and Leonard averaging nearly three blocks per game. The sophomore then went through a stretch of three games in which she recorded just two blocks total. Coming into Saturday's contest, Leonard was eight blocks shy of tying the school record. It would be a tall task at hand to successfully pull off the feat. In the first half, she blocked five shots. With about 3:30 left in the game, she had back-to-back blocks to tie Gmys' record. After a short substitution, Leonard re-entered the game with one minute left, and Coach Michael Whitling's intentions were clear: "Go get it, Mia!"
 
Freshman Hanna Johnson worked her way down the Mounties baseline and finished at the hoop for two points, giving the Raiders the ball for the final possession.  Time was winding down and the visiting team could have burnt the clock out with a 10-point lead.  Just four seconds remained in the game when Shippensburg's Lindsay Embly found herself in the lane with the ball.  Embly went up for a layup, but ended up on the receiving end of Leonard's ninth block of the night and record-setting 69^th block of the season – a clean swat right at the hoop.
 
With two games left in the 2018-2019 campaign, Leonard will look to add to her record and move up the all-time blocks list at Mansfield University. The sophomore ranks fifth all-time with 83 in her career. Mansfield's two-sport standout (current Head Coach of the Bloomsburg Huskies) Alison Tagliaferri holds the record during her career from 2001-2006 with 130 blocks.
 
Another positive outcome of the game, the Mounties held Shippensburg's Ariel Jones to just 16 points on the day, her second-lowest point total on the year.  The sophomore scored her 1,000^th point earlier this season; she entered the contest as the PSAC's leading scorer and second in the Nation with 26.3 points per game.
 
In the absence of Jones' typical offensive output, Kryshell Gordy had a career day to make up for it and guide Shippensburg to the win. Gordy had the game-highs of 21 points and 17 rebounds for the Raiders.
 
Bloomsburg (17-9, 12-6 PSAC) will be coming into Wednesday on a two-game losing streak. Most recently, the Huskies were topped by East Stroudsburg 72-48. The teams were tied 33-33 in the third quarter, but ESU shot 7-of-12 from three on the night and built up a 22 point margin with less than two minutes left of play.
 
The Huskies are a perfect 11-0 at home this season and remain tied for first place in the PSAC East. The last time these two teams faced each other back in January, Bloomsburg beat Mansfield 55-42 at Decker Gymnasium. BU has a 64-10 advantage all-time, however the Mounties took a win the last time they played at Nelson Field House (1/20/2018).
 
After Bloomsburg, Mansfield hosts Cheyney on Saturday, March 2^nd at 1 p.m. in their final game of the 2018-2019 season at Decker Gymnasium.