BLOOMSBURG, Pa.  – The Bloomsburg University men's basketball team opened their 2017-18 campaign with a strong showing on home court, dispatching visiting Penn State Hazleton 94-55 Friday night (Nov. 10) at the Nelson Field House.
 
After the Nittany Lions gained an early 4-3 lead a few possessions in, the Huskies seized control and went on a 15-0 run that spanned three minutes and change.  Bloomsburg scored at will for the majority of the first half, while holding the Nittany Lions to single-digit scoring until about the halfway point of the frame. The Huskies stretched their lead to as many as 27 in the first half, taking a 23-point lead to the break. At the break, Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) totaled eight buckets including five three-pointers for 21 points. As a team, the Huskies shot 46.2 percent from the floor including 45 percent from long range with nine three-pointers. Bloomsburg also out-rebounded the Nittany Lions 23-19 in the first half.
 
The home team kept on firing in the second half, growing their lead to as many as 47 with nine minutes left in the half. For the remaining nine minutes, the smallest lead for BU was 38. The Huskies made seven three-pointers in the second, while shooting 51.4 percent from the floor and 41.2 from beyond the arc.
 
In total, Bloomsburg shot 48.6 percent from the floor, while shooting 43.2 percent from downtown. The Huskies also shot 75 percent from the charity stripe. In total, the home team out-rebounded the visitors 47-36, including 35-26 on the defensive glass. Mortellite finished with 26 points as well as 10 rebounds, finishing four assists shy of a triple-double. Austin Harriott (Philadelphia, Pa./Hun School) added 15 points on a near-perfect shooting night, finishing 5-6 from the field including one from long range and a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line. Younger brother Peyton Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) dropped 12 in his first collegiate game, knocking down four three-pointers. Khary Mauras (Reading, Pa./Reading) added 12 of his own, shooting 5-9 from the field including two-three-pointers. Kyle-Michael Rose (Middletown, Del./Sanford School) and Matthew Kachelries (Macungie, Pa./Emmaus) each poured in 10 on the night, giving the Huskies six scorers in double-figures on the night. Ethan Houston (Carlisle, Pa./Carlisle) and Hashim Moore (Sunrise, Fla./Hun School) both made contributions in their first game for the Maroon and Gold, with Houston scoring five and Moore adding four.
 
The Huskies hit the road for the first of a three-game road swing when they travel to Georgian Court next Wednesday (Nov. 15). Tip-off is slated for 7:00 p.m.