BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - The Bloomsburg University men's basketball team scored 52 first-half points and cruised to an impressive 94-78 victory over visiting Pitt-Johnstown on Saturday afternoon at the Nelson Field House. The Huskies improved to 5-3 overall and 2-1 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division standings while the Mountain Cats saw their eight-game winning streak come to an end as they dropped to 8-2 overall and 2-1 in the PSAC Western Division.
The Huskies were celebrating the program's 125th anniversary on Saturday afternoon and the current roster treated a number of former players - including several Athletic Hall of Fame members - to a strong showing on both ends of the floor to snap a five-game losing skid against the Mountain Cats in the all-time series.
All nine players who stepped on the court for Bloomsburg scored at least three points with freshman
Justin Anderson (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) pacing the Huskies with 22 points. Redshirt junior
Peyton Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) and junior
Maqi Watson (Philadelphia, Pa./Mathematics, Civics, and Sciences Charter) added 15 points apiece while redshirt junior
Max Wagner (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) chipped in with 12. The Huskies posted a season-high 24 assists on the offensive end with Anderson leading the way with a career-best six dimes. On the defensive side, Bloomsburg blocked a season-high eight shots with Watson rejecting a team-high three attempts.
Watson had his best game in a Huskies' uniform by posting his first double-double with 15 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, including six on the offensive glass. It was the first time this season that he reached double figures in either category. The junior also had three assists and three blocked shots in 25 minutes off the bench.
Pitt-Johnstown actually jumped out to a 10-4 lead just two-and-a-half minutes into the contest before the Huskies caught fire. Bloomsburg went on a 15-0 run over the next four-and-half minutes to turn the six-point deficit into a nine-point advantage, 19-10, with 12:57 left in the first half. The offense was spread out during the run as redshirt senior
Sam Saxton (York, Pa./Central York) scored four points while sophomore
Devon Ferrero (King of Prussia, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) knocked down a triple for the final points of the spurt. Wagner, Watson, Anderson, and junior
Ethan Houston (Carlisle, Pa./Carlisle) each contributed a bucket over the course of the 15-0 burst.
Bloomsburg continued to grow the lead and eventually built up a 52-33 advantage as the teams headed to their respective locker rooms for halftime. Anderson finished with 14 of his 22 points in the first half to lead the way as the Huskies shot 19-of-35 (54.3%) from the field and 7-of-13 (53.8%) from deep in the opening 20 minutes.
The Huskies maintained a double-digit lead throughout the second half, ballooning the margin to 20 points - 59-39 - nearly three minutes in after the fourth three-pointer of the game from Anderson. The Mountain Cats chipped away at the lead and pulled to within ten, 75-65, with 7:33 left in regulation after a fast break dunk from Fred Mulbah. But, Bloomsburg hustled down the floor and got a triple from the corner from Saxton just four seconds later. Sophomore
Travis Elmore (Tobyhanna, Pa./Pocono Mountain West) followed with a layup to push the lead back up to 80-65 with seven minutes remaining and essentially ending the thought of a Pitt-Johnstown comeback bid.
Mortellite's 15 points were a season-high and marked the second straight game in which he hit double digits. Saxton added nine points while Ferrero chipped in a season-high seven points in his first start of the season. Elmore finished with six points, Houston added five, and freshman
Justin Rodriguez (Easton, Pa./Morristown-Beard) had three points and tied a career-high with four assists.
For the game, Bloomsburg shot 33-of-64 (51.6%) from the floor, 11-of-25 (44.0%) from beyond the arc, and 17-of-25 (68.0%) from the stripe. The Huskies dominated on the glass, 43-30, and had 14 offensive rebounds which led to 19 second-chance points.
The visitors shot 32-of-68 (47.1%) from the field but hit only 2-of-13 (15.4%) from long distance. John Paul Kromka led Pitt-Johnstown with 22 points and eight rebounds while Joe Batt posted 21 points in 28 minutes off the bench.
Bloomsburg had a number of former players recognized at halftime as part of the 125th anniversary and 2015 graduate
Moustapha Noumbissi (Upper Darby/Delaware County Christian School) returned to provide a tremendous rendition of the national anthem prior to the opening tip.
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The game represented the closest anniversary date to the program's first-ever game played on December 13, 1894, which ended in a tie. The Bloomsburg men's basketball program is believed to be tied for the oldest continuous program in the state dating back to its first season in 1894-95.
Bloomsburg will return to action on Monday, December 16, when it heads to Wilmington University for a non-conference contest. Tip-off is slated for 6:00 p.m.
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