BLOOMSBURG (3-4, 0-4 PSAC East) at CLARION (4-4, 2-2 PSAC West)
Saturday, December 10, 2016 - 3:00 p.m.
Clarion, Pa. | Waldo S. Tippin Gymnasium

GAME NOTES:
Bloomsburg at Clarion Game Notes

GAME COVERAGE:
Live Stats/Video: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/clarion/portal.htm?eventId=317698&streamType=video
Live Audio (WHLM-AM): http://www.whlmam.com

RELATED LINKS:
Bloomsburg - Roster | Schedule | Statistics
Clarion - Roster | Schedule | Statistics

LAST WEEKEND ...
Bloomsburg made the trek to northwest Pennsylvania to battle the Lakers of Mercyhurst and the Golden Knights of Gannon, in Erie, last Saturday and Sunday. The Huskies dropped a 74-68 decision at Mercyhurst on Saturday and then fell, 79-66, at Gannon on Sunday. Against the Lakers, redshirt junior Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) poured in a game-high 22 points to become the 29th player in school history to record 1,000 career points. Redshirt junior Karonn Davis (Philadelphia, Pa./Friends' Central (Niagara Univ.)) added a season-high 20 points in the loss. The Huskies led by six at halftime but was limited to only 25 points in the second half. On Sunday, Mortellite again was tops on the team with 23 points while junior Carnell McGirt (Philadelphia, Pa./Roman Catholic (Valley Forge Military Academy)) posted a dozen. Bloomsburg trailed by only two at halftime before the Golden Knights pulled away in the second half, building a 23-point lead, before settling for a 13-point win.

STARTING FIVE ...
1 - Redshirt junior Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) scored 22 points last Saturday against Mercyhurst to become the 29th player in school history to record 1,000 career points. He added 23 points in Sunday's loss at Gannon to give him 1,025 points for his career - tied for 26th in school history with Jeff Benson (1997-99). Mortellite, who is averaging 22.0 points per game this season, reached 1,000 points in just his 58th game. He is averaging 17.4 points per game over his 59 collegiate games.

2 - 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 hit double figures in scoring four times after hitting the mark only twice all of last season. He posted the first double-double of his Bloomsburg career against Pitt-Johnstown with 10 points and 10 rebounds and then added a second with career-highs in both points (17) and rebounds (12) against Wilmington. He is averaging 8.6 points and 5.9 boards through seven games.

3 - Transfers Karonn Davis (Philadelphia, Pa./Friends' Central (Niagara Univ.)) and Carnell McGirt (Philadelphia, Pa./Roman Catholic (Valley Forge Military Academy)) have made immediate impacts early on this season. After transferring from Division I Niagara University, Davis ranks second on the team in scoring (11.0) and leads the team in assists (4.1). He scored a season-high 20 points in the loss at Mercyhurst last Saturday. McGirt, meanwhile, has posted a double-double twice (11 pts, 10 reb at Penn State Hazleton; 12 pts, 11 reb at Wilmington) this season. He is third on the team in scoring (9.7) and leads the team in rebounding (6.9).

4 - 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.

5 - Bloomsburg had three players post a double-double in the win at Wilmington - Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) (28 pts, 11 reb), Kyle-Michael Rose (Middletown, Del./Sanford School (Highland CC)) (17 pts, 12 reb), and Carnell McGirt (Philadelphia, Pa./Roman Catholic (Valley Forge Military Academy)) (12 pts, 11 reb). It marked the first time multiple Huskies' players had a double-double since February 10, 2016 against Kutztown - Mortellite (25 pts, 13 reb) and Malik Garner (Philadelphia, Pa./Chestnut Hill Academy) (20 pts, 10 reb). The Huskies had not had three players post a double-double in the same game since prior to the 1990-1991 season.

THE SERIES ...
Bloomsburg leads the all-time series against Clarion, 15-13.

LAST MEETING AGAINST CLARION ...
The teams last met on December 16, 2014 with the Golden Eagles posting an 86-76 victory over the Huskies in Clarion. The Golden Eagles led 41-30 at halftime and then built their lead up to as many as 22 points early in the second half before setting for the ten-point victory. Anthony McKie (Blue Bell, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) and Alex Prislupsky (Olyphant, Pa./Mid-Valley) led the Huskies with 17 points apiece with the duo combining to go 8-of-15 from three-point range (Prislupsky was 5-of-10). Alssene Saintilus added 11 points, seven rebounds, and four blocks while Jon Riles was also in double figures with 10 points. Kyheim Hall had a monster effort for the Golden Eagles as he was two steals shy of a triple-double. He finished with 23 points, 15 rebounds, and eight swipes in the victory. BJ Andrews (15), Brandon Williams (12), and Justin Grant (10) were also in double figures for Clarion.

