PHILADELPHIA – Cassie Murphy started the game off with two scores to reach 1,000 career points while Emily Keehfuss hit a three to tie the game and keep the match going, but the Huskies never stopped putting their foot on the gas as the #6/5 Thomas Jefferson University women's basketball team (9-1) would be outscored 17-7 and drop their first game of the season 107-97 in triple overtime to Bloomsburg University (3-5) in Saturday afternoon action inside the Gallagher Center.
 
WHAT HAPPENED
Murphy started the scoring off with two buckets to begin the match, with the team calling a timeout to celebrate her reaching the 1,000 point milestone, the 37^th Jefferson player in history to do so, as he Rams went up 4-0. The Rams would outscore Bloomsburg, but only head into the end of the first with a six point lead. Maddie LeFrance had three of her six three-pointers in the first quarter, scoring 11 points to get the Huskies in striking distance with the Rams. Morgan Robinson had eight of her 14 points in the first quarter and five of her 12 assists and seven of her 14 rebounds as well, earning herself a triple double as she helped lead Jefferson to a 27-21 lead heading into the second.
 
The gap would not budge between the two teams, as Jefferson only outscored the Huskies 16-15 in the second. Robinson had six points while Murphy and Haley Meinel each had four, with a shot and two free throws each. LaFrance made two more threes with Emma Spindler adding one of her own, helping Bloomsburg shoot 36.7% from beyond the arc, converting 11 of their 30 three-point attempts. Murphy would have a shot late to make it 43-34 with 1:40 to go, but Leah Kale had a jumper with under a minute left, making it 43-36 heading into the half.
 
Bloomsburg would start the third with a commanding start, going on a 12-0 run and taking the lead 50-45 halfway into the third quarter. Ella Kale had six points in that span while Katelin Starr had two fastbreak points, putting the Huskies ahead of the nationally ranked Rams. Jefferson responded by scoring 11 of the last 13 points in the third, lead by Murphy converting her and-one and Sam Yencha recording seven of her career-high 24 rebounds in a single game. Yencha would end the match with her sixth double double on the season, scoring 20 points in the matchup. Meinel would end the third with two free throws and Jefferson headed into the fourth up 56-52.
 
Bloomsburg would claw back, getting within one from a Starr and-one, but Murphy hit a jumper to keep the distance for the Rams. Eventually, Starr had a jumper to tie it up and Kale made her shot to get the Huskies headed before Emily Keehfuss made her three-pointer to have it 65-64 with 4:42 in the game. After another Kale jumper, the Rams would score the next seven points as Jefferson was up 72-66 with less than a minute to play. Bloomsburg did not back down, scoring a layup with 30 seconds left and a jumper that made it 72-70 with 12 to go. After a foul, Robinson missed both free throws and Bloomsburg recovered the rebound. Kale hit her shot with a second to go, forcing overtime at 72-72.
 
The Huskies started the scoring off with two shots while Emma Kuczynski made both her free throws to have it 76-74 with 2:48 to go. After Bloomsburg had it 78-76, Meinel made her and-one plus another shot alongside Yencha and Kuczynski to make it 81-78 with 1:03 to go. Jefferson held onto their lead, but Ava Stevenson made her three-pointer with three seconds to go. Murphy took one last shot that did not go into the basket, forcing a second overtime in the match at 81-81.
 
Jefferson went onto a hot start in the second OT, scoring the first six points with Yencha having a layup and two free throws, alongwith a shot by Meinel to go ahead 87-81. Murphy would foul out of the game, which started the comeback for Bloosmburg. They went on a 9-0 run that was capped by a Stevenson three and a Starr free throw that made it 90-87 with eight seconds to go. Jefferson had a three blocked, but went out of bounds with one second to go. Keehfuss took her shot from the left side, hitting the backboard and falling into the net as the Rams forced a third overtime 90-90.
 
After both teams scored and had it even at 94-94, the Huskies would run away with the game. Kale and Haley Hudak both made their free throws with Kale adding a shot to have it 99-94 with 2:27 to go. Yencha had an and-one to get within two points, but Bloomsburg would hold off Jefferson's in their shots and convert their free throws the rest of the way to take down the nationally ranked Rams 107-97 at home.
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
Haley Meinel: 21 points on 7-of-18 shooting, 7-8 FT, 3 steals, 2 assists
Sam Yencha: 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting, 6-8 FT, 24 rebounds (career high), 2 steals
Cassie Murphy: 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting, 6-7 FT, 7 rebounds, 3 assists
Morgan Robinson: 14 points on 7-of-23 shooting, 14 rebounds, 12 assists, 2 blocks
Emma Kuczynski: 13 points on 5-of-14 shooting, (1-4 3 PT), 4 steals
Emily Keehfuss: 9 points on 3-of-13 shooting (3-9 3PT), 3 steals, 2 assists
 
MILESTONE
Murphy reached 1,000 points in her career this afternoon, becoming the 37^th Ram to do so. She now sits at 1017 points and counting.
 
UP NEXT
#6/5 Jefferson will look to take a break during the winter period as they will wait until Saturday, December 30 to play again when they host Wilmington University of Delaware in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) action at 1 p.m.