Basketball Spotlight: Devils Defeat Bloomfield to Advance to CACC Championship Saturday, March 5, 2005 By Bob Heller USIP Sports Information Director The USP women’s basketball team scored on their first nine possessions as they dismantled a physical Bloomfield College squad 78-60 to advance to the CACC Championship game for the second consecutive year. Leah Shumoski (Jr., Marple-Newtown HS/ Broomall, PA) and Shelby Rance (So, Central Columbia HS/Bloomsburg, PA) combined for 49 points, with Shumoski scoring a game-high 28 and Rance adding 21. The Devils are 5-0 in games when both Rance and Shumoski score 20 points in the same game. Stephanie Watson (Jr., Archbishop Ryan HS/Warminster, PA) joined Shumoski and Rance in double figures with 15 points. The Devils scored the first nine points of the game and never looked back, taking a 17-2 lead just 4:02 into the game, building their margin to 17 by halftime, 46-29. The first half also saw two USP career marks fall as Shumoski first broke the career free throws made mark and followed it by becoming the Devils all-time leading scorer. Shumoski needed to make three free throws to eclipse Renee Chimock’s mark of 367 set from 1992-95. Leah made her first two free throws at the 16:27 mark and followed with her record-setting free throw at the 11:31 mark, completing a three-point play and starting the Devils on a 14-2 run as they took their biggest lead of the half, 20 points, 37-17. The Devils all-time scoring record fell at the conclusion of the run as Shumoski nailed a short jumper for her eighth and ninth points of the game at the 6:25 mark, bringing her career total to 1,353 and surpassing Chauntrelle Clayton (1,352) as the Devils all-time leader. Shumoski finished the game with 28 points to lead all scorers and bring her career total to 1,373. USP opened the second half with an 8-4 run to take their biggest lead of the game, 21 points, 54-33 at the 15:26 mark. Watson started things off with a three-point field goal and Lori Wernik (So., Lower Cape May Twp. HS/Cape May, NJ) finished the run with a layup. Bloomfield fought back, going on a 14-4 run to cut the Devils lead to 11, 58-47 at the 11:28 mark. The Devils remained calm and promptly scored six straight points, all on free throws to go back up by 17, 64-47 with 9:56 left. An 8-4 run by the Deacons cut the lead back down to 13, 68-55 before the Devils countered with a 6-0 run to lead 74-55 with 4:36 left in the game. Shumoski started this run with a pair of free throws, followed by a Rance layup. Leah then completed the run with a short jumper. It was smooth sailing for the Devils as they finished off the Deacons for the first time this season, 78-60. USP is now 21-8 overall and will face Holy Family University in the CACC Championship game on Saturday, March 5, 2005 at Caldwell College.