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MANSFIELD, Pa. – Despite being shorthanded, the Bloomsburg University men's basketball team was able to escape Mansfield with a 79-71 victory at Decker Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon. The Huskies improved to 13-8 overall and 11-6 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division standings. The Mountaineers dropped to 5-17 overall and 3-14 in league play.
 
The Huskies, who played without junior Donell Diggs (Washington, D.C./Takoma Academy) and senior Charles Haigler (Charles Town, WV/Hargrave Military Academy) because of illness, won for the sixth time in the last seven games and moved ahead of Shippensburg for fourth place in the PSAC standings. Bloomsburg has already clinched a spot in the PSAC Tournament.
 
Redshirt sophomore Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) led five Huskies in double figures with 17 points. He also added a team-high eight rebounds in the victory. Junior Yahmir Greenlee (Philadelphia/Boys Latin), making his first start as a Husky in place of Diggs, scored a career-high 14 points while adding four rebounds and four assists. It was Greenlee's second consecutive double-digit scoring output.
 
Redshirt freshman Tyriek Steward (Wilkes-Barre/Elmer Meyers) (13), sophomore Alex Prislupsky (Olyphant/Mid-Valley) (11), and sophomore Kyle-Michael Rose (Middletown, DE/Sanford School) (10) also hit double figures while senior Malik Garner (Philadelphia/Chestnut Hill Academy) added nine points for the Huskies.
 
The first half was close throughout as the teams played through four lead changes and seven ties in the opening twenty minutes. Bloomsburg had the biggest lead of the half at seven points, 11-4, thanks to an 11-0 run after Mansfield opened the contest with four straight points. Prislupsky led the way with five points during the stretch.
 
When the dust settled, Bloomsburg held a 35-34 lead at halftime with Mortellite pacing the Huskies with nine points in the opening twenty minutes.
 
Mansfield opened the second half with a pair of free throws from Brad Williams for its only advantage of the half. Garner knocked down a three-pointer on the Huskies' next trip down the floor to give the visitors a 38-36 advantage. Bloomsburg gradually extended its lead, going up by as many as five, but the Mountaineers would not go away.
 
With Bloomsburg leading, 53-50, with 9:02 left, Steward converted an old-fashioned three-point play and the floodgates suddenly opened for the Huskies. The three-point play started a 21-8 run as the visitors took a 74-58 lead with 2:29 remaining. Steward carried the Huskies during the spurt, scoring 11 of the 21 points. Greenlee chipped in with five points as the Huskies built up their biggest lead of the game.
 
Mansfield trimmed the lead to six, 77-71, but ran out of time as Mortellite knocked down a pair of free throws to ice the game.
 
Bloomsburg shot 45.9% from the field and hit nine three-pointers in 25 attempts (36.0%). The Huskies held Mansfield to just 37.5% shooting and only 15.0% from long distance (3-of-20). The Mountaineers did manage a 43-33 edge in rebounding on the afternoon.
 
Williams led Mansfield with 20 points in the loss.
 
The Huskies will look to keep pace in the PSAC Eastern Division standings when they return home on Wednesday, February 10, to host Kutztown University (17-4, 14-3 PSAC East) – one of the teams the Huskies are trying to catch in the standings. Tip-off from the Nelson Field House is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.