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EAST STROUDSBURG, PA - Peyton Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) splashed in five three-pointers in the first half en route to a career-high 20 points, but the Bloomsburg University men's basketball team was defeated 97-84 by East Stroudsburg Wednesday night. With the loss, the Huskies fall to 6-18 overall, and 2-16 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East this season.

Mortellite was scorching in the first half for the Huskies, pouring in 18 points in just 13 minutes of action. The redshirt sophomore was a sterling 5-of-7 from three-point territory in the half, and 6-of-13 from the field on the night. Travis Elmore (Tobyhanna, Pa./Pocono Mountain West) added 19 points and seven rebounds for Bloomsburg, while fellow freshman Sekou Fofana (Philadelphia, Pa./West Catholic) chipped in 12 points and a team-high 11 rebounds. Sam Saxton (York, Pa./Central York) was the fourth Husky in double figures, finishing with 11 points.

Despite the hot shooting night, the Huskies were unable to overcome an impressive offense outing for the Warriors, as East Stroudsburg went 41-of-84 (48.8%) from the field and 12-of-29 (41.4%) from behind the arc as a team. Josh Williams led the way with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Nick Giordano finished with 19 points. Ryan Smith tallied 15 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, and Michal Weiss had 14 points in just 17 minutes off the bench.

The Warriors out-rebounded Bloomsburg 51-37 on the evening, and forced 18 Huskies turnovers. East Stroudsburg was dominant around the bucket, outscoring the Huskies 54-38 in the paint.

Though they rode a five-game win streak into Wednesday's contest, the Warriors got all they could handle from the Huskies in the first half. Bloomsburg fell behind by as much as 11 early in the period, but a pair of three-pointers from Mortellite and a layup from Austin Harriott (Philadelphia, Pa./Hun School) would nearly erase the deficit. The Huskies took their first lead of the night on a Fofana triple with 3:44 to play in the first stanza, and late long balls from Saxton and Devon Ferrero (King of Prussia, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) would give Bloomsburg plenty of confidence heading into the locker room.

East Stroudsburg would seize control in the second half, however, ripping off seven straight points to take a 61-54 lead with 16:32 remaining. A Ferrero layup would slice the lead to as little as four midway through the period, but a 12-5 Warriors run over the next seven minutes would put the game out of reach.  Ferrero finished with five points on the night, while Harriott added nine points.

Bloomsburg has a rare off day this Saturday, and will return home to host Mansfield next Wednesday, February 27. The Huskies will then close the 2019 season at home on Saturday, March 2 against Shippensburg. Tip-off with the Mountaineers next Wednesday is set for 5:30 p.m.