Men's Basketball | 2/13/2018 11:49:00 AM

BLOOMSBURG (14-9, 10-9 PSAC East) vs EAST STROUDSBURG (17-5, 14-4 PSAC East)
Wednesday, February 14, 2018 - 5:30 p.m.
Bloomsburg, Pa. | Nelson Field House

GAME NOTES
Bloomsburg vs East Stroudsburg Game Notes

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Bloomsburg - Roster | Schedule | Statistics
East Stroudsburg - Roster | Schedule | Statistics

STARTING FIVE ...
- Bloomsburg leads the all-time series against East Stroudsburg, 92-74, but the Warriors have won 10 of the last 11 meetings between the two schools. Bloomsburg's only win during the stretch was a 91-84 victory at East Stroudsburg on January 30, 2016. Both teams have already clinched spots in the conference tournament later this month.

- With 18:54 left in regulation on January 31 against Kutztown, Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) became the program's all-time leading scorer as he passed Mike Ellzy's total of 1,911 from 1993-97. He needs 27 points to become the 12th player in PSAC history to record 2,000 career points. He currently ranks 13th on the PSAC's all-time scoring list with 1,973 points and trails Cheyney's Anthony Frazier by 26 points to move into 12th position.
 
- Kyle-Michael Rose (Middletown, Del./Sanford School) became the seventh player to record 100 career blocks with three swats against Cheyney on January 6. He has moved into third place on the school's all-time list with 127 career blocks and  needs three blocks to tie Lee Gump (1992-96) for second on the career list. He is third in the PSAC, and 13th in the country, in blocks per game (2.52).  

- The Huskies have made at least one three-pointer in 204 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 reached double digits only four times this season but has made at least five in 19 of its 23 games. The Huskies are sixth in the PSAC, averaging 7.5 threes per game and fifth in percentage (37.1%).

- Speaking of three-pointers, Mortellite has made 301 triples in his career and ranks eighth on the PSAC's all-time list. He became only the eighth player in conference history to record 300 career triples midway through the second half against Millersville on Saturday. He trails Lock Haven's Mike Shue (1993-97) by seven to move into seventh place on the PSAC's all-time list.

THE SERIES ...
Bloomsburg leads the all-time series against East Stroudsburg, 92-74, but the Warriors have won 10 of the last 11 meetings between the two schools. Bloomsburg's only win during the stretch was a 91-84 victory at East Stroudsburg on January 30, 2016. The Warriors handed the Huskies their worst loss of the season, 98-62, back on January 13 in East Stroudsburg.

LAST TIME OUT ...
Bloomsburg outscored visiting Millersville, 35-19, over the final 10:44 of regulation as the Huskies knocked off the Marauders, 89-78, at the Nelson Field House on Saturday afternoon. The victory secured a postseason berth for the Huskies for the third consecutive season and the sixth time in the last seven years. Graduate student Hashim Moore (Sunrise, Fla./Hun School) led four Huskies in double figures with 22 points on 10-of-12 shooting from the field. Redshirt senior Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) added 21 points which included going 4-of-5 from three-point range. With his third triple of the game, he became only the eighth player in PSAC history to record 300 career three-pointers and, with his 21 points, moved to within 27 points of becoming just the 12th player in conference history to register 2,000 points for his career. Senior Kyle-Michael Rose (Middletown, Del./Sanford School) also had a sensational game for the Huskies as he posted 19 points and a career-high 13 rebounds for his second consecutive double-double. Sophomore Khary Mauras (Reading, Pa./Reading) chipped in with 15 points and five assists for the Huskies, who completed the season sweep over the Marauders.

East Stroudsburg put six players in double figures, led by 14 points by redshirt junior forward Josh Williams, in a 95-74 win at Cheyney on Monday night at Cope Hall. Junior guard Nick Giordano scored 13 points, redshirt junior guard Jakwan Jones and sophomore forward Kobi Nwandu scored 12 and redshirt senior forward Steve Harris and senior forward Ralik Wise had 11 each for ESU. Jones added six rebounds, six assists, and three of the Warriors' 16 steals, and sophomore guard Montrel Morgan had eight points. ESU, which led by as many as 34 in the second half, won its 19th straight against Cheyney since the Wolves won both meetings in 2008-09.

SCOUTING BLOOMSBURG ...
The Huskies enter Wednesday's matchup with a 14-9 overall record and a 10-9 mark in the PSAC East. The Huskies have a stranglehold on fifth-place in the division and have clinched a spot in the PSAC tournament for the third straight year, and sixth time in the last seven seasons. Bloomsburg is fifth in the PSAC in scoring at 82.5 points per game and ranks 10th in the league in scoring defense at 77.5. The team is sixth in the league in rebounding margin (+1.9) and 12th in the league in turnover margin (-0.17). The Huskies average just 13.0 turnovers per game - tied for the fourth-best mark in the PSAC.

