BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – A balanced scoring attack and strong defensive effort in the second half led the men's basketball team to a 69-64 win over Shepherd on Saturday afternoon in the Nelson Field House.
 
The Huskies (4-15, 3-12 PSAC) finished the game with four different players in double figures and held the Rams (8-11, 4-8 PSAC) to just 39.29% shooting in the second half to pull out the five-point victory. The stifling defensive performance limited Shepherd to just 27 points in the final half and the team's 64 points is a season-low for a Bloomsburg opponent this year. The win snaps an eight-game skid for the Huskies. 
 
Jake Nelson (West Chester, Pa./West Chester Rustin) was a rebound away from a double-double as the junior finished the game with 17 points and nine boards. Peyton Mortellite (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) led the Huskies in scoring with 20 points and added seven boards. Ash Kemble (Myerstown, Pa./Eastern Lebanon County) (13 points) and Justin Anderson (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) (10) were the other two players to finish in double figures. Justin Rodriguez (Easton, Pa./Morristown-Beard) was fifth player to score for Bloomsburg and turned in a solid performance with nine points and a team-high nine assists. 
 
Bloomsburg out-rebounded Shepherd 36-27 and shot 47.4% (27-57) during the course of the game. The Huskies also knocked down nine threes during the game, six of which came from Mortellite. 
 
The Huskies grabbed the first lead of the game on their opening possession with a layup by Nelson and hung on to a one-possession lead for much of the first 10 minutes of play. After some back-and-forth action, the Rams were able to take a three-point lead following a shot from beyond the arc by Noah Wimbish. Shepherd then was able to stretch its lead to five, which was tied for its largest lead of the game, but a jumper by Kemble cut the lead to 37-34 before the half.  
 
In the second half, a pair of back-to-back threes by the Huskies allowed the home team to regain the lead with 16:38 remaining. Shepherd regained the lead on the ensuing possession and stretched its lead to three on another basket, but Nelson made two field goals on the Huskies' next two possessions to regain their advantage. Seven more lead changes would occur over the next few minutes until Kemble gave Bloomsburg final lead of the contest by making a field goal with 58 seconds to play. Following a missed three on the other end, Rodriguez went 2-2 from the line to stretch the team's lead to three. Then with a chance to tie, Shepherd missed another three that was rebounded by Mortellite. Rodriguez sealed the game by knocking down another pair of shots from the line.
 
The Huskies will travel to East Stroudsburg University to take on the Warriors on Wednesday for their next contest. That game is scheduled to tip off at 8:00 PM.