BLOOMSBURG. Pa. – In their first game following a brief break for Thanksgiving, six players hit double figures, including senior Ky Mauras (Reading, Pa./Reading) and junior Ethan Houston (Carlisle, Pa./Carlisle) with 16 points each, as the Bloomsburg University men's basketball team powered its way past visiting Cheyney, 96-50, Monday evening. The Huskies improved to 4-3 on the year while the Wolves dropped to 1-8 for the season.
 
Mauras and Houston led the Huskies with 16 each while Mauras chipped in five assists and three steals as well. Freshman Justin Anderson (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) finished the day with 12 points and six rebounds and redshirt junior Max Wagner (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) posted an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double for Bloomsburg. Redshirt junior Peyton Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) and sophomore Travis Elmore (Tobyhanna, Pa./Pocono Mountain West) each added 10 to round out the Huskies in double figures. Wagner, Houston, and junior Maqi Watson (Philadelphia, Pa./Mathematics, Civics, and Sciences Charter) each posted a pair of blocks as well.
 
As a team, the Huskies shot 40.7% (33-for-81) from the field after going 21-for-40 (52.5%) in the second half. Bloomsburg was 18-23 from the free throw line and 12-29 from beyond the arc. Bloomsburg dominated the glass as the Huskies out-rebounded Cheyney 66-32. The Huskies capitalized on their 29 offensive boards with 29 second-chance points for the game.
 
With the scored tied 16-16 with 8:20 to play in the first, Mauras kicked off a nine-point run for the Huskies with a jumper and a made free throw thanks to an administrative tech for the Wolves. Anderson put an exclamation point on the run at the 5:28 mark with a jumper to give Bloomsburg a 25-16 lead. After the two teams traded threes, Johnathan Howard hit a jumper to cut the lead down to seven, 28-21, with 3:33 to play in the first but that would prove to be as close as the Wolves would get as Bloomsburg closed out the half with a 10-1 run to lead 39-21 at the break.
 
Elmore opened the second half with a tip-in off an offensive board to give Bloomsburg a 41-22 lead and Wagner gave the Huskies their first 20-point lead with a layup at the 18:37 mark, 43-22. The Huskies maintained a 19-point and 20-point lead until a 23-4 run over six minutes of game time started at 13:30 gave Bloomsburg a 39-point lead, 79-40, with 7:07 to play. The Huskies eventually took a 86-42 lead with 4:50 to play but Cheyney did not back down and cut the deficit down to 38, 86-48, with a layup from Martin Marku. Mortellite answered with a three to push the lead back to 41, 89-48, with 3:08 to go. After a pair of Elmore free throws was answered by a jumper from Damon Dukes, freshman Tariq Kalim (Chester Springs, Pa./Downingtown East) hit his first jumper of his career to spark a 5-0 run to close out the game for Bloomsburg and seal the 96-50 win.
 
The 46-point win is the largest margin of victory for the Huskies in the last two seasons.
 
Bloomsburg held Cheyney to a 34.8% game from the field (23-for-66) and the Wolves were just 3-for-14 from beyond the arc, with all of their triples coming in the first half (3-for-7).
 
The Huskies get back to Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) action this weekend as they host Pitt.-Johnstown on Saturday inside Nelson Field House. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. The Mountain Cats are 8-1 on the year and 2-0 in the PSAC.