BUFFALO, NY – For the first time in program history, the Bloomfield College women's basketball team were crowned Division I National Champions of the USCAA. The Bears defeated the #3 seeded, Paul Quinn College, 72-64 Friday evening at the Burt Flickinger Athletic Center to claim the national title.
 
Nia Mallette was named the USCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Most Valuable Player after scoring a game-high 26 points in the championship match. Mallette averaged 30.3 points per game and set a new tournament single-game scoring record with 36 points against Bryant & Stratton College of Buffalo on Thursday night. 
 
Seniors, Anisha Able and Mia Martinez joined Mallette on the All-Tournament Team. Able averaged a double-double in the tournament, putting up 21.0 points per game and 14.0 rebounds per game. Martinez was the top-distributor in the tournament, dishing out 16 assists in three games.
 
THE BASICS:

SCORE: Paul Quinn 64, Bloomfield 72
LOCATION: Buffalo, N.Y. | Burt Flickinger Athletic Center
ALL-TIME MEETINGS: Paul Quinn 0-1, Bloomfield 1-0

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The teams battled hard in the opening period with Bloomfield pushing forward, 23-17 by the end of the quarter.
• The Tigers clawed their way back in the 2^nd quarter and evened up the match 25-25 with 5:44 remaining in the half. 
• The Bears used a 9-0 spurt to seize control of the game and send Paul Quinn into the locker room down, 42-29. 
• Mallette and Able combined for thirty of the #1 seed's 42 points at halftime. Tournament history. 
• The third quarter belonged to Bloomfield also as they used an 8-0 run capped by a, Kaleigh Valle three-pointer to push their advantage to 63-44. 
• The Tigers still had some fight left and cut their deficit to seven with only twenty-six seconds remaining in the game.
• Mallette sealed the National Title, going 5-of-6 from the line to close the door on Paul Quinn's comeback hopes.
• Able finished the evening with her 21^st straight double-double (21 points, 17 rebounds) and Valle finished in double-figures with 17 points.
• Bloomfield concluded their historic season with a 19-6 overall record. The led the nation in scoring, putting up 85.3 points per contest.

Season Look Back
 
Able closed out her senior campaign averaging a double-double on the year for the first time in her career. The senior collected 447 points (18.6 ppg) to go along with 328 rebounds (13.7 rpg). For her career, Able amassed 887 points and 846 rebounds. This season she was named a USCAA First Team All-American.
 
Mallette concluded her record-setting season with 557 total points, averaging 23.2 ppg. She shot 48.1 percent from the field while also averaging a double-double for the year with 11.1 rebounds per game (266 total). Mallette was named the USCAA National Player of the Year and to the All-American First Team.
 
Mia finished up her senior season averaging 5.8 assists per game and collected 198 assists across two years at Bloomfield. She scored 244 points in a Bears uniform, grabbed 209 rebounds and swiped 102 steals.
 
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About the USCAA
The USCAA is a national governing body that exists to provide opportunities for small colleges to compete against institutions for National Championships and student-athlete recognition.  The 70-member association was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

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