Men's Basketball | 11/30/2015 4:23:00 PM

BLOOMSBURG (4-2, 2-0 PSAC East) vs EAST STROUDSBURG (5-1, 2-1 PSAC East)
Tuesday, December 1, 2015 - 5:30 p.m.
Bloomsburg, Pa. | Nelson Field House

GAME NOTES:
Bloomsburg vs East Stroudsburg Game Notes

GAME COVERAGE:
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/bloomu/mbball/
Live Audio (WHLM-AM): http://www.whlmam.com

RELATED LINKS:
Bloomsburg - Roster | Schedule | Statistics
East Stroudsburg - Roster | Schedule | Statistics

A LOOK BACK ...
Bloomsburg split a pair of non-conference matchups last week, dropping an 81-78 decision at home against Wilmington on Tuesday night before rebounding with a 74-68 win at Lincoln University on Saturday. The Huskies moved to 4-2 overall on the season.

VS. WILMINGTON (11-24) ...
Bloomsburg led for a majority of the contest but could not put away the Wildcats as visiting Wilmington stormed back in the second half to knock off the Huskies, 81-78. Bloomsburg led by seven with 4:36 left in regulation but converted just 3-of-8 free throws down the stretch. Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) hit a three-pointer with 48 seconds left to put the Huskies back in front. But, Wilmington's Tyaire Ponzo-Meek scored the final four points of the game to give the visitors the victory. Mortellite led the Huskies with 26 points. Redshirt freshman Tyriek Steward (Wilkes-Barre/Elmer Meyers) also finished in double figures after scoring 11 points. Sophomore Kyle-Michael Rose (Middletown, DE/Sanford School) filled the box score, finishing with six points, ten rebounds, six blocks, and three assists.

VS. LINCOLN (11-28) ...
Redshirt sophomore Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) scored a game-high 23 points to lift Bloomsburg to a 74-68 victory at Lincoln University. Bloomsburg led 16-4 with 14:35 left in the first half before the Lions trimmed the lead to two at halftime. The Huskies never trailed or were tied in the second half but could never put Lincoln away until the end. Bloomsburg got the lead back up to ten midway through the second half, but Lincoln got the game to 70-68 with 1:14 left. The Lions had a chance to tie the game moments later, but a big block by Malik Garner (Philadelphia/Chestnut Hill Academy) thwarted the chance. Donell Diggs (Washington, D.C./Takoma Academy) (11), Charles Haigler (Charles Town, WV/Hargrave Military Academy) (10), and Garner (10) also finished in double figures for the Huskies.

THE EAST STROUDSBURG SERIES ...
Bloomsburg leads the all-time series by a 92-67 margin but has dropped the last six meetings between the two schools. Bloomsburg's last victory over East Stroudsburg came on February 22, 2012 - an 80-78 victory at Nelson Field House. Since that victory, the Huskies are 0-6 against the Warriors and have been beaten by an average score of 89-65.

LAST SEASON ...
Bloomsburg dropped a 99-79 decision at East Stroudsburg on December 6, 2014 in the first game of the home-and-home series with the Warriors. The Huskies had five players in double figures, led by Charles Haigler (Charles Town, WV/Hargrave Military Academy) with 19. Jon Riles (Philadelphia/Academy of the New Church) had 14, Wes Lyons (Millville/Millville) had 12, and Alssene Saintilus (Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown) and Moustapha Noumbissi (Upper Darby/Delaware County Christian School) added 10 apiece. Saintilus added a game-high 16 rebounds in the loss. East Stroudsburg had six players in double figures, led by Whis Grant and Will Brown who each had 16. The Warriors shot 56.7% from the field including a 63.3% clip in the second half as they scored 54 second-half points.

The teams met again at Nelson Field House on February 7, 2015, with East Stroudsburg coming away with an 89-61 win. Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) was the only Husky in double figures finishing with a team-high 14 points. Saintilus matched his output from the first game with 16 rebounds but only scored five points. Jamal Nwaniemeka led the Warriors with 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting. The Warriors shot a high percentage again, making 31-of-64 field goal attempts (48.4%).

SCOUTING EAST STROUDSBURG ...
East Stroudsburg enters Tuesday's game with a 5-1 record and a 2-1 mark in conference play. The Warriors are seventh in the Atlantic Region according to the latest D2SIDA Media Poll released on Monday afternoon. East Stroudsburg averages 90.0 points per game on offense, aided by a 121-61 victory over Penn State Lehigh Valley on November 29 in the team's most recent game. The Warriors' only loss of the season came on November 21 - an 82-73 loss at Indiana (PA), the defending national runners-up. Will Brown leads four Warriors in double figures by averaging 15.3 points per game. He has also hit a team-high 19 three-pointers this season - second to Bloomsburg's Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) among PSAC players. Rasheed Moore (14.2), Steve Harris (13.0), and Jamal Nwaniemeka (12.0) also average double digits in scoring. Harris has pulled down a team-high 56 rebounds (9.3 rpg), including 24 offensive boards. Najee Walls has 32 assists in five games and has turned the ball over just 13 times. As a team, the Warriors are shooting 48.5% from the field and 38.0% from three-point range.