Redshirt senior Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) leads the Huskies, and is tied for fifth in the PSAC, in scoring by averaging 21.3 points per game. He has scored at least 25 points eight times and has reached double figures in 22 of the 23 contests. On January 31 against Kutztown, Mortellite became the school's all-time leading scorer as he surpassed Mike Ellzy (1993-97) who finished his career with 1,911 points. He needs 27 points to become the 12th player in PSAC history to record 2,000 career points and currently ranks 13th on the PSAC's all-time scoring list with 1,973 points. He became the eighth player in PSAC history to record 300 three-pointers against Millersville on Saturday and ranks in conference history with 301. Mortellite also leads the team in rebounding (7.0), is second in steals (1.3),  and is second in assists (2.8). He is third in the PSAC in threes-per-game (3.22) and is third in the league in free-throw percentage (90.5%; 95-of-105). Sophomore Khary Mauras (Reading, Pa./Reading) is second on the team in scoring as he averages 13.1 points per game. He recorded what is believed to be the program's first triple-double (21 pts, 11 reb, 13 ast) against Lock Haven on February 3 - three days after his first career double-double (12 pts, 10 reb) against Kutztown on January 31. Mauras is averaging 15.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 5.5 assists over the last eight games. He leads the team in assists (103) and steals (39) and ranks tied for sixth in the PSAC in assists per game (4.5), tied for ninth in steals (1.7), and tied for fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.1). Senior Kyle-Michael Rose (Middletown, Del./Sanford School) is third on the team in scoring, averaging 13.1 points per game after averaging 5.6 points per game through his first two seasons. He ranks second on the team in rebounding (6.1) and free-throw percentage (82.6%; 76-of-92). Rose leads the team with 58 blocked shots and is third in the PSAC, and 13th in the country, in blocks per game (2.52). He is third on the school's all-time list with 127 career swats.

SCOUTING EAST STROUDSBURG ...
East Stroudsburg is 17-5 overall and sits in a tie for second (with Shippensburg) in the PSAC East entering Wednesday's game with a conference record of 14-4 - just one-half game behind West Chester for the top spot in the division. The Warriors have won three straight and six of their last seven. The Warriors are first in the league in scoring offense (93.6) but is only 11th in scoring defense (79.2). ESU is only 10th in the conference in rebounding margin is (-0.5) but the Warriors take care of the ball as they rank first in the PSAC in turnover margin (+8.18). ESU ranks third in the league in field goal percentage (48.3%) and feature three players averaging double-digits in scoring. Steve Harris is the player to watch for the Warriors as he leads the team in scoring at 14.5 points per game. Harris also leads the Warriors in rebounds (7.0) and blocked shots (27) while shooting a PSAC-best 64.6% from the field. Kobi Nwandu is second on the team in scoring at 12.5 points per game on 56.3% shooting. Nick Giordano is third in scoring at 11.2 points per game and ranks second on the team in steals (37) while leading the team in three-pointers (52). Ralik Wise averages 9.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game as the first player off the bench.

ROSE NAMED PSAC EAST ATHLETE OF THE WEEK ...
Senior Kyle-Michael Rose (Middletown, Del./Sanford School) was named the PSAC East Athlete of the Week on Monday afternoon - the first time in his career that he was honored by the league with a weekly award. He posted back-to-back double-doubles to lead the Huskies to a pair of victories. In last Wednesday's 75-58 win at Cheyney, Rose led the Huskies with 19 points, going 8-of-12 from the field, while pulling down 11 rebounds. He added two assists and two blocked shots in the victory. Then, on Saturday, Rose posted 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting and grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds to lift the Huskies to an 89-78 home win over Millersville on Senior Day. He added two more assists and two more blocked shots in the victory. For the week, Rose averaged 19.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.0 blocks while shooting 16-of-23 (69.6%) from the field. Rose now has four double-doubles this season and six for his career.

BROKEN RECORDS ...
Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) became the school's all-time leading scorer against Kutztown on January 31 - just another added to the laundry list of records he currently owns. Mortellite now holds the school record for most career points (1,973), most points in a season (613), most threes in a season (110), most career threes made (301), most career free throws made (432), most three-point attempts in a season (255), and most career three-point attempts (708). He could still break several other records by season's end including most career field goals made (needs 73), most career free throws attempted (needs 49), highest career scoring average (Richard Lloyd - 19.4), highest career three-point percentage (Joe Stepanski  - 43.0%), and highest career free throw percentage (Glenn Noack - 84.6%). Mortellite is currently 13th on the PSAC's all-time scoring list and needs 27 points to become the 12th player in conference history to reach 2,000 for his career. Meanwhile, he is eighth in PSAC history in career three-pointers made with 301.

