KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University women's basketball team found itself down by 12 points midway through the fourth quarter, but rallied to cut its deficit to within just two with under a minute to go, but the comeback attempt fell short as third-seeded KU lost to sixth-seeded Bloomsburg 61-57 Monday night in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) First Round game at Keystone Arena.
 
The Golden Bears (18-11 overall), who shared the PSAC East Division crown with the Huskies (13-14) last season, were unable to win a postseason game for just the first time in the last three seasons, advancing all the way to the PSAC championship game last year. The teams last met just last week in Bloomsburg with the Huskies coming out victorious 64-53 to earn a season split.
 
Monday just wasn't Kutztown's night.
 
The Maroon and Gold shot 43-percent (9-of-21) from the floor in the first half, but went cold for a stretch of over 13 minutes from late in the second quarter until early in the fourth. Annie Whalen (Ivyland, Pa./Archbishop Wood) connected on a layup with 3:39 left in the second quarter, and then Kutztown would have to wait until Casey Remolde (Philadelphia, Pa./Saint Basil Academy) hit a three-pointer with 9:42 remaining in the game to record its next field goal. KU was outscored 16-8 in the third quarter; all eight points scored from the free-throw line and saw itself trailing by a game-high 15 points (46-31) in that quarter. Bloomsburg led 34-29 at halftime.
 
Kutztown trailed 56-44 with 6:36 left on the clock, but scored 13 of the next 16 points to cut its deficit to just two at 59-57, and 0:49 to go. Following a missed free-throw, KU controlled the rebound and had an opportunity to take a lead or tie, but missed three consecutive chances on its offensive end. Even after fouling the Huskies on their ensuing possession, McKenna Hayward went just 1-for-2 from the line as the Golden Bears were still within just one possession of tying. Kutztown had two chances at a tying three-pointer, but was unable to convert.
 
Remolde led all scorers with 21 points. She added three rebounds, three blocks and four steals in 36 minutes of action. Brianna Tarabocchia (Woodcliff Lake, N.J./Northern Valley Regional) tallied eight points and five rebounds, and the trio of Gabbi Wright (Elkins Park, Pa./Cheltenham), Rylee Derr (Lititz, Pa./Warwick) and Whalen all finished with six points for Kutztown. Alexis Smith (Dauphin, Pa./Central Dauphin) netted five points before missing all but nine minutes due to an ankle injury. Zoe Zerman (Jonestown, Pa./Northern Lebanon) contributed three points and Sydney Pierson (Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown) chipped in two points, two rebounds and three blocks to round out the KU scoring.
 
Kutztown will send off five seniors including Wright, Tarabocchia, Karen Lapkiewicz (Southampton, Pa./Saint Basil Academy), Kaylan Jackson (Germantown, Md./Clarksburg) and Alex Leader (Hummelstown, Pa./Lower Dauphin).