BLOOMSBURG (12-8, 8-8 PSAC East) vs #9 SHIPPENSBURG (18-2, 14-2 PSAC East)
Saturday, February 4, 2017 - 3:00 p.m.
Bloomsburg, Pa. | Nelson Field House

GAME NOTES:
Bloomsburg vs Shippensburg Game Notes

GAME COVERAGE:
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/bloomu/mbball/
Live Audio (WHLM): http://www.whlm.com

RELATED LINKS:
Bloomsburg - Roster | Schedule | Statistics
Shippensburg - Roster | Schedule | Statistics

LAST TIME OUT ...
Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) scored a game-high 30 points to lift Bloomsburg to its third consecutive victory - 83-73 over visiting West Chester at the Nelson Field House on Wednesday. Mortellite's fifth three-pointer of the game, with 7:44 left in regulation, gave him 83 three-pointers on the season to break the program's single-season school record. Yahmir Greenlee (Philadelphia, Pa./Boys Latin) added 23 points and four assists while Carnell McGirt (Philadelphia, Pa./Roman Catholic (Valley Forge Military Academy)) (12) and Kyle-Michael Rose (Middletown, Del./Sanford School (Highland CC)) (10) were also in double figures. The Huskies scored 49 points in the second half and built up a 22-point lead midway through the final half before hanging on down the stretch.

STARTING FIVE ...
1 - Redshirt junior Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) continues his rapid ascent up Bloomsburg's all-time scoring list. The sharpshooter currently sits in 12th place on the school's all-time list with 1,342 career points. He jumped ahead of Richard Lloyd (1958-62) in the win over West Chester on Wednesday and now trails Shawn Munford (1997-01) by 12 points for 11th and Robert Herzig (1961-65) by 20 points to crack the school's top ten list. He has scored at least 20 points in 18 of the 20 games this season and has 38 career 20-point efforts in 72 collegiate games. He has hit double figures in 56 of his last 58 games and has been held to under 10 points in a game only nine times in his career.

2 - Bloomsburg has found its stride offensively and has moved to sixth in the PSAC in scoring offense at 81.3 points per game. The Huskies scored just 73 points last Saturday at Cheyney - the fewest since scong 70 at Clarion on December 10. Bloomsburg has averaged 86.0 points over its last 12 contests after averaging only 74.1 points per game through the first eight games of the year.

3 - Senior Yahmir Greenlee (Philadelphia, Pa./Boys Latin) has sparked the Huskies' offense as he has started the last 11 games. Greenlee finished with then-career-highs in points (15), assists (9), and steals (4) while tying a career-best in rebounds (4) in the victory at West Chester on December 30. He broke his career-high with 19 points at Shippensburg, broke it again with 21 points against Mansfield, and then broke it one final time with 25 points at Kutztown on January 18. All told, Greenlee has hit double figures in all 11 games and is averaging 17.5 points and 3.8 assists. He hit double digits in scoring only twice last season.

4 - The Huskies are among the national leaders in several categories as a team while Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton)'s shooting touch has him among the country's leaders in a handful of individual categories. As a team, Bloomsburg ranks 12th in the country in free throw percentage (77.9%) and tenth in blocks per game (5.2) while ranking 25th in the nation in three-point percentage (40.9%). Mortellite, meanwhile, leads the country in three-pointers per game (4.15). He is just ahead of Lincoln Memorial's Luquon Choice (4.05) and Angelo State's Quay King (4.00). Mortellite is also fourth in the nation in total threes (83), 10th in points per game (23.6), 17th in free-throw percentage (90.1%), and 39th in three-point percentage (44.9%).

5 - Bloomsburg had three players post a double-double in the win at Wilmington - Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) (28 pts, 11 reb), Kyle-Michael Rose (Middletown, Del./Sanford School (Highland CC)) (17 pts, 12 reb), and Carnell McGirt (Philadelphia, Pa./Roman Catholic (Valley Forge Military Academy)) (12 pts, 11 reb). It marked the first time multiple Huskies' players had a double-double since February 10, 2016 against Kutztown - Mortellite (25 pts, 13 reb) and Malik Garner (Philadelphia, Pa./Chestnut Hill Academy) (20 pts, 10 reb). The Huskies had not had three players post a double-double in the same game since prior to the 1990-1991 season.

THE SERIES ...
Bloomsburg leads the all-time series against Shippensburg, 104-68.

LAST MEETING AGAINST SHIPPENSBURG ...
Carnell McGirt (Philadelphia, Pa./Roman Catholic (Valley Forge Military Academy)) scored a career-high 26 points but Bloomsburg's upset bid against then-#14 Shippensburg fell four points short, 79-75, at Shippensburg's Heiges Field House. McGirt was 9-of-13 from the field and 8-of-9 from the foul line. Yahmir Greenlee (Philadelphia, Pa./Boys Latin) added 19 points while Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) was held to just 13 points. The Raiders jumped out to a 31-16 lead before the Huskies went on a 13-0 run before halftime to cut the lead to 31- 29 at the break. Shippensburg then led 59-51 before the Huskies went on a 9-2 run to cut the lead to 61-60 with 5:29 left. But, the Huskies could not get over the hump as the Raiders held on for the win. Dustin Sleva paced the Raiders with 19 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists.