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES ...
Picked to finish eighth in the PSAC Western Division, Clarion comes into Saturday's contest with a 4-4 overall record and a 2-2 mark in league play - tied for third in the division. The Golden Ealges last played on Sunday, December 4, and posted an 87-75 victory over visiting Lock Haven for their third consecutive win. Clarion had five players in double figures, led by Cameron Grumley who poured in 27 points. Lock Haven led 48-32 at halftime but the Golden Eagles stormed back to outscore the Bald Eagles, 55-27, in the second half. Clarion is 4-0 this season at Tippin Gymnasium - 0-4 away from home (0-3 on the road, 0-1 neutral). BJ Andrews has put together a fine career for the Golden Eagles as he surpassed the 1,000-point plateau earlier in the season. He has 1,059 career points - 26th on the school's all-time list. The senior leads the team in scoring this season as he averages 15.5 points per game. He is also second on the squad in rebounding, averaging 5.9 boards per game. Grumley, who scored 27 points in the win over Lock Haven last Sunday, is second on the team in scoring by averaging 13.9 points per contest. Grumley shoots nearly 50% from the field (37-of-76) and has made 26-of-27 foul shots (96.3%) in eight games. He is fourth on the team in rebounding (4.1), second in assists (3.8), and first in steals (1.3). Also keep an eye on Manny Powell (13.1 ppg) and Jamani Pierce (11.9 ppg) who also average in double figures in scoring. Powell leads the team in assists (4.5) while Pierce is the team's leading rebounder (6.0).

NEW MEMBER OF THE 1,000-POINT CLUB ...
Last Saturday, redshirt junior Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) became the latest member of Bloomsburg University's 1,000-point club when he hit a pair of second-half free throws during the Huskies' 74-68 loss at Mercyhurst. All told, 29 players have hit the milestone in Bloomsburg's history with Mike Ellzy leading the way with 1,911 career points (1993-97). Mortellite added 23 points against Gannon on Sunday afternoon and now has 1,025 points in his Huskies' career - tied for 26th on the school's all-time list. He is tied with Jeff Benson (1997-99) and needs one point to tie Steve Bright (1975-78) for 25th on the list.

CLIMBING ANOTHER LIST ...
Not only is Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) climbing the school's scoring list, but he is also rapidly ascending the program's all-time list for career three-pointers. He owns sole possession of fifth on the school's all-time list after he surpassed Aaron Carter and Mike Cheatle with four triples in the win over Lincoln on November 15. Mortellite added eight more triples in the two games last weekend and now has 146 for his career. Next in his sights is Jay DeShields who knocked down 205 triples from 1998-2002.

DOWNTOWN WITH THE HUSKIES ...
The Huskies have made at least one three-pointer in 161 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 has made ten three-pointers in a game twice this season - at Penn State Hazleton (10-of-21) and against Pitt-Johnstown (10-of-24). 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). The Huskies are shooting 38.6% from long range this season - sixth in the PSAC.

COMING UP ROSES ...
Junior Kyle-Michael Rose (Middletown, Del./Sanford School (Highland CC)) has developed into a threat on the offensive end this season. One year after averaging only 3.8 points and 3.0 rebounds, Rose is fourth on the team in scoring (8.6) and fourth in rebounding (5.9) this season. He has had his first two career double-doubles and has hit double figures in scoring four times. He leads the team in field goal percentage (50.0%) and has also been efficient at the foul line, going 18-of-25 (72.0%). More than half of his 41 rebounds (21) have come on the offensive glass. He leads the team in offensive rebounds through seven games.

MORTELLITE NAMED CO-ATHLETE OF THE WEEK ...
Redshirt junior Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) was named the PSAC Eastern Division Co-Athlete of the Week after his performance against Wilmington. Mortellite posted his first double-double of the season, and fifth of his career, with 28 points and 11 rebounds in the 84-81 victory at Wilmington. He hit 9-of-16 from the field and tied a career-high with six three-pointers (on eight attempts) in the win. He previously recorded six triples in a game when he posted a career-high 37 points at West Chester on February 11, 2015.

BENCH PRODUCTION ...
Through seven games this season, the bench has produced a total of 114 points - an average of 16.3 points per game. More than a third of that total - 39 points - has come from junior Alex Prislupsky (Olyphant, Pa./Mid-Valley), who is expected to make his first start of the season on Saturday afternoon. The Huskies' bench has been outscored in four of the seven games this season, including a 36-6 margin in last Saturday's loss at Mercyhurst and a 31-14 spread in the team's win at Wilmington on November 26. Bloomsburg's season-high for bench production came against Pitt-Johnstown when the reserves scored 27 of the team's 70 points. However, most of that came from Prislupsky who scored a career-high 19 points in the one-point loss. On the flip side, Bloomsburg opponents have totaled 165 bench points through seven games (23.6 per game).

MORTELLITE NAMED PRESEASON ALL-PSAC EAST ...
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). His 19.0 scoring average was the highest single-season scoring average by a Bloomsburg player since Matt Jefferson averaged 19.1 points per game during the 2005-06 season.

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 in 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 121-155 overall record to date - second in Bloomsburg history among career wins. Bloomsburg's 91-84 win at East Stroudsburg on January 30, 2016 was #113, which moved him ahead of Harold S. Shelly who won 112 games with the Huskies from 1949-1960.

UP NEXT ...
Bloomsburg finally returns to the Nelson Field House to play its last home game of the 2016 portion of the season on Sunday, December 18 when it hosts Felician University in a non-conference matchup. Start time is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. The Huskies are 0-2 lifetime against the Golden Falcons, including a 57-54 loss at Felician on November 14, 2015.