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BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - Despite the second consecutive 31-point effort from redshirt senior Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton), the Bloomsburg University men's basketball team dropped a 94-79 decision against visiting California University of Pennsylvania on Saturday afternoon at the Nelson Field House. With the loss, the Huskies remained winless in league play as they dropped to 4-3 overall and 0-3 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division. The Vulcans, meanwhile, improved to 5-2 overall and 2-1 in the PSAC West standings.

Mortellite buried a season-high six three-pointers and finished 11-of-21 from the field and 6-of-11 from long distance en route to his second consecutive 31-point game. It was the seventh 30-point effort of his career. Senior Kyle-Michael Rose (Middletown, Del./Sanford School) posted his first double-double of the season, and third of his career, as he posted 12 points and 11 rebounds while also blocking a season-high six shots. Also in double figures for the Huskies were graduate student Hashim Moore (Sunrise, Fla./Hun School) and redshirt sophomore Sam Saxton (York, Pa./Central York) who scored 12 and 11 points respectively.

Bloomsburg never led but didn't trail by double-digits until the Vulcans built up a 78-67 lead with 4:34 left in regulation. The Huskies would pull to within one possession and tied the game on three different occasions early in the second half but the visitors would respond and pull away each time Bloomsburg made a rally.

The Vulcans were jump-started on offense by Cordell Smith who hit back-to-back three-pointers at the outset of the contest to give the visitors a 6-0 lead. Mortellite responded at the other end with his first triple of the afternoon to cut the lead to 6-3 with 18:14 remaining in the opening half. The remainder of the half followed much of the same pattern as Bloomsburg never trailed by more than eight points but by never fewer than two. The Huskies cut the California lead to two, 21-19, after a layup from sophomore Austin Harriott (Philadelphia, Pa./Hun School) with 10:45 left but the Vulcans responded with a 6-0 run to take their largest lead of the half, 27-19, with 8:46 remaining in the opening stanza.

Still trailing by eight, 37-29, with 5:05 left in the opening half, the Huskies scored the next five points on a layup from Moore and a three-pointer from Saxton to cut the lead to 37-34 with 4:01 left. California's Jahmere Howze converted a layup at the other end before Mortellite knocked down a three-pointer to trim the lead to 39-37 with 3:19 left. The Huskies, however, could not get over the hurdle and the Vulcans went to the locker room with a 45-41 advantage.

Back-to-back layups from Moore at the start of the second half pulled the Huskies even at 45-45 and the teams exchanged baskets over the next two minutes with a layup from Saxton tying the game at 49-49 with 16:38 left. But, the Vulcans went on an 11-2 run over the next three minutes to take a 60-51 advantage with 13:38 left in regulation. The Huskies, however, chipped away and, after a layup from sophomore Khary Mauras (Reading, Pa./Reading) with 9:51 left, Bloomsburg found themselves trailing by one, 62-61. California responded, as it did the entire game, with the next five points to take a 67-61 lead with 8:45 left. Bloomsburg, this time, could get no closer than four points the rest of the way as the Vulcans scored 27 points over the last eight minutes of regulation to pull away for the double-digit win.

Bloomsburg shot 32-of-75 (42.7%) from the field and 7-of-19 (36.8%) from three-point range in the loss. The Huskies were an uncharacteristic 8-of-14 (57.1%) from the free throw line and were outscored from the charity stripe, 17-8, for the first time all season. The Vulcans, meanwhile, shot 35-of-66 (53.0%) from the field and and identical 7-of-19 (36.8%) from long distance. California was 17-of-25 (68.0%) from the line.

The Huskies were out-rebounded, 42-39, despite the season-high 11 boards from Rose and seven each from Mortellite and Harriott.

California had five players in double figures led by Howze who scored 24 points in 29 minutes off the bench. Isaiah Lewis had a sensational all-around game for the Vulcans as he scored 21 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and dished out nine assists.

Bloomsburg will get right back to work on Sunday afternoon when it hosts Slippery Rock at the Nelson Field House in search of its first league win of the year. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.