HTML BOX SCOREKUTZTOWN, Pa. – Despite having four players in double figures on Saturday afternoon, the Bloomsburg University men's basketball team suffered a 99-76 loss at Kutztown University in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division matchup at Kutztown's Keystone Arena. The Huskies dropped to 7-7 overall and 5-5 in the PSAC East while the Golden Bears improved to 12-2 overall and 9-2 in league play.
Redshirt sophomore
Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) paced the Huskies with 20 points – his eighth 20-point effort of the season. He was held without a three-pointer for just the third time this season but went 8-for-8 at the free throw line to improve his percentage from the charity stripe to 91.1% on the year (72-of-79). Redshirt senior
Wes Lyons (Millville/Millville) added a season-high 16 points and posted a team-high, and season-high, eight rebounds in the loss. Both efforts were three shy of tying his career-highs.
Senior
Malik Garner (Philadelphia/Chestnut Hill Academy) finished with 15 points – his fifth double-digit scoring effort in the last six games – while junior
Donell Diggs (Washington, D.C./Takoma Academy) added ten points for the Huskies.
Mortellite gave the Huskies a 14-12 advantage after knocking down a pair of free throws with 14:06 left in the first half. However, the Golden Bears went on a 16-4 run over the next six minutes to take a 28-18 advantage and never looked back.
The hosts built the lead to as many as 15 in the first half before settling for a 46-35 lead at intermission. Bloomsburg scored the final four points of the opening half on a pair of free throws from senior
Charles Haigler (Charles Town, WV/Hargrave Military Academy) and a bucket from sophomore
Kyle-Michael Rose (Middletown, DE/Sanford School).
Bloomsburg cut the lead to six, 46-40, at the outset of the second half on a basket by Mortellite and a three-pointer from sophomore
Alex Prislupsky (Olyphant/Mid-Valley). It was Bloomsburg's first triple of the game extending the program's streak to 141 consecutive games with a made three-pointer.
But the Golden Bears scored the next eight points to take a 54-40 lead and Bloomsburg could get no closer than 12 the rest of the way.
Mortellite shot 6-of-13 from the field and 8-of-8 from the foul line. He tied his career-high with seven rebounds and added four assists – two shy of his career best. Lyons made 7-of-13 field goal attempts while Garner went 6-of-8 from the field. The rest of the team, however, combined to make just 7-of-29 shots on the afternoon.
Bloomsburg made a season-low two three-pointers and shot a season-low 15.4% from long distance (2-of-13). Garner and Prislupsky made the only triples for the Huskies.
Kutztown, which shot 55.4% from the field, had five players in double figures. Josh Johnson had 18 points and 10 rebounds while Anthony Lee also had 18 points in the victory. Transition points proved huge for the Golden Bears as Kutztown scored 29 fast break points on Saturday. Kutztown also had 26 assists and turned the ball over just eight times.
The Huskies will look to snap a two-game losing streak when they head to Millersville on Wednesday, January 13. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
