Men's Basketball | 1/27/2024 5:07:00 PM

Box Score SHEPHERDSTOWN, W. Va. – The Bloomsburg men's basketball team dropped its PSAC road game Saturday afternoon, 67-58, against Shepherd.
  
The Huskies offensively were paced by Matt Bengel (Erie, Pa./Mercyhurst Prep) and Louie Wild (Philadelphia, PA/Roman Catholic), with both players recording 14 points in the game. Bengel added two blocks and a steal on the defensive end as Wild came away with five boards while shooting 3-of-7 (42.9 percent) from behind the arc. Desmond Freeman (Greensboro, N.C./Southeast Guilford) chipped in with solid perimeter play for nine points, going 3-of-6 (50 percent) from three and adding five boards and a steal to his tally.

Bloomsburg's record falls to 4-14 on the season, with a 2-10 margin against conference opposition. The Rams improve to 7-10 with a 4-8 record in conference action.

How It Happened: 
The Huskies looked to bounce back from a toughly contested game midweek against East Stroudsburg and did so effectively, opening on an 8-0 run through the first two and a half minutes. Freeman and Louie Wild (Philadelphia, PA/Roman Catholic) connected on three-point attempts while Matt Bengal got to his spot for an easy layup. Shepherd cut into its early deficit with a pair of makes before Freeman hit his second three of the contest to give Bloomsburg an 11-4 lead at 16:37 in the half. 

The Rams began to chip away at the Huskies' lead and eventually went out in front for the first time off an 11-0 run that was ended by a Jake Nelson (West Chester, Pa./West Chester Rustin) bucket at 12:56 to make it a 16-13 ball game for the home side. Timely three-point shooting appeared again for Bloomsburg with Wild's second three of the afternoon to force a tie. Shepherd responded again to the even scoreboard with a 9-0 to regain a lead at 25-16. The Huskies were able to cut their deficit to as low as four points at the tail end of the first half before Shepherd knocked down last-minute baskets to take a 40-29 lead into the half. 

Bloomsburg's offensive production relied heavily on the three through the first 20 minutes, with Wild and Freeman combining for 15 of the team's 29 points from behind the arc. The Huskies were also stalled at critical moments in the first half via turnovers, losing possession more than twice as much (10-4) compared to the Rams. 

Shepherd continued to be the more assertive team out of the break, opening on a 6-0 run to take a 46-29 lead two minutes into the second half. Nelson and Travis Elmore (Tobyhanna, Pa./Pocono Mountain West) scored the next four points before what would be a cold spell for both sides. Wild hit a jumper to end a three-minute game-long scoring drought before the Rams answered with a three to cut a nearly five-minute scoreless period for them. 

The pace began to pick up again with under 10 to play as the two teams began trading baskets. Nelson and Raphael Castillo (Newark, N.J./Morristown Beard) combined for a quick five points as Bengal and Elmore partnered up for a 6-0 run to cut the Huskies' deficit to single digits. The Rams lead continued to hover around the 10-point mark. Despite late points from Bengel, Freeman and Wild, Bloomsburg came up short in its fourth-quarter efforts. 

On the Horizon:
The Huskies head out on the road for their second of four games in eight days with a matchup on Monday, January 29, at 7:30 p.m. against Lock Haven.