BLOOMSBURG (2-0, 0-0 PSAC East) vs PITT-JOHNSTOWN (2-1, 0-0 PSAC West)
Saturday, November 19, 2016 - 3:00 p.m.
Bloomsburg, Pa. | Nelson Field House

vs #24 IUP (3-0, 0-0 PSAC West)
Sunday, November 20, 2016 - 3:00 p.m.
Bloomsburg, Pa. | Nelson Field House

GAME NOTES:
Bloomsburg vs Pitt-Johnstown/IUP 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
Pitt-Johnstown - Roster | Schedule | Statistics
IUP - Roster | Schedule | Statistics

LAST TIME OUT ...
Bloomsburg held off pesky Lincoln University, 87-81, on Tuesday night at Nelson Field House to improve to 2-0 on the season. The Huskies are now 4-1 lifetime against the Lions. Bloomsburg led by as many as 15 points with 11:53 left in regulation before the Lions went on an 18-4 run to close the gap to one with 6:51 remaining. Bloomsburg, however, was able to hold on, thanks to a perfect 9-of-9 from the free throw line down the stretch. Lincoln went 14-of-27 from long distance to stay close. Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) poured in a game-high 25 points to lead five Huskies in double figures.

STARTING FIVE ...
1 - Redshirt junior Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) has picked up where he left off as he has scored 20 and 25 in the first two games of the season. He has now scored in double figures in 39 of his last 30 games dating back to the 2014-15 season. He has hit 8-of-16 from three-point range this season and has moved into fifth on the school's all-time list with 125 career triples. He also needs just 84 points to become the 29th player in school history to reach 1,000.

2 - Transfers Karonn Davis (Philadelphia, Pa./Friends' Central (Niagara Univ.)) and Carnell McGirt (Philadelphia, Pa./Roman Catholic (Valley Forge Military Academy)) have made immediate impacts through the first two games of the season. After transferring from Niagara University, Davis ranks second on the team in scoring (14.5) and leads the team in assists (5.0). He is also shooting 52.6% from the field and has made 7-of-8 foul shots (87.5%). McGirt, meanwhile, posted a double-double (11pts, 10reb) in his first game at Penn State Hazleton and then added 14 points and eight boards against Lincoln. He is 9-of-12 (75.0%) from the field to date.

3 - After averaging only 3.8 points and 3.0 rebounds last season, junior Kyle-Michael Rose (Middletown, Del./Sanford School (Highland CC)) has stepped into the starting lineup this season and has posted back-to-back double-digit scoring efforts with 12 points at Penn State Hazleton and 11 points against Lincoln. He is shooting 69.2% from the field (9-of-13) while averaging 11.5 points and 5.5 rebounds.

4 - Welcome back, Malik Sneed (Washington, D.C./Spingarn (Prince George's CC)). The senior missed the second-half of last season but has come back and has made an impact early. The senior leads the team, and is third in the PSAC, in rebounds per game (10.0) while leading the team, and tying for the PSAC lead, by averaging 2.5 blocks per contest. Sneed is also averaging 7.0 points per game.

5 - In each of the first two games, Bloomsburg has had five players reach double figures in scoring. Mortellite (20), Davis (14), Rose (12), McGirt (11), and Khyree Hunt-Hawkins (Philadelphia, Pa./George Washington (Baltimore City CC)) (11) each hit double digits at Penn State Hazleton to start the season. Mortellite (25), Davis (15), McGirt (14), Sneed (12), and Rose (11) turned the trick against Lincoln. The Huskies had five players hit double figures in a game only twice all of last season.

THE SERIES ...
Pitt-Johnstown leads the all-time series, 20-13, while IUP holds a 29-26 margin in the all-time series.

LAST MEETING AGAINST PITT-JOHNSTOWN ...
The teams last played on December 17, 2014 in Johnstown with the Mountain Cats posting a 103-79 victory over the Huskies. Pitt-Johnstown raced out to a 55-40 lead at halftime and then outscored the Huskies, 48-39, in the second half to pull away further. Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) led Bloomsburg with 23 points while Charles Haigler (Charles Town, W. Va./Hargrave Military Academy) (15) and Alex Prislupsky (Olyphant, Pa./Mid-Valley) (11) also hit double figures. The Mountain Cats had seven players in double figures led by A.J. Leahey's 21 points.
 
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAIN CATS ...
Pitt-Johnstown enters with a 2-1 record on the season - losing to Urbana, 80-74, to start the season before rattling off two straight wins over Lincoln (78-60) and Carlow (99-68). Preseason All-Conference selections A.J. Leahey and Dale Clancy are off to fine starts. Leahey is the reigning PSAC West Athlete of the Week and he leads the team in scoring (22.3), rebounding (8.3), and assists (4.3) through three contests. He was a First Team All-PSAC West honoree a year ago. Clancy, meanwhile, is averaging 7.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists. The Mountain Cats have four players averaging double figures in scoring. Joining Leahey are Isaac Vescovi (14.3), Jake Laravie (11.0), and Josh Wise (10.3). Pitt-Johnstown is +8.0 in rebounding margin this season.

LAST MEETING AGAINST IUP ...
Bloomsburg and IUP last met on December 20, 2014 at Nelson Field House with the then-24th ranked Crimson Hawks needing overtime to defeat the Huskies, 80-70. The game was close throughout as the largest lead of the game didn't come until IUP led by ten with 27 seconds left in overtime. Charles Haigler (Charles Town, W. Va./Hargrave Military Academy) led the Huskies with 19 points while Jon Riles (16) and Alssene Saintilus (15) also hit double figures. Moustapha Noumbissi led Bloomsburg with a game-high nine rebounds. IUP also had three players in double figures, led by Brandon Norfleet who scored 19. IUP was excellent from the foul line, finishing 24-of-28 (85.7%) from the charity stripe. The Crimson Hawks were 11-of-12 in the second half and 10-of-11 in overtime from the line.

