BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - Sophomore Travis Elmore (Tobyhanna, Pa./Pocono Mountain West) poured in a career-high 33 points to lift the Bloomsburg University men's basketball team to an 83-75 victory over Shepherd University on Monday night at the Nelson Field House. With the victory, the Huskies snapped a four-game losing skid and improved to 6-7 overall and 3-4 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division. The Rams, meanwhile, dropped to 6-7 and 2-5, respectively.

Elmore, following his sensational freshman season a year ago, had been held in check over the course of his first 12 games of the 2019-20 campaign as he came in averaging just 6.8 points and reaching double figures only twice entering Monday's contest. The sophomore forward, however, returned to his rookie-season form as he scored a season-high 16 points in the first half and then added 17 points in the second for his career-high scoring effort. Elmore was 12-of-14 from the field and 9-of-15 from the foul line while tying for the team-high in rebounds with five in his brilliant effort against the Rams. He added three assists and a steal in a season-high 38 minutes.

Elmore's previous career-high was 27 points in the Huskies' 89-81 overtime victory over Mansfield back on February 27, 2019, during his rookie campaign in which he averaged 15.7 points and 7.4 rebounds. With his effort on Monday, Elmore is now averaging 8.8 points per game.

The sophomore scored the Huskies' first nine points on Monday night before a layup from senior Ky Mauras (Reading, Pa./Reading) tied the game at 11-11 with 12:09 left in the opening half. Mauras was the only other Bloomsburg player in double figures as he chipped in 16 points on 7-of-14 from the field. He posted a game-high eight assists, grabbed four rebounds, and led the Huskies with three steals.

After a layup from freshman Jake Nelson (West Chester, Pa./West Chester Rustin), Elmore dropped in a bucket to give the Huskies a 15-13 advantage with 10:05 left in the first half and the hosts continued to build the lead until it reached a game-high 11 points - 36-25 - with 1:30 left in the opening 20 minutes. The Rams narrowed the gap to seven before freshman Justin Anderson (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) closed out the scoring with a pair of foul shots to give Bloomsburg a 38-29 margin at intermission.

Elmore (16) and Mauras (7) combined to score 23 of the team's 38 points in the first half with junior Maqi Watson (Philadelphia, Pa./Mathematics, Civics, and Sciences Charter) chipping in five points during the opening stanza.

The lead, however, was short-lived as the Rams went on a 15-2 run to opening the second half, turning a nine-point deficit into a four-point lead, 44-40, with 15:21 left in regulation. Shepherd, which never led by more than four points, either was in the lead or was tied for much of the second half before Mauras regained the lead for the Huskies, 64-62, with 5:06 remaining. However, the Rams got back-to-back layups from Phillip Jordan and Kyle Daggett to retake a 66-64 advantage with 4:37 left. Redshirt senior Sam Saxton (York, Pa./Central York) knocked down two foul shots to tie the game at 66-66 and then Elmore followed suit on the next possession to give the Huskies a 68-66 advantage with 3:49 left in regulation - a lead it would never relinquish.

Elmore extended the lead to 70-66 with 3:19 left before Shepherd's Jarrell Jones buried a triple to cut the lead to one, 70-69, with 3:01 remaining. Following a Shepherd timeout, redshirt junior Peyton Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) provided the dagger as he responded with a three-pointer of his own to push the margin back to 73-69 with 2:44 left.

Mortellite's three-pointer was significant for more than just the score - it was the Huskies' only triple of the game which extended the program's streak to 247 consecutive contests with at least one three-pointer made.

Elmore followed with a layup to increase the lead to six, 75-69, with 2:15 left. Shepherd could get no closer than four points the rest of the way as Bloomsburg sealed the deal at the foul line to hold off the Rams and to snap a four-game skid.

Saxton and Anderson each chipped in with eight points while Watson added seven in the victory. Mortellite finished with five, Nelson had four, and sophomore Devon Ferrero (King of Prussia, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) had two to round out the scoring for the Huskies.

Bloomsburg shot 30-of-51 (58.8%) from the field but was just 1-of-6 (16.7%) from long range. The Huskies went 22-of-32 (68.8%) from the charity stripe on the night. The Huskies also led the rebounding department, 31-26. Shepherd, meanwhile, was 28-of-54 (51.9%) from the field but was just 5-of-22 (22.7%) from deep. The Rams came in averaging nearly 14 three-pointers a game.

Kyle Daggett led the Rams with 20 points - on 9-of-9 shooting - and 12 rebounds. The Huskies did a number of Thomas Lang, the Rams' leading scorer, as he went 1-of-10 from the field and 0-of-7 from deep to finish with six points. It was the first time he was held in single digits all season.

Bloomsburg will hit the floor again on Wednesday, January 8, when it heads to East Stroudsburg University. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m.