LIFE AT THE LINE ...
Through the first six games of the season, Bloomsburg has attempted 164 foul shots - an average of 27.3 attempts per game. The Huskies have made 121 free throws for a 73.8% shooting percentage - fourth-best in the PSAC. Over the last four games, the Huskies have averaged 32.5 trips to the charity stripe and are shooting at a 75.8% clip. Meanwhile, Bloomsburg opponents have attempted just 109 free throws in six games and have made only 68 of those tries (62.4%).

COMING UP ROSES ...
Despite the loss to Wilmington on Tuesday, sophomore Kyle-Michael Rose (Middletown, DE/Sanford School) had a night to remember as he filled the stat sheet for the Huskies. He finished the game with a season-high-tying six points and then established career-bests with ten rebounds, six blocked shots, and three assists. He became the first Bloomsburg player to record at least five blocked shots in a game since Moustapha Noumbissi (Upper Darby/Delaware County Christian School) swatted six shots against PSU Hazleton on November 14, 2014. Rose leads the Huskies, and is fourth in the PSAC, averaging 1.8 blocks per game.

DOWNTOWN WITH THE HUSKIES ...
The Huskies have made at least one three-pointer in 133 consecutive games. The last time Bloomsburg did not make a three in a game was on December 4, 2010 in a 54-51 loss at Lock Haven when it went 0-7 from beyond the arc. Bloomsburg ranks tied for tenth in the PSAC in three-pointers made per game (6.0). Redshirt sophomore Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) (21) and junior Anthony McKie (Blue Bell/Plymouth Whitemarsh) (8) have combined to make 29 of the team's 36 triples through six games. The two have combined to shoot 29-of-55 from beyond the arc (52.7%). The rest of the team is 7-of-46 (15.2%).

DEADLY FROM LONG RANGE ...
Redshirt sophomore Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) picked up where he left off last season in the first six games of the 2015-16 campaign. Despite averaging only 25.5 minutes per game, Mortellite leads the team in scoring, averaging 21.5 points per game. He has made 21 of his 39 three-point attempts so far this season (53.8%), ranking him first in the PSAC in threes made and second in three-point percentage. Last season, Mortellite hit 51 of his 119 three-point attempts (42.9%). His 51 triples last season was the 14th-highest figure in program history. This season, Mortellite is on pace for 91 triples (26 regular season games), which would break the school record of 82 held by Jay DeShields during the 2001-02 campaign.

MORTELLITE NAMED PSAC EAST PLAYER OF THE WEEK ...
Redshirt sophomore Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) was named the PSAC East Player of the Week on November 23 for his performance in leading the Huskies to a pair of road conference victories at Seton Hill and California (PA). He scored 31 points and grabbed six rebounds in the win at Seton Hill then added 26 points, four rebounds, and three assists as the Huskies held off the Vulcans on Sunday. For the week, Mortellite averaged 28.5 points, five rebounds, and two assists as the Huskies improved to 3-1 overall and 2-0 in league play. He was 13-of-26 from the field, 8-of-16 from three-point range, and 23-of-25 from the foul line in the two victories. Through six games, he leads the team by averaging 21.5 points per game despite only averaging 25.5 minutes per contest.

SNEED SEES DOUBLE ...
For the first time in his Bloomsburg career, junior forward Malik Sneed (Washington, D.C./Spingarn) posted a double-double, picking up 10 points and 10 rebounds in the victory at California (PA) on November 22. Sneed had not reached double-digits in either category in a game prior to Sunday. He leads the team in rebounding, averaging 6.0 boards per contest, while ranking sixth on the team in scoring at 5.2 points per game. Sneed is also second on the team in blocked shots with eight.

LINEUP CHANGE PAYS OFF ...
Head coach John Sanow inserted redshirt sophomore Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) and redshirt senior Wes Lyons (Millville/Millville) into the starting lineup in the PSAC-opening weekend at Seton Hill and California (PA) and the change paid off for the Huskies. The duo replaced senior Malik Garner (Philadelphia/Chestnut Hill Academy) and sophomore Kyle-Michael Rose (Middletown, DE/Sanford School). Mortellite averaged 28.5 points per game over the weekend and, as a team, averaged 84.5 points in the two victories. With Garner and Rose in the starting rotation, the Huskies averaged 66.0 points per game over the first two contests - a split against Penn State Hazleton and Felician.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE ...
The Huskies will be back at Nelson Field House on Friday, December 4 and Saturday, December 5 when they host Mercyhurst and Gannon respectively. Bloomsburg and Mercyhurst will tangle at 7:30 p.m. on Friday night while the tip-off against the Golden Knights is slated to begin at 4:00 p.m.