BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – Prior to the opening tip against Shepherd on Saturday, the Bloomsburg men's basketball team honored its three graduating players, Travis Elmore (Tobyhanna, Pa./Pocono Mountain West), Desmond Freeman (Greensboro, N.C./Southeast Guilford), and Justin Rodriguez (Newark, N.J./Morristown-Beard). Freeman and Matt Bengel (Erie, Pa./Mercyhurst Prep) combined for 38 points but the Rams spoiled Senior Day festivities with an 80-58 win at Nelson Field House.
 
Bloomsburg got off to a 4-0 start thanks to a jumper from Freeman and a dunk by Bengel off a steal in the Rams' first possession. Shepherd answered with eight-straight points to take an 8-4 lead and never looked back.
 
The Rams took a nine-point lead, 15-6, with 13:08 to play in the half before the Huskies chipped away at the deficit. Louie Wild (Philadelphia, PA/Roman Catholic) hit a three to get the Huskies to within six, 15-9. After a jumper by Phillip Jordan pushed Sheherd's lead back to eight, 17-9, Bengel scored on back-to-back possessions and Mondyu Richards (Silver Spring, Md./Albert Einstein) hit a jumper to get the Huskies within two, 17-15 with 9:44 to play. The Rams closed out the first half on a 22-2 run, however, and took a 39-17 lead into the break.
 
Freeman hit a three coming out of halftime to cut the lead to 19, 39-20, but that proved to be as close as the Huskies would get for the remainder of the contest.
 
With 9:32 to play in the second half, Shepherd built its largest lead of the game as the Rams held a 65-32 advantage. The Huskies did not go away quietly, however, and Freeman hit another three to cut the lead to 30, 65-35. After Richards grabbed a defensive board off Michael Cooper's missed three, Bengel made the most of the Huskies' possession with a good layup off an assist from Freeman.

The Rams pushed their lead back to 31 but an old fashion three-point play from freeman and a jumper from Bengel got the Huskies back within 26, 68-42, with 6:10 to go. After Jarod Robinson made the first of two free throws, Bengel hit an open three to cut the deficit to 24, 69-45, with 5:31 to play.
 
Shepherd extended its lead to 27, 75-48, with 2:57 to play but a layup from Bengal and three from Jagger Dressler (Danville, Pa./Danville) cut the lead to 22, 75-53, with 1:31 to go. The Huskies and Rams traded threes before Kyle Saglimben (Langhorne, Pa./Neshaminy) slammed home a dunk with 28 seconds to go to get the Huskies within 20, 28-58. Brendan Doleman closed out the scoring with jump on the Rams' last possession for the final score of 80-58.
 
Freeman led the Huskies with 19 points after shooting 7-for-14 from the floor and 4-for-8 from three-point range. Bengel had 17 points behind a 7-for-11 shooting day and added three rebounds and a pair of assists.
 
Dan McClain-Corley and Carson Poffenberger led all players with 20 points while Jordan finished with a 12-points, 11-rebound double-double.
 
The Huskies shot 45.1% from the field (23-for-51) and were 32.0% (8-for-25) from deep range. The Rams won the rebounding battle 35-22 and shot 52.6% from the field (30-for-57).
 
The Huskies wrap up their home slate on Wednesday, February 28 as they host Lock Haven at 7:30 p.m. at Nelson Field House.