Men's Basketball | 12/1/2017 2:16:00 PM

BLOOMSBURG (4-2, 0-2 PSAC East) vs CALIFORNIA (4-2, 1-1 PSAC West)
Saturday, December 2, 2017 - 3:00 p.m.
Bloomsburg, Pa. | Nelson Field House

BLOOMSBURG vs SLIPPERY ROCK (4-2, 0-2 PSAC West)
Sunday, December 3, 2017 - 3:00 p.m.
Bloomsburg, Pa. | Nelson Field House

GAME NOTES
Bloomsburg vs California/Slippery Rock Game Notes

 GAME COVERAGE:
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RELATED LINKS:
Bloomsburg - Roster | Schedule | Statistics
California - Roster | Schedule | Statistics
Slippery Rock - Roster | Schedule | Statistics

STARTING FIVE ...
- Bloomsburg hosts California (PA) and Slippery Rock on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, in a pair of PSAC crossover matchups. The Huskies went a perfect 4-0 this season against non-league opponents but will be looking for their first league win of the year. Bloomsburg has not played California or Slippery Rock since the 2015-16 season.

- Since the 2012-13 season, the Huskies are just 8-25 against opponents from the PSAC Western Division. However, six of the eight wins (6-9) have come at the Nelson Field House. Bloomsburg is just 2-16 in games played on the road against such opponents. Four of the eight wins during the stretch came during the 2015-16 season when Bloomsburg went 4-2 against PSAC West foes - 2-1 on the road. Two of those wins came against California (81-75, 11/22/15, at California) and Slippery Rock (70-67, 1/3/16, at Bloomsburg).

- With 5:49 left in the first half during the overtime loss at IUP, redshirt senior Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) became the school's all-time leader in career three-pointers made with his 238th career make, surpassing Lorenzo Christmas' previous record of 237 from 2010-14. Mortellite now has 246 for his career. The all-time Bloomsburg record (men or women) is held by Dana Wieller who hit 332 during her career from 2009-13.

- Mortellite has moved into third on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,620 career points. He trails only the school's all-time leading scorer, Mike Ellzy (1,911) and Jerry Radocha (1,778). Mortellite set the Bloomsburg single-season school-record last season with 613 points. With 20 games left in the regular season, Mortellite needs to average 14.6 points per game to break the record.

- Senior Kyle-Michael Rose (Middletown, Del./Sanford School) has moved into ninth place on the school's all-time list with 82 career blocked shots. Adam Bohman (1999-03) is eighth with 90.

THE COACHES ...
John Sanow is in his 12th season as head coach of the Huskies and sports an overall record of 137-165. Over the last six seasons, Sanow has guided the Huskies to a PSAC Tournament berth five times and a share of the PSAC Eastern Division regular season championship in 2011-12. He was named the PSAC East Coach of the Year that season. Over the last six years, entering this season, Bloomsburg has gone 85-78.

Kent McBride is in his second season with the Vulcans and is 14-20 overall at California. He guided the team to a three-win improvement in his first year as the Vulcans averaged more than 70 points for the first time in six years and set a school record with 255 three pointers. Before going to Calfornia, McBride spent five seasons at his alma mater, Concord, where he posted an 83-63 record. He guided the Mountain Lions to their first conference title since 1997 and their second-ever appearance in the NCAA tournament during the 2015-16 season.

Kevin Reynolds is in his 10th season at Slippery Rock and has an overall record of 171-102. He is the second winningest coach in The Rock's history and is just 51 wins away from passing N. Kerr Thompson for the most wins by a Slippery Rock men's basketball coach. Under Reynolds, Slippery Rock has produced five 20-win seasons, qualified for the PSAC Tournament seven times, and has earned three NCAA berths. He was the PSAC West Coach of the Year in 2008-09. He competed for four seasons at Bloomsburg University where he graduated with a degree in marketing in 1991.
 
THE SERIES ...
California (PA) leads the all-time series against the Huskies, 17-5, while the Bloomsburg-Slippery Rock series is all knotted up at 12-12. Bloomsburg did win the previous meeting against both schools back during the 2015-16 season - 81-75 at California on November 22, 2015; and 70-67 at home against Slippery Rock on January 3, 2016.

LAST TIME OUT ...
Redshirt senior Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) poured in a season-high 31 points - the sixth 30-point game of his collegiate career - as Bloomsburg held off Felician University, 87-80, at the Job Gymnasium on Wednesday night. Mortellite scored 22 of his 31 points in the second half to help the Huskies thwart a frenetic Felician comeback bid. The sharpshooter finished 9-of-16 from the field, 3-of-5 from three-point range, and 10-of-11 from the free throw line en route to his first 30-point game of the season. He also pulled down a team-high eight rebounds and added three assists and three steals. Senior Kyle-Michael Rose (Middletown, Del./Sanford School) tied a season-high with 16 points while graduate student Hashim Moore (Sunrise, Fla./Hun School) and sophomore Khary Mauras (Reading, Pa./Reading) also finished in double figures with 11 points apiece.

