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BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – Redshirt sophomore Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) and senior Malik Garner (Philadelphia/Chestnut Hill Academy) combined to score 45 points, including eight of the team's twelve points in overtime, to lift the Bloomsburg University men's basketball team to an impressive 81-77 victory over the Kutztown Golden Bears at the Nelson Field House on Wednesday night. The Huskies, who have won seven of their last eight games, improved to 14-8 overall and 12-6 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division. Kutztown dropped to 17-5 overall and 14-4 in league play.
 
The Huskies avenged a 99-76 loss at Kutztown on January 9 and snapped a three-game skid against the Golden Bears. It was just Bloomsburg's third win in the last eleven meetings between the two schools. The win also kept the Huskies in the hunt for the PSAC East regular season championship as Bloomsburg moved to within two games of West Chester (lost on Wednesday) and Kutztown with four games remaining.
 
Mortellite scored a game-high 25 points and added a career-high 13 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. He scored 21 of his points in the second half and overtime to collect his 12th 20-point game of the season. Meanwhile, Garner scored a career-high 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season.
 
Junior Donell Diggs (Washington, D.C./Takoma Academy) and sophomore Alex Prislupsky (Olyphant/Mid-Valley) each chipped in nine points while senior Charles Haigler (Charles Town, WV/Hargrave Military Academy) had six, including two clutch free throws to give the Huskies a 79-77 lead with 55 seconds remaining in overtime.
 
The game was close throughout as Kutztown had the biggest lead of the game at seven points with 8:11 left in regulation. Bloomsburg's largest advantage happened to be its final margin of victory as the teams battled through six ties and 16 lead changes.
 
Kutztown held the lead for much of the first half, but never pulled ahead by more than six points - initially when Anthony Selby hit a jumper with 7:30 left to give the visitors a 21-15 lead. Bloomsburg clawed its way back and eventually took the lead when Garner buried a three-pointer with 2:28 left to give the Huskies a 24-23 advantage.
 
The teams would exchange baskets the rest of the way, but it was Kutztown that headed to the locker room with a 32-31 lead after Austin Beidelman hit a three-pointer from just inside the half court line as time expired.
 
The second half was much of the same as the visitors held a slim lead for a majority of the twenty minutes. Kutztown built up the game's biggest lead when Martin Dietrich nailed a three-pointer to give the Golden Bears a 60-53 advantage with 8:11 left. But, the resilient Huskies stormed back with six straight points to cut the lead to one after a Mortellite layup with 6:21 left.
 
Kutztown's Josh Johnson nailed a three-pointer with 5:38 left to extend the lead to four, but the Huskies responded with five straight points to take a one-point advantage with 4:58 left. Kutztown followed with four of the game's next five points and the Golden Bears held a 67-65 lead at the final media timeout with 3:29 remaining.
 
Neither team scored again until Beidelman hit one of two foul shots to extend the Golden Bear lead to three, 68-65, with 1:06 left. Garner cut the lead to one with 37 seconds left and Beidelman again went 1-of-2 at the line at the other end to give Kutztown a 69-67 lead with 20 seconds remaining. On the ensuing possession, Mortellite drove to the basket, but missed on a layup attempt. He got his own rebound, missed again, but got the rebound again and tied the game at 69-69 with five seconds left. A steal by junior Yahmir Greenlee (Philadelphia/Boys Latin) foiled Kutztown's last-second effort to send the game to overtime.
 
Overtime played out in the same fashion as the rest of the contest with Kutztown building an early lead before Bloomsburg responded. Kutztown led by five early but was limited to just three points over the final 4:07 as the Huskies chipped away. Haigler's free throws completed the comeback and gave the Huskies a lead they would not relinquish. Mortellite finished with six points in the extra session.
 
Johnson led five Golden Bears in double figures with 19 points and 12 rebounds. However, he fouled out with 3:29 left in the second half. In fact, the game featured 53 combined fouls - four players fouled out (three for Kutztown) - and 62 free throw attempts.
 
Bloomsburg shot only 39.7% from the field and made 20-of-32 (62.5%) of its free-throw attempts. However, the Huskies outrebounded Kutztown, 45-44, which included 19 offensive rebounds. Bloomsburg also turned the ball over just ten times while the defense forced Kutztown into 16 turnovers.
 
The Huskies will look to keep the pressure on in the PSAC East when they travel to Lock Haven on Saturday, February 13. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.