BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – To open up the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division portion of their schedule, the Mansfield Mountaineer women's basketball team (5-7, 1-5 PSAC East) traveled close to Bloomsburg (7-5, 2-4 PSAC East) to begin the new calendar year. The Mounties bolted out with the early lead, but the Huskies used their home court advantage to secure the 55-48 victory to open 2025.

Danae Ellzy led the team with 15 points on the night and grabbed three rebounds. 

Cydney Stanton and Sarah Hortin each posted eight points, with Stanton earning her second game of the season with ten plus rebounds and Hortin had eight rebounds. 

Ellzy began the night with two three-pointers to help cement the 11-2 start for Mansfield. The Mountaineer defense forced five turnovers and limited Bloomsburg to one field goal in their first six minutes of action. 

Paris Anthony and Hortin accrued four points each in the quarter, but the Huskies dropped eight points in the final 3:49 with Mansfield holding the 15-10 edge after the first quarter. 

After a pair of Mountie free throws to start the quarter, the host found their offensive spark, posting five of the next six made baskets to complete a 12-2 run to give them the 22-19 advantage. 

When Mansfield regained a 23-22 lead, Bloomsburg laid in two more buckets to finish out the first half with the slim 27-25 score. 

Stanton earned the first four points for the red and black in the second half, with the Huskies still controlling midway through the quarter at 32-30. 

A back-and-forth sequence to finish out the third quarter saw Ellzy contribute six points, but Bloomsburg's success beyond the arc kept them in front with the 44-38 advantage before the final ten minutes. 

Defense remained the style of this game as neither team were able to sink a field goal through the first five minutes of the final quarter. The first points came from Stanton's free throw trip to push the game to 44-40 with the Huskies still on top. 

After 22 field goals that missed the net, Bloom reached the rim with the first basket in the quarter with 3:41 left in the contest. 

At the three-minute mark, Hortin's three pointer stamped Mansfield's first basket and brought the game to 47-43. 

Crucial clutch play by the Huskies sank three final field goals to secure the 55-48 victory to open Eastern Division action. 

UP NEXT:
Mansfield will head to Kutztown on Monday (Jan. 6) for a 5:30 p.m. contest with the Golden Bears to begin a three-game conference week.