SCOUTING THE CRIMSON HAWKS ...
IUP was picked to win the PSAC Western Division and it comes in with a 3-0 record (not including Saturday's meeting at Lock Haven) and ranked 24th in the preseason NABC Division II poll. IUP has posted victories over Lincoln (101-82) and Urbana (91-74) in the S&T Back Atlantic Region Challenge last weekend followed by an 80-67 win over Bowie State on Tuesday night. All three games have been at home. Jacobo Diaz was a preseason All-Conference selection as voted on by the PSAC coaches and he has not disappointed early. He leads the team in scoring (16.0) and rebounding (11.3) while also contributing seven assists and six steals. He is also 16-of-19 from the foul line (84.2%). Three other players are averaging at least 14 points through the first three games of the season - Blake Danielak (15.0), Dante Lombardi (14.3), and Anthony Glover (14.0).

DOWNTOWN WITH THE HUSKIES ...
The Huskies have made at least one three-pointer in 156 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. In Friday's victory at Penn State Hazleton, Bloomsburg shot 10-of-21 (47.6%) from long distance. The Huskies made ten three-pointers in a game just one time last season - an 85-59 home victory against Millersville on February 17, 2016 (10-of-17).

CLOSING IN ...
Redshirt junior Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) is closing in on becoming the 29th player in school history to record 1,000 career points. After scoring 20 in the season opener at Penn State Hazleton, and then adding 25 against Lincoln, Mortellite is just 84 points away from the milestone. He has also moved into sole possession of fifth place on the school's all-time career three-pointers list with 125. He surpassed Aaron Carter and Mike Cheatle with four triples in the win over Lincoln on Tuesday night. He has a way to go to get to fourth as Jay DeShields currently holds that spot with 205 career three-pointers.

NEWCOMERS MAKE AN IMPACT ...
In last Friday's season-opening win at Penn State Hazleton, four new faces - Karonn Davis (Philadelphia, Pa./Friends' Central (Niagara Univ.)), Khyree Hunt-Hawkins (Philadelphia, Pa./George Washington (Baltimore City CC)), Carnell McGirt (Philadelphia, Pa./Roman Catholic (Valley Forge Military Academy)), and Sam Saxton (York, Pa./Central York (Le Moyne)) combined to score 44 points - just over half of the team's 87 - in the 40-point victory. Davis led the way with 14 points while McGirt posted a double-double (11 points and 10 rebounds) in his first game with the Huskies. Hunt-Hawkins (11) and Saxton (8) also had strong nights in their debuts. The foursome combined to shoot 16-of-26 (61.5%) from the field and 6-of-12 from long distance in the victory. Three true freshmen - Peyton Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton), Jordan Melochick (Port Carbon, Pa./Pottsville), and Maurice Coleman-Grier (Upper Darby, Pa./Upper Darby) did not appear in the win.

BIGS GETTING IT DONE ...
Thanks to solid starts from junior transfer Carnell McGirt (Philadelphia, Pa./Roman Catholic (Valley Forge Military Academy)), senior Malik Sneed (Washington, D.C./Spingarn (Prince George's CC)), and junior Kyle-Michael Rose (Middletown, Del./Sanford School (Highland CC)), the Huskies led the PSAC in rebounding margin (15.5) and blocks per game (5.0) early in the season. The Huskies have outrebounded Penn State Hazleton and Lincoln, 90-59, and have blocked 10 shots - five by Sneed. Sneed is third in the league in rebounding (10.0) and tied for first in blocks per game (2.5) while McGirt is tied for fourth in rebounds (9.0) and Rose is tied for fourth in blocks (1.5).

MORTELLITE NAMED PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE ...
Redshirt junior Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) was named a preseason All-PSAC East selection after enjoying a breakout campaign with the Huskies a year ago. Mortellite was a First Team All-PSAC East performer after leading all Eastern Division players, and finishing fifth overall in the conference, in scoring (19.0 points per game). He was the only Bloomsburg player to finish in double figures in scoring last season and he also ranked second on the team in rebounding (6.0) and assists (2.2).

STRONG SEASON ...
The Huskies finished last season with a 17-10 overall record and a 15-7 mark in the PSAC Eastern Division. The Huskies won ten of their final twelve games during the regular season but suffered a last-second 80-78 loss at Shippensburg in the opening round of the PSAC tournament to end the season. Last year's 17 victories marked the second-highest single-season total under Sanow, who is entering his 11th season with the Huskies. Bloomsburg went 19-9 under Sanow during the 2011-12 campaign. Meanwhile, the Huskies' 15-7 conference record tied Sanow's 2011-12 squad for the best league record under his tutelage.

SANOW SECOND IN CAREER WINS AT BU...
Head coach John Sanow is in his 11th season as the head coach of the Bloomsburg men's basketball program and has guided the Huskies to a 120-151 overall record to date - second in Bloomsburg history among career wins. Bloomsburg's 91-84 win at East Stroudsburg on January 30 was #113, which moved him ahead of Harold S. Shelly who won 112 games with the Huskies from 1949-1960. However, Sanow has a long time to catch the program's all-time leader, Charlie Chronister, who compiled 559 victores from 1971-2002.

UP NEXT ...
The Huskies will make the trip to Wilmington, Delaware to battle Wilmington University on Saturday, November 26, at 3:00 p.m. Last season, the Huskies suffered an 81-78 loss to the Wildcats at Nelson Field House. Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) poured in a game-high 26 points for the Huskies. Bloomsburg leads the all-time series, 5-3.