HISTORIC WEEK ...
Two historic accomplishments were achieved in the span of three days at the Nelson Field House for the Bloomsburg men's basketball program. On Wednesday, January 31, Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) became the school's all-time leading scorer after a driving layup with 18:54 left in regulation against Kutztown. The basket gave him 1,913 points for his career, surpassing Mike Ellzy's previous record of 1,911 from 1993-97. Then, on Saturday, February 3, sophomore Khary Mauras (Reading, Pa./Reading) recorded what is believed to be the program's first-ever triple-double in an eight-point win over Lock Haven. Mauras had 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists, recording the 19th triple-double in Division II this season and only the second by a PSAC player (Seton Hill's Spencer Casson had the first).

DOWNTOWN WITH THE HUSKIES ...
The Huskies have made at least one three-pointer in 204 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 in 2015-16. Bloomsburg has reached double digits only four times this season but has made at least five in 19 of its 23 games. The Huskies are sixth in the PSAC, averaging 7.5 threes per game and fifth in percentage (37.1%).

GETTING TO THE STRIPE ...
Bloomsburg is shooting 74.1% from the free throw line this season - fifth in the PSAC - and has outscored its opponents from the stripe in 19 of the 23 games. The Huskies are +106 from the foul line this season (381-275). Bloomsburg features three of the top ten foul shooters in the PSAC this season - Christian Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) (3rd, 90.5%), Kyle-Michael Rose (Middletown, Del./Sanford School) (9th, 82.6%), and Khary Mauras (Reading, Pa./Reading) (10th, 81.1%). The home win over Lock Haven on February 3, marked the first time this season that Bloomsburg won despite being outscored (1-3) and out-attempted (1-5) from the foul line.

COMING UP ROSES ...
With his 58 blocks this season, senior Kyle-Michael Rose (Middletown, Del./Sanford School) has moved into third place on the school's all-time list with 127 career blocks. The 58 blocks this season are the most by a Bloomsburg player since Larry Webster (Hagerstown, MD/Elkton) swatted 61 shots during the 2009-10 campaign. Rose became the seventh player in school history to record 100 blocked shots with three against Cheyney on January 6. He is currently third in the PSAC, and 13th in the country, in blocks per game (2.52) and needs three blocks to tie Lee Gump (1992-96) for second on the school's all-time list.

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). Mauras, the starting point guard, is second on the team in scoring (13.2) and leads the team - tied for sixth in the PSAC - in assists (4.5). He posted what is believed to be the program's first-ever triple-double (21 pts, 11 reb, 13 ast) against Lock Haven on February 3. Moore is averaging 10.9 points and 4.9 rebounds. After opening the season by averaging 3.7 points in his first three games, Moore is averaging 12.0 points, while shooting 99-of-159 (62.3%) from the field over his last 20 games. Harriott averages 6.8 points while ranking third on the team in rebounding (5.7) and second in blocks (19). He posted his first career double-double (11 pts, 11 reb) at Cheyney last Wednesday.

MORE ON MORTELLITE ...
Mortellite has 55 career 20-point efforts (102 games) and eight career 30-point games. He has hit double figures in 84 of his last 88 games and has been held to under 10 points in a game only 11 times in his career. The redshirt senior now needs 27 points to become the 12th player in PSAC history to record 2,000 career points. He currently ranks 13th on the PSAC's all-time scoring list with 1,973 points and trails Cheyney's Charlie Parker by 26 points to move into 12th place on the PSAC's all-time list. He is also eighth on the PSAC's all-time list in career three-pointers with 301 and needs seven to tie Lock Haven's Mike Shue (1993-97) for seventh.
 
THAT'S OFFENSIVE ...
Bloomsburg posted 110-59 victory over visiting Cheyney on January 6. The Huskies had five double-digit scorers and all 12 players that appeared in the game scored at least two points in the victory. The 51-point margin of victory was Bloomsburg's largest since a 91-38 win over Penn State Wilkes Barre on December 7, 2009 and the 110 points scored marked the most by a Huskies' team in a single game since December 10, 1999 when Bloomsburg defeated the University of Bridgeport, 123-56. Prior to the 98-62 loss at East Stroudsburg on January 13, the Huskies had scored at least 90 points in four straight games - the longest streak in program history. Bloomsburg had done it in three straight games three times with the most recent coming in the 2010-11 season.

UP NEXT ...
The Huskies will be off until next Wednesday, February 21, when they hit the road to battle Mansfield University at 7:30 p.m. Bloomsburg will be looking to avenge a 92-85 loss to the Mountaineers at the Nelson Field House back on January 20.