Men's Basketball | 2/26/2019 12:15:00 PM

GAME COVERAGE
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GAME NOTES (PDF)

RELATED LINKS
• Bloomsburg: Schedule | Roster | Statistics
• Mansfield: Schedule | Roster | Statistics

THE MATCHUP
• The Bloomsburg University men's basketball team opens its final week of the 2018-19 season with a home contest against Mansfield University on Wednesday evening. The Huskies will be looking to avenge an eight-point loss to the Mountaineers earlier in the season.

THE SERIES
• Bloomsburg leads the all-time series against Mansfield, 106-77. The Huskies will be looking to bounce back from an 88-80 loss at Mansfield back on January 26 - still the Mountaineers' only conference win of the season. Mansfield shot 58.6% from the field and was a ridiculous 15-of-31 (48.4%) from deep en route to the eight-point win. Tyler Moffe led five Mountaineers in double figures with 31 points. Travis Elmore (Tobyhanna, Pa./Pocono Mountain West) recorded a double-double with 25 points and 10 rebounds while Sekou Fofana (Philadelphia, Pa./West Catholic) added 23 points and six boards in the loss.

SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
• Peyton Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) splashed in five three-pointers in the first half en route to a career-high 20 points but Bloomsburg was defeated, 97-84, at East Stroudsburg last Thursday night. 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 (5-of-10 for the game) and finished 6-of-13 from the field on the night. Travis Elmore (Tobyhanna, Pa./Pocono Mountain West) added 19 points and seven rebounds 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 as he finished with 11 points.

• Bloomsburg features a pair of talented freshmen this season in Elmore and Fofana. Elmore averages 15.2 points per game (tied for 21st in the PSAC) and is third in the PSAC in field goal percentage (57.3%). He also leads the team (tied for 16th in the PSAC) in rebounding (7.2). Elmore has reached double figures in scoring accomplished the feat in 21 of his 24 contests this season. Elmore has been named PSAC East Freshman of the Week three times this season and is averaging 20.7 points on 27-of-37 (73.0%) from the field in the last three games. Fofana, meanwhile, has also been on a tear as of late and has started each of the last eight games, averaging 16.6 points and 7.0 rebounds in those eight starts. Fofana posts 11.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game and has reached double figures in scoring in 14 of his last 18 games. A third freshman, William Melson (Allentown, Pa./Dieruff) has started each of the last six games and is averaging 6.3 points, 5.3 assists, and 1.7 steals in those six starts.

• Redshirt junior Sam Saxton (York, Pa./Central York) averages 9.4 points and 4.7 rebounds per game which are both career highs. Bloomsburg is also getting solid minutes from redshirt sophomore Peyton Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) who has started each of the last seven games. He is averaging 10.3 points over his last ten games and has been in double figures in six of the last eight games which includes going 24-of-49 (49.0%) from deep during the stretch. The Huskies are also starting to give freshman Devon Ferrero (King of Prussia, Pa./Archbishop Carroll), in particular, a longer look. Ferrero has played at least 10 minutes in four of the last five games and is averaging 4.0 points and 3.0 rebounds during the stretch.

• The Huskies are 11th in the PSAC in scoring offense (73.7) but are last in scoring defense (86.3). Shooting and turnovers have also been a struggle for Bloomsburg this season as it ranks 16th in turnover margin (-4.5), 12th in field goal percentage (43.6%), and last in both three-point percentage (30.8%) and in free throw percentage (63.4%). Bloomsburg's rebounding is 12th in the league (-0.9).

• Bloomsburg has made at least one three-pointer in 232 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. Since adding Mortellite into heavy rotation on January 26, the Huskies have fared much better, going 59-of-160 (36.9%) over the last eight games. The Huskies have hit at least seven threes in six of those eight contests.

SCOUTING MANSFIELD
• Mansfield enters the contest with a 4-23 overall record and a 1-18 mark in the PSAC Eastern Division. The Mountaineers have dropped six straight and are 0-12 away from home this season. Mansfield most recently dropped a 74-72 overtime decision to Shippensburg on Saturday as the Raiders' Antonio Kellum hit a game-winning three-pointer with five seconds left to escape. Moffe led Mansfield with 20 points, seven rebounds, and four assists.

• Moffe paces the team in scoring at 16.5 points per contest which has him tied for 15th in the PSAC. He leads the team in assists (81) and steals (30) and ranks third in rebounding (5.0 rpg) and three-pointers (46). Taylor Sweeney posts 13.7 points per game and leads the team in rebounding (6.1). Garrett Cook is the team's main deep threat as he shoots 43.6% from long range while leading the team with 78 made triples. He is second in the PSAC in three-point percentage and averages 10.3 points per game.  
 
• Mansfield is 15th in the league in scoring offense (67.7) and 14th in scoring defense (80.7). Its scoring margin is last in the conference at -13.0. Rebounding has been a major problem area for the Mountaineers as they rank last in the PSAC in rebounds per game (31.4), rebounds allowed per game (42.6), and rebounding margin (-11.2). Mansfield is also -1.7 in turnover margin which places it 13th in the conference.

UP NEXT
• Bloomsburg returns home on Saturday, March 2, to close out the 2018-19 campaign against Shippensburg University. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. and the Huskies will honor their lone senior, Darius Robinson-Wallace (Philadelphia, Pa./Delaware Valley Charter), prior to the start.

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