BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - The Bloomsburg men's basketball team fell 80-72 in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) matchup Saturday afternoon against Slippery Rock.

The action was even through the first half, with the Huskies (1-8, 0-3 PSAC) trailing by one against The Rock (5-6, 2-2 PSAC). Bloomsburg shot a blistering 14-of-23 (60.9 percent) from the floor and 5-of-8 (62.5 percent) from behind the arc in the first 20 minutes. Despite the Huskies correcting several areas in the second half in limiting points off turnovers and second-chance opportunities, Bloomsburg could not maintain their hot start as the visitors pulled away late.

Matt Bengel (Erie, Pa./Mercyhurst Prep) led the Huskies on the day with a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double on 6-of-13 (46.2 percent) shooting. It marked the fourth game in Bengel's last sixth notching 20 points. Louie Wild (Philadelphia, PA/Roman Catholic) followed closely behind 18 points and a team-high four assists. Kent Olewiler (York, Pa./William Penn) provided a shooting spark for Bloomsburg off the bench, going for 14 points while matching a career best with four three-pointers made.

How It Happened: 
The Huskies faced an early eight-point deficit at 12-4 nearing the first media timeout before Bloomsburg found its shooting form. Olewiler knocked down his first shot from behind the arc before Bengel cut the lead to one with a three of his own at 13:29.

Slippery Rock found its rhythm again to pull out to a 29-20 lead entering the under-eight timeout. Bengel and Danny Bruce (Edinboro, Pa./General McLane) worked together to chip away at the deficit before a three from Olewiler put the Huskies again in touching distance at 31-30. Bloomsburg grabbed its first lead of the contest with 4:26 to play in the opening half with Bruce finishing off one transition bucket before setting up another for Wild to make it 36-34 for the Huskies. A strong finish to the half for Wild helped maintain the one-point edge before The Rock dropped in a layup in the closing seconds to take a slim lead into the break.

Bit by bit in the second half, Slippery Rock began to inch away from Bloomsburg, leading to the largest deficit of the game at 10 with under 14 minutes to play at 61-51. The deficit reached as much as 13 before the Huskies attempted to claw out of the hole. The Huskies continued to look to Bengel and Olewiler for their offensive contributions, with Tony Henderson (Pittsburgh, Pa./Taylor Allderdice) chipping in to make it a six-point contest with two minutes remaining. 

Hoping to cause chaos with some full court pressure, Slippery Rock remained composed in maintaining possession and not forcing any errors. In the end, Bloomsburg could not create the necessary stops on the defensive end to generate a comeback effort. The Huskies had success in the contest in the open court, finishing with a 15-5 edge in fast break points.

On The Horizon:
The Huskies return to the court on Sunday, December 15, at 3:00 p.m. against Jefferson at Nelson Field House.