Gabrielle Smith scored 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds, but Bloomsburg University used an 8-0 fourth quarter run to build a 17-point lead and pull away for a 67-53 non-conference victory over Pitt-Johnstown, Saturday afternoon in Bloomsburg.  The Mountain Cats slipped to 3-1.
 
The Huskies jumped out to a 13-point first quarter lead and never trailed the rest of the way.  Alyssa Mack's 3-pointer with just under a minute left in the opening quarter put Bloomsburg in front 19-6, before a jumper from Maddie Shanahan and an Alli McGrath 3-pointer got Pitt-Johnstown deficit down to 19-11.
 
The Mountain Cats got outscored Bloomsburg 16-8 over the first six minutes of the second quarter to knot it at 27 on a Tori Moreland 3-pointer and a pair of free-throws from Smith.  The Huskies answered right back with a Marissa Molnar 3-pointer to regain the lead, then pushed it out to seven on a Megan Brandt free-throw, before going into the half with a 38-33 halftime advantage.
 
After another 3-pointer from Mack extended the Bloomsburg lead to 48-38 at the 2:48 mark of the third quarter, Smith scored in the paint with :57 left to narrow the Pitt-Johnstown gap to 48-40.
 
However, Molnar's 3-pointer and Brandt's free-throw closed out an 8-0 Huskies' spurt that built the lead to 62-45 with 3:07 to play, and Bloomsburg went on to the 14-point victory.
 
Smith's 20 points (8-8 free-throws) and seven rebounds led three Mountain Cats who scored in double figures.  McGrath had 13 points and five rebounds and Moreland added 11 points and six rebounds.  Pitt-Johnstown also got nine points, five rebounds, and a game-high five assists from Shanahan.
 
The Mountain Cats shot 37.5% (18-48) from the floor, 6-16 from 3-point range, and 11-13 from the free-throw line, while the Huskies shot 38.1% (24-63) and 7-20 from behind the 3-point line.  Bloomsburg was also 12-19 from the free-throw line.
 
Mack's game-high 22 points and five rebounds helped the Huskies improve to 3-1.  Molnar had 11 points and four rebounds, and Taylor Montana finished with nine points and a game-high 10 rebounds for Bloomsburg.
 
Pitt-Johnstown travels to a non-conference game at Wheeling Jesuit (WV) on November 26, before opening PSAC-play at Mansfield on December 1 and at Shippensburg on December 2.  The Mountain Cats will make their home debut with a PSAC game against Kutztown as part of a doubleheader with the men's team on December 8 at 1 p.m. in the Sports Center.