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LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - Redshirt junior
Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) scored 22 of his season-high 33 points in the second half to help the Bloomsburg University men's basketball team erase an eight-point halftime deficit and pull away for a 93-76 victory at Lock Haven University on Wednesday night. The Huskies' win snapped a two-game losing streak and improved their record to 10-8 overall and 6-8 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division. The Bald Eagles dropped to 9-9 overall and 5-9 in league play.
The contest featured two of the league's top three scorers in Mortellite, who entered the game third in the PSAC in scoring, and Lock Haven's freshman sensation, Amir Hinton, who entered second in the conference. Hinton won the battle in the first half, 15-11, as the Bald Eagles built up a 43-35 lead at halftime.
But, Mortellite exploded in the second half and had a perfect twenty minutes shooting the ball. The sharpshooter was 6-of-6 from the field, 3-of-3 from three-point range, and 7-of-7 from the foul line to account for 22 of Bloomsburg's 58 second-half points. Mortellite outscored Hinton, 22-12, in the second half and 33-27 for the contest.
Senior
Yahmir Greenlee (Philadelphia, Pa./Boys Latin) added 21 points and junior
Carnell McGirt (Philadelphia, Pa./Roman Catholic (Valley Forge Military Academy)) chipped in 17 points in only 14 minutes to help propel the Huskies to the come-from-behind victory. Both Greenlee and McGirt had 13 of their points come during the final twenty minutes.
The Huskies shot an astronomical 79.2% from the field in the second half (19-of-24) and made 5-of-7 (71.4%) from long range.
Bloomsburg jumped out to an 8-2 lead at the outset of the contest. Greenlee got the Huskies on the board with a layup which was followed by a three-pointer from junior
Alex Prislupsky (Olyphant, Pa./Mid-Valley) and a three-point play from junior
Kyle-Michael Rose (Middletown, Del./Sanford School (Highland CC)).
The Huskies continued to play well early as they held a 15-9 advantage with 13:54 left in the opening half. But, the Bald Eagles caught fire and turned the six-point deficit into a seven-point lead, 32-25, with 5:45 left. Hinton scored nine of Lock Haven's 23 points during the spurt.
Lock Haven continued to shoot well and closed out the half with a 43-35 advantage. The Bald Eagles shot 18-of-32 (56.3%) from the field in the first half while the Huskies made 16-of-37 (43.2%).
Ra'eese Hunt gave the Bald Eagles an 11-point lead with a three-pointer 15 seconds into the second half. The Huskies got back into the game with a 12-3 run, in less than three minutes, to cut the Bald Eagles' lead to 49-47 with 17:01 left in regulation.
The teams exchanged baskets until a Mortellite three-pointer with 13:04 left gave the Huskies a 59-58 lead - a lead Bloomsburg would not relinquish.
The Mortellite triple was the beginning of a 15-4 run that eventually saw the Huskies build up a 71-62 advantage with 9:01 left. Greenlee and Mortellite combined for 13 of the 15 points while redshirt freshman
Sam Saxton (York, Pa./Central York (Le Moyne)) added the other two.
Lock Haven cut the lead to four, 71-67, after scoring five straight points in less than 90 seconds. But, the Huskies reversed the momentum with a 6-0 run to swell the lead to ten, 77-67, with 6:31 left. The Bald Eagles got as close as six points, 77-71, with 5:42 remaining, but Bloomsburg, again, went on a little run - this time a 7-0 spurt - to extend the lead to 13, 84-71, with 3:51 left. Lock Haven got as close as ten down the stretch until the Huskies scored nine of the game's final eleven points.
The 33-point effort marked the third time Mortellite has hit at least 30 points in a game. His career-high was a 37-point effort at West Chester during his freshman season.
Bloomsburg also held a significant, 35-23, edge in rebounding. Senior
Malik Sneed (Washington, D.C./Spingarn (Prince George's CC)) brought down a team-high nine boards.
The Huskies will be back on the road on Saturday, January 28, when they head to Cheyney University for a 3:00 p.m. start. The Huskies defeated the Wolves, 104-63, at the Nelson Field House back on January 3.
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