California made a season-high 15 three-pointers, including a combined 12 by seniors Terry Davis, Jr. and Cordell Smith, while claiming a 97-88 home victory over Salem on Monday night. Davis scored a game-high 25 points on 8-of-17 from the floor, including five-of-eight from beyond the arc. He also registered 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the year, while collecting nine assists, one block and two steals against Salem. Smith finished with a season-high 22 points behind 7-of-13 from long range.

Slippery Rock defeated Daemen College, 80-77, at home on Sunday afternoon to move to 4-0 against non-conference opponents this season. The Rock led for much of the game but had to hold off a late Daemen charge to secure the win. Slippery Rock was led by Khyree Wooten who scored 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Micah Till finished with 16 points in just 22 minutes as he dealt with foul trouble. Brandon Simmons added 12 points, eight rebounds, and four blocked shots.

SCOUTING BLOOMSBURG ...
Bloomsburg enters the matchup with a 4-2 overall record with both of its losses coming against PSAC West opponents The Huskies average 80.5 points per game on offense - seventh in the PSAC - and allow 72.7 points per game on defense - fifth in the conference. Bloomsburg ranks sixth in the league in rebounding margin (+4.0) but is just 12th in the league in turnover margin (-0.7).

Redshirt senior Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) leads the Huskies, and is third in the PSAC, in scoring by averaging 22.7 points per game. He has scored at least 25 points in four of the first six games and is coming off of his sixth-career 30-point effort with a 31-point performance at Felician on Wednesday. At IUP on November 19, Mortellite became the school's all-time leader in career three-pointers made as he has now made 246 for his career. Mortellite also leads the team, and is tied for eighth in the PSAC, in rebounding (8.7). He also leads the team in steals (2.0) and is second in assists (3.8). Sophomore Khary Mauras (Reading, Pa./Reading) is second on the team in scoring, averaging 12.5 points per game. Mauras had a season-high 20 points in the loss at Pitt-Johnstown on Saturday, November 18. He leads the team in assists with 24. Senior Kyle-Michael Rose (Middletown, Del./Sanford School) averages 11.7 points per game and leads the team with 13 blocked shots. He is ninth on the school's all-time list with 82 career swats. Keep an eye on graduate student Hashim Moore (Sunrise, Fla./Hun School) and freshman Matthew Kachelries (Macungie, Pa./Emmaus). Moore is averaging 13.7 points over the last three games (he averaged 3.7 points in his first three games) while Kachelries is the reigning PSAC East Freshman of the Week.

SCOUTING CALIFORNIA ...
California (PA) has played a number of high-scoring games en route to a 4-2 mark to start the season. The Vulcans have scored at least 87 points in five of their first six games and they average 88.8 points per game - third in the PSAC. However, they have allowed at least 81 points in all six games and allow 88.3 points per game - tied for 16th in the conference. One thing to watch - California shoots just 64.9% from the foul line as a team - 14th in the PSAC.

The Vulcans feature four players averaging at least 13.2 points per game this season. Terry Davis, Jr. leads California in scoring, averaging 22.0 points per game - tied for fourth in the PSAC. He also leads the team in assists (24) and blocks (4) while ranking second on the team in rebounding (8.8). Davis, Jr. has also hit 52.6% of his shots this season. Isaiah Lewis is second in scoring, averaing 19.5 points per game. He is the team's leading foul shooter at 78.0% (32-of-41). Jahmere Howze posts 17.3 points and a team-leading 9.5 rebounds per game. Howze ranks fourth in the PSAC in rebounding. He also leads the team with 11 steals. Cordell Smith is also in double figures, averaging 13.2 points per game. He has a team-leading 18 three-pointers this season.

SCOUTING SLIPPERY ROCK ...
Slippery Rock, which will play at Lock Haven on Saturday, comes in to the weekend with a 4-2 mark but an 0-2 record in league play. The Rock will play at a different tempo then that of Saturday's opponent, California. Slippery Rock averages only 76.7 points per game on offense - 11th in the PSAC - but allows only 73.7 points per game - seventh in the conference.

Like the Huskies, Slippery Rock features a pretty-balanced scoring attack as six players average at least 6.5 points per game. Micah Till is the team's top scorer as he averages 20.7 points per game - ninth-best in the conference. He also pulls down a team-high 8.2 rebounds per game. Till gets to the line frequently and has made 34-of-41 from the stripe this season (82.9%). The rest of the team shoots 63.1% from the line. Aaron McDonald is second on the team in scoring, averaging 11.3 points per game. Bruce Spruell is third in scoring at 11.2 points per game and he leads the team in assists with 22. Keep an eye on Khyree Wooten (9.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg) and Brandon Simmons (7.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg). Wooten has knocked down 8-of-13 from long range while Simmons leads the team in blocks (12).

