STORYLINE
No. 15 Edinboro starts conference play with the first conference crossover weekend of the season and trips to Mansfield and No. 25 Bloomsburg. The Fighting Scots enter the weekend with a 2-1 record following non-conference wins over West Liberty and Wayne State and a loss at Glenville State. Mansfield boasts a record of 1-1 following a loss to Lock Haven and a win this past Tuesday over Houghton. Sunday's game will not only be the first meeting between Edinboro and Bloomsburg since last year's PSAC Championship Game but also a showdown between nationally-ranked squads. Bloomsburg (3-0) entered the rankings at No. 25 with wins over Chestnut Hill, Lincoln (Pa.) and Wilmington (Del.).
 
SCOUTING THE MOUNTIES
Mansfield was picked to finish seventh in the PSAC East in the conference preseason poll after finishing sixth a season ago with a 10-16 record and 7-15 in the conference. The Mounties return six players, led by senior forward/center Julia Stevenson who averaged 10.1 points and 5.9 rebounds last season, along with junior forward/center Jena Matter who averaged 10.0 points and 6.3 rebounds. Mansfield is led by interim head coach Alison Tagliaferri, who enjoyed a strong playing career at Mansfield. Tagliaferri was a two-sport athlete at Mansfield, playing basketball from 2002-06 and softball from 2002-05. She finished her playing career as MU's all-time leading scorer with 1,795 - more than 200 points better than the next highest scorer.
 
SERIES HISTORY VS. MANSFIELD
Edinboro leads the all-time series vs. Mansfield, 12-2 and has won the last four meetings against their conference foe. Mansfield's last victory in the series came with a 63-54 win during the 2006-07 season. Edinboro won last year's match at Mansfield, 83-48 on Nov. 19, 2011.
 
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
Bloomsburg entered the national rankings at No. 25 in the WBCA USA Today Sports Coaches' Poll this week, becoming the fourth PSAC team in the Top 25. Bloomsburg was selected to win the PSAC East in the preseason conference poll after leading the East Division with a 26-6 record a year ago. The Huskies' 26 victories were the second-most in school history and their 18-4 mark in the conference were a new school record. Those marks resulted in Bloomsburg's first trip to the NCAA Tournament in 11 years as they earned an at-large bid in the Atlantic Region. Bloomsburg lost two-time All-American and PSAC East Athlete of the Year Kelsey Kallagher to graduation but return 11 players from last year's team including four starting seniors (Dana Wieller, Kayla Oxenrider, Alyssa Flanagan, Lauren Ellis).
 
SERIES HISTORY VS. BLOOMSBURG
Edinboro has held the edge in the series over the Huskies, taking both matches between schools last year. The two teams did not meet in 2010-11, but Bloomsburg captured the 2009 match-up. Previous to that, Edinboro had won the last four meetings between schools. In the regular season match-up, Edinboro recorded its biggest offensive outburst of the year in a 98-73 win at Nelson Fieldhouse. The top two Scots scorers that day have graduated - Renee' Brown (21 points) and Micki Cerchiaro (20). Darche' Jackson, Kiara Brown and Samantha Blazetic all scored 13 points. The two teams met again in the PSAC Championship Game where Edinboro took the conference title with a 74-58 win. On that night, Renee' Brown led all scorers with 29 points while Jackson added 16.
 
HAPPY TRAVELS EAST
The Fighting Scots have been dominant against teams from the PSAC East in recent years. Dating back to the 2005-06 season, Edinboro is 42-8 against PSAC East opponents.
 
KEEPING THEIR HEADS ABOVE WATER
With their win over Wayne State last Saturday, the Fighting Scots moved back above .500 at 2-1 on the season. The victory kept Edinboro's streak of playing at .500 or above alive - the last time the Scots were below .500 was when they lost two consecutive games to finish the 2008-09 season at 13-14. Edinboro has now played 93 straight games with a record of .500 or better.