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LEMONT FURNACE, PA—The Bloomsburg University men's basketball team lost to California (PA) 71-68 on Wednesday night in PSAC (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference) action. The game was played at Penn State-Fayette due to a power outage on the California campus.
 
The Huskies led the entire first half going up by as many as eight points, 21-13, on a jumper by Charles Haigler (Charles Town, WV/Hargrave Military Academy) with 3:46 to go. After Cal trimmed the lead to a bucket, 24-22, Bloomsburg closed out the half with baskets by Matthew Aikey (Mechanicsburg/East Pennsboro) and Dontahe Jordan (Williamsport/Williamsport) to go into the break with a 28-22 lead. As a team the Huskies held the Vulcans to just 25 percent shooting and outrebounded Cal, 25-18, in the opening 20 minutes.
 
Cal opened the second half outscoring the Huskies 9-2 to take its first lead of the game, 31-30, just four and-a-half minutes into the half. Bloomsburg came back with back-to-back baskets from Nnamdi Njoku (Westampton, NJ/Rancocas Valley), including a three-pointer, putting the Huskies back on top 35-31.
 
Later with the score tied at 37 with 14 minutes to go, the Vulcans used the next seven minutes to take its biggest lead of the night at 59-50 after a layup from Quentin Harding. A Haigler bucket and consecutive scores from Jordan cut the lead to 59-56 with 4:38 to play. Following a Cal three-point play putting the home team up by six, the Huskies went on a 9-1 run to go back on top by one. Haigler's two jumpers sandwiched a pair of free throws and Lorenzo Christmas (Norristown/Norristown) three-pointer putting the Huskies on top 65-62 with 2:41 to go.
 
Cal tied the score at 65 on its next possession nailing a three-pointer. After both teams missed on their next possessions, Jordan was fouled going for a rebound. The junior hit two free throws with 1:34 left for a 67-65 Huskies lead. Cal tied the game again on a jumper by Keith Lowe, who also fouled Jordan on the play.
 
Jordan hit one of two free throws for a 68-67 Huskies lead with 1:04 to play. On Cal's next trip Tynell Fortune hit a long three-pointer putting the Vulcans on top 70-68 with 53 seconds left.
 
Following a missed three-pointer by Bloomsburg, the Vulcans Anthony Lytle was fouled and hit one of two free throws for a 71-68 lead with 22 seconds left. In the final seconds of the game the Huskies missed two chances to tie the game, but misfired on both three-point attempts.
 
Bloomsburg, 2-7, 0-5 in the PSAC, led the Huskies with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Christmas finished with 14 points with Haigler scoring 13.
 
California, 4-4, 3-2 in the PSAC, was led in scoring by Keith Lowe with 17 points, while Fortune added 14.
 
The Huskies are idle till January 4 when they play at Gannon at 7:30 p.m.