By George Fladeland

It’s playoff time in the PSAC, and the KU women’s basketball team is off and running. The fifth seed Golden Bears defeated the sixth seed Lock Haven Eagles 74-52 in the first round at home on Saturday, Feb. 28.

The Golden Bears started the game on fire with an 11-2 run. They finished the half with a 13-2 run giving them the 34-18 lead going into the break. KU ran out with a big lead in the first half because they forced 14 turnovers and held LHU to 8-for-26 from the field.

Coming out of halftime, the Lady Eagles flew out of the gates with a 16-4 run to cut KU’s lead 38-34. This may have scared other teams in the PSAC, but the well-experienced KU team was able to remain calm and not let the Lady Eagles take the lead.

KU responded in a big way over LHU by establishing a 19-0 run and converting 13 free throws for a 26-point cushion. LHU also went 0-for-13 from the field during that span to ultimately end their season.

Advia Campbell came up with a double-double. Campbell finished with 21 points, 15 rebounds and two assists. She was perfect 7-for-7 from the free-throw line and played 37 minutes of the game. The 21 points eclipsed 1000 on the career for Campbell, becoming the fourteenth Golden Bear to do so.

The Quarterfinals of the 2015 PSAC basketball championship was the next stop for the KU women’s team. They traveled to Bloomsburg University to take on the top ranked Huskies for the third time this season. The last two meetings for the Golden Bears did not bounce their way and Tuesday night, March 3, proved the same as the season came to a crushing end with a 64-54 loss.

Down 11 after the first 24 minutes, the Golden Bears came out on fire with a 20-0 run to start the second half. The number one Huskies responded, however, especially beyond the arc from players such as Taylor Maldonado and Jocelyn Ford, closing out the game with a 24-9 run to advance in the postseason.

Senior Elisa Gaffney led the way for the Bears with 16 points as Campbell shot 6 for 11 from the field for a total of 14 while grabbing a team-high eight boards in the process.

Tuesday evening marked the final game in maroon and gold for seniors Campbell, Gaffney, Alyssa Bonenberger and Nicole Donahue.

Bonenberger finishes eighth in school history in rebounds with 679 and 11th in free throws. Donahue’s eight points on Tuesday pushed her past the 400-mark for her career.

The women exceeded expectations this season and set the tone for underclassmen to follow. This is something they will always look back on and be proud of playing for the Golden Bears.