GREENSBURG, Pa. – Redshirt sophomore Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) poured in a game-high 31 points to lift the Bloomsburg University men's basketball team to an 88-74 victory at Seton Hill in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) opener for both schools. The Huskies improved to 2-1 overall while the Griffins dropped to 0-2 on the season.
 
The 31-point output was the second 30-point effort of Mortellite's collegiate career. He scored a career-high 37 points in an 88-82 loss at West Chester on February 11, 2015. He finished Saturday afternoon by shooting 7-of-13 from the field, 4-of-8 from three-point range, and 13-of-15 at the free throw line. Mortellite also added six rebounds, one assist, and one steal in his first start of the season.
 
The road victory moved the Huskies to 1-1 away from Nelson Field House this season. Bloomsburg was just 3-10 on the road a year ago.
 
Redshirt freshman Tyriek Steward (Wilkes-Barre/Elmer Meyers) scored a career-high 12 points while junior Anthony McKie (Blue Bell/Plymouth Whitemarsh) chipped in with 11 in the Huskies' victory. The three were the only players to finish in double figures on Saturday.
 
Bloomsburg held a slim 44-40 advantage at halftime, coming back from six points down to outscore the Griffins by a 23-13 margin over the final 7:47 to take a lead to the locker room. Mortellite was the only Husky in double figures in the first half, leading the way with 15 points.
 
Seton Hill started the second half on an 11-3 run to take a 51-47 lead with 16:14 left in regulation. Sophomore Kyle-Michael Rose (Middletown, DE/Sanford School) knocked down a jumper and Mortellite drilled a three-pointer to give the Huskies a one-point lead with 14:53 left. After Seton Hill's Kameron Taylor nailed a jumper to regain a one-point edge for the Griffins, Rose converted two free-throws at the 14:00 mark to put the Huskies up 54-53 – a lead they would not relinquish.
 
Taylor led the Griffins with 30 points, on 13-of-19 shooting, and eight rebounds. Trevor Blondin added 20 points in the loss for Seton Hill.
 
Bloomsburg shot 27-of-52 from the field (51.9%) including 8-of-18 (44.4%) from three-point range. The Huskies also had a good afternoon from the charity stripe, going 26-of-34 from the free throw line. After going 13-of-20 in the first half, Bloomsburg missed just one free throw in 14 attempts during the second half.
 
Seton Hill also shot well, hitting 30-of-57 from the field (52.6%) and 7-of-19 (36.8%) from long distance. However, the difference was the foul shooting as the Griffins were just 7-of-12 (58.3%).
 
With his four triples on Saturday, Mortellite is now 10-of-16 from three-point range through three games this season. He is now averaging 18.0 points per game through three contests this season after leading the Huskies in scoring by averaging 14.3 points per game as a redshirt freshman a year ago.
 
The Huskies will be in action again on Sunday, November 22, when they travel to California University of Pennsylvania. Tip-off is slated for 3:00 p.m.