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BLOOMSBURG—Despite a game-high 24 points from Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton), the Bloomsburg University men's basketball team fell to East Stroudsburg University, 91-74, on Tuesday night in a PSAC (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference) Eastern Division matchup at the Nelson Field House.
 
The teams struggled offensively in the early going with the Warriors (6-1, 3-1 PSAC East) holding just a 3-2 lead five minutes into the contest as both teams made just one of their first nine shot attempts from the floor.
 
East Stroudsburg, though, finally began to find the range and went up by nine points, 20-11, on back-to-back buckets by Najee Walls, including a three-pointer, with 7:30 to play in the opening half. Later a pair of free throws from the Huskies (4-3, 2-1 PSAC East) Malik Garner (Philadelphia/Chestnut Hill Academy) cut the deficit to four points, 22-18, before the Warriors used an 20-12 run to close out the half and lead 42-30 at the break.
 
The Huskies started quickly in the second half with Mortellite scoring the first five points of the period for Bloomsburg with Donell Diggs (Washington, D.C./Takoma Academy) hitting a jumper to make it a 42-37 game with 18:20 to play. That would be as close as the Huskies would get the rest of the way.
 
East Stroudsburg used pressure in the backcourt and put together a 7-0 run to lead 49-37 with 16:45 to play. After a jumper by Mortellite and two free throws from Diggs cut the margin to eight, the Warriors used a big run to break open the game. Over the next nine minutes East Stroudsburg outscored the Huskies 28-8 to open a 77-49 advantage. Will Brown scored nine points in the run with Walls adding six for the visitors.
 
Bloomsburg closed the game with a 9-0 run over the final 1:41 to produce the final, 91-74.
 
East Stroudsburg placed five players in double figures with Brown and Rasheed Moore each getting 18 points. Walls added 15. Steve Harris chipped in with 12 and Quindell Brice got 10 points off the bench.
 
Mortellite scored 24 points to lead the Huskies. For the red-shirt sophomore it was his sixth straight game with 20 or more points. Diggs finished with a career-high 16 points and added a career-high six assists.
 
Bloomsburg is back in action on Friday night, hosting Mercyhurst at 7:30 p.m.