MANSFIELD, Pa. – The Bloomsburg men's basketball team dropped a thrilling Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) matchup in overtime to Mansfield on Wednesday night.
 
Bloomsburg (3-11, 1-7 PSAC) and Mansfield (5-8, 3-5) played a tightly contested game for much of the first half. The Huskies took the first multi-possession lead of the game at the 10:04-minute mark on a Tony Henderson (Pittsburgh, Pa./Taylor Allderdice) jumper.
 
The offense shined for the maroon and gold in the opening frame, shooting 62.96 percent (17-for-27). Bloomsburg led by as much as 15 and drained 4-of-5 shots from beyond the arc in the first, taking a 39-31 lead into the locker room.
 
A strong start to the half from the Mountaineers saw Mansfield cut the lead to just five points early on before the Huskies pulled ahead 55-37 with just under 14 minutes to play. The Mounties overcame an 18-point deficit to tie the contest with 6:44 to play.
 
Up 76-74 with six seconds to play after a Justin Rodriguez (Newark, N.J./Morristown-Beard) free throw, Mansfield's Idris Ali sent the game to overtime with a buzzer-beating jumper. This marked the third overtime meeting between the two programs in the past four seasons.
 
After trading the lead four times in overtime, the Huskies got the ball down one with eight seconds remaining. Louie Wild (Philadelphia, PA/Roman Catholic) looked to win it at the buzzer with a three from the top of the arc, but unlucky bounces sent the ball careening off the rim and out as Mansfield downed Bloomsburg, 85-84.
 
Five Huskies recorded double digit points, including graduate forward Jake Nelson (West Chester, Pa./West Chester Rustin). The West Chester native picked up double-double number six of the season, posting a team-high 18 points and 11 rebounds.
 
Wild potted 14 points with four assists and two steals, while Henderson finished the game with 12 points.
 
Desmond Freeman (Greensboro, N.C./Southeast Guilford) went 3-for-4 from the floor and a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line to finish with 11 points. Matt Bengel (Erie, Pa./Mercyhurst Prep) was the fifth and final Husky to hit double digits, posting 10 points.
 
Bloomsburg returns to action on Saturday, January 13 as the Huskies travel to Millersville for a 3 p.m. contest with the Marauders.