SCOUTING THE RAIDERS ...
Shippensburg comes into the contest ranked ninth in the latest NABC Division II men's basketball poll but, after starting the season with a perfect 18-0 record, the Raiders have dropped their last two contests. On Wednesday, the Raiders lost a showdown with #10 Kutztown, 81-75, in Shippensburg. The Raiders enter the contest ranked third in the PSAC in scoring offense (85.5), fourth in scoring defense (69.8), and first in scoring margin (15.7). The Raiders are also second in the league in rebounds per game (40.4) and third in rebounding margin (4.6). Dustin Sleva averages a double-double on the season (20.9 ppg, 10.6 rpg) and has 12 such efforts on the season. He leads the PSAC in rebounding and is fourth in scoring. He is also third on the team in assists, tied for second in steals, leads the team in blocks, and is third in three-pointers. Justin McCarthur is second on the team, 15th in the PSAC, in scoring at 15.4 points per game. He leads the Raiders with 61 three-pointers. Abe Massaley is third on the team in scoring (13.3) and leads the team (seventh in the PSAC) in assists with 5.0 per game. Antonio Kellem averages 13.1 points per game while John Castello nearly averages a double-double in his rookie season as he chips in 10.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per contest. He is fourth in the league in rebounding. Depth could be a concern - Shippensburg's five starters have scored 82.7% of the team's points this season.

ONE RECORD DOWN ...
Redshirt junior Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) hit five threes in the win over West Chester on Wednesday to give him the program's single-seaon school-record for three-pointers with 83. Jay DeShields held the previous record of 82 during the 2001-02 season. The school-record for threes in a season, men or women, is 97 set by Dana Wieller during the 2011-12 season.

MORTELLITE CLAIMS PSAC EAST HONORS AGAIN ...
Mortellite was named the PSAC East Co-Athlete of the Week on January 30 after leading the Huskies to a 2-0 record last week. He averaged 28.0 points, including a season-high 33 points at Lock Haven last Wednesday. He also averaged 5.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists while shooting 58.8% from the field in the two games. Mortellite earned Athlete of the Week honors on January 17 and Co-Athlete of the Week accolades on November 28.

McGIRT HEATING UP ...
Junior Carnell McGirt (Philadelphia, Pa./Roman Catholic (Valley Forge Military Academy)) has provided the Huskies with an offensive spark since getting off to a bit of a slow start. In his first eight games, McGirt averaged 8.8 points and 6.5 rebounds but, in his last 12 games (seven in a reserve role), McGirt is averaging 15.0 points and 7.5 rebounds. He has hit double figures in 11 of his last 12 games including a career-high 26 points in the loss at Shippensburg on January 6.

LATEST MEMBER OF THE 1,000-POINT CLUB ...
On Saturday, December 3, Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) became the latest member of Bloomsburg University's 1,000-point club when he hit a pair of second-half free throws during the Huskies' 74- 68 loss at Mercyhurst. All told, 29 players have hit the milestone in Bloomsburg's history with Mike Ellzy leading the way with 1,911 career points (1993-97). Mortellite now has 1,342 points in his Huskies' career - 12th on the school's all-time list. He needs 12 points to tie Shawn Munford (1997-01) for 11th and 20 points to tie Robert Herzig (1961-65) for 10th.

CLIMBING ANOTHER LIST ...
Mortellite is also climbing the school's all-time list for career three-pointers. He owns sole possession of fifth on the school's all-time list after he surpassed Aaron Carter and Mike Cheatle with four triples in the win over Lincoln on November 15. Mortellite now has 200 for his career. Next in his sights is Jay DeShields who knocked down 205 triples from 1998-2002. Meanwhile, junior Alex Prislupsky (Olyphant, Pa./Mid-Valley) has hit 84 career triples and is 15 away from cracking the top ten.

NOT FOUL AT THE LINE ...
Bloomsburg has been impressive from the charity stripe this season as it ranks second in the PSAC, and 12th in the country, in free-throw percentage (77.9%). The Huskies were 21-of-22 at Cheyney last Saturday, including a perfect 17-of-17 in the second half. Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) (90.1%) and senior Donell Diggs (Washington, D.C./Takoma Academy (Prince George's CC)) (88.3%) are second and third in the league, respectively, in accuracy. Mortellite was 11-of-11 in the win over West Chester on Wednesday. Junior Carnell McGirt (Philadelphia, Pa./Roman Catholic (Valley Forge Military Academy)) (80.5%) is 11th. The Huskies have also made a living at the line as they have made more trips to the stripe than their opponent in 15 of the 20 games (tied in two) and have scored more points from the line in 17 of the 20 contests (tied in one). Bloomsburg is +102 from the free-throw line this season.

DOWNTOWN WITH THE HUSKIES ...
The Huskies have made at least one three-pointer in 174 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 has made at least ten three-pointers in a game six times this season after achieving that feat just one time last season - an 85-59 home victory against Millersville on February 17, 2016 (10-of- 17).

UP NEXT ...
Bloomsburg will embark on a three-game road swing beginning next Wednesday, February 8 at Millersville. Start time is set for 7:30 p.m. The Huskies edged the Marauders, 78-77, in the closing seconds back on January 14 but still trail the all-time series against Millersville, 94-89.