KACH ATTACK ...
Freshman Matthew Kachelries (Macungie, Pa./Emmaus) was named the PSAC East Freshman of the Week as announced by the league office on Monday afternoon. Kachelries posted career-highs in points (18), steals (4), and blocked shots (3) as he helped the Huskies to an 86-67 victory over Holy Family on Tuesday, November 21, in the team's only game last week. His previous high in points was 10 against Penn State Hazleton in the season opener. He also tied a career-high with three rebounds in the victory.

ANOTHER RECORD ...
Redshirt senior Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) became the school's all-time leader in career three-pointers at IUP on Sunday, November 19, as he broke Lorenzo Christmas' previous record of 237 from 2010-14. Mortellite now holds the school record for most career triples (243), most single-season triples (110), and most points in a single season (613).

MORE ON MORTELLITE ...
All eyes are on Mortellite as he tries to become the school's all-time leading scorer. The sharpshooter currently sits in third place on the school's all-time list with 1,620 career points. Mortellite has 46 career 20-point efforts in 85 collegiate games. He has hit double figures in 67 of his last 71 games and has been held to under 10 points in a game only 11 times in his career. Mortellite needs 159 points to pass Jerry Radocha (1973-77) for second and needs 292 points to become the school's all-time leader. Mike Ellzy (1993-97) currently holds the record with 1,911 career points.

WELCOME TO DIVISION II ...
Bloomsburg has three Division I transfers on this year's roster - sophomore Austin Harriott (Philadelphia, Pa./Hun School) (Loyola (Md.)), sophomore Khary Mauras (Reading, Pa./Reading) (Old Dominion), and graduate student Hashim Moore (Sunrise, Fla./Hun School) (Princeton) - and all three have made impacts early. Mauras, the starting point guard, is second on the team in scoring (12.5) and leads the team in assists (4.0). Moore also starts and, after a slow beginning, is averaging 8.7 points and 5.0 rebounds. He has scored 41 total points in the last three games. Harriott is the first player off of the Huskies' bench and averages 8.3 points and 6.0 rebounds.

DOWNTOWN WITH THE HUSKIES ...
The Huskies have made at least one three-pointer in 187 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 made at least ten three-pointers in a game eight times last season after achieving that feat just one time last in 2015-16. Bloomsburg has reached double digits once this season but has made at least six in all six games. Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) led all of Division II in threes-per-game (4.07) last season.

NOT FOUL AT THE LINE ...
Bloomsburg is shooting 75.2% from the free throw line this season and has outscored its opponents from the stripe in each of the first six games. The Huskies are +39 from the foul line this season (97-58). Khary Mauras (Reading, Pa./Reading) (19-of-19) has yet to miss from the line while Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) is 27-of-28 (96.4%). Mortellite's miss in the second half of Wednesday's win at Felician snapped a streak of 38 consecutive makes dating back to last season. All told, the Huskies are 97-of-129 from the line which includes Hashim Moore (Sunrise, Fla./Hun School), who has gone just 10-of-27 (37.0%) from the stripe. If Moore's numbers are taken out, the other 11 players have combined to go 87-of-102 (85.3%).

IT'S ROUGH OUT WEST ...
Bloomsburg went 0-2 at Pitt-Johnstown (92-65) on Saturday, November 18, and at IUP (83-81 (OT)) on Sunday, November 19 in the opening weekend of league play. Since the 2012-13 season, the Huskies are just 8-25 against opponents from the PSAC Western Division and just 2-16 in games played on the road against such opponents. Bloomsburg went 4-2 against PSAC West foes during the 2015-16 season - 2-1 on the road.

COMING UP ROSES ...
With his 13 blocks through the first six games of the season, senior Kyle-Michael Rose (Middletown, Del./Sanford School) has moved into ninth on the school's all-time list with 82 career blocks. He is 18 blocks away from becoming the seventh player in school history to record 100 career blocks. Larry Webster holds the career record with 175.

YOUTH MOVEMENT ...
The Huskies have just three seniors and no juniors on this year's roster and returned only three players from last year's team that finished 15-12. One of the three seniors - Hashim Moore (Sunrise, Fla./Hun School) - transferred in from Division I Princeton and is in his first season with the Huskies. Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) and Kyle-Michael Rose (Middletown, Del./Sanford School) are the other two seniors on the team while redshirt sophomore Sam Saxton (York, Pa./Central York) joins the duo as the only returning player from last year's team. Redshirt freshman Peyton Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) was on last year's roster but did not play.

UP NEXT ...
The Huskies will host Clarion at the Nelson Field House on Saturday, December 9 - the team's final game until December 30.  Tip-off is slated for 1:00 p.m.