BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – The Bloomsburg men's basketball team edged out Mansfield in a nail-biting Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) matchup, 82-78, inside Nelson Field House on Wednesday afternoon.
 
Louie Wild (Philadelphia, PA/Roman Catholic) dropped a team-high 25 points as Bloomsburg (5-17, 3-13 PSAC) finished with its second-best shooting percentage of the season.
 
Mansfield (6-15, 4-12) jumped out to an early 24-14 lead, fueled by 18 points from Scott Woodring in the opening seven minutes.
 
The Huskies slowly clawed their way back throughout the first half, moving within one possession of the lead before a late surge saw the Mountaineers take a 43-36 advantage into halftime.
 
The maroon and gold came out of the locker room energized, opening second-half scoring with a commanding dunk from Mondyu Richards (Silver Spring, Md./Albert Einstein). The Huskies' continued momentum saw them go on an 11-2 run to take the lead.
 
The visitors responded with a run of their own halfway through the frame, scoring twelve consecutive points to take a 67-60 lead.
 
Bloomsburg reclaimed the momentum on a 16-4 run, highlighted by a pair of threes and a jumper from Desmond Freeman (Greensboro, N.C./Southeast Guilford).
 
Tied 78-78 with a minute to play, the Huskies gained possession on a failed inbound pass intended for Saraj Ali. With the shot clock winding down, Matt Bengel (Erie, Pa./Mercyhurst Prep) faked a handoff at the top of the arc before driving through the open lane to give Bloomsburg a two-point lead with under 30 seconds to play.
 
Mansfield's Saraj Ali attempted to tie the game on a similar drive down the middle of the paint, but Richards swatted his layup attempt off the glass for his game-sealing fifth block of the contest.
 
Wild posted 25 points for the second-straight game, shooting 57.9 percent (11-for-19) from the floor. The junior guard also contributed six assists and five rebounds in the victory.
 
Bengel recorded 15 points while going 7-for-13 in the contest. He also picked up six rebounds and an assist.
 
Jagger Dressler (Danville, Pa./Danville) continued his impressive shooting streak, posting 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting. The Danville native has shot just under 71 percent (17-for-24) in his last three games. Dressler has made 11 of his last 18 three-point attempts.
 
Freeman went 3-for-4 from beyond the arc, finishing with 12 points, five assists and three rebounds.
 
Richards posted five blocks and six points in the contest. His five blocks are tied for the second-most blocks in a game in the PSAC this season. It is the most blocks in a single game for a Husky since Maqi Watson blocked five shots against East Stroudsburg on January 8, 2020.
 
Overall Bloomsburg went 11-for-23 from three-point territory for its best three-point shooting percentage of the year (47.8 percent). The Huskies went 7-for-12 from three in the second half. The maroon and gold posted its second-highest shooting percentage of the season, going 33-for-61 from the floor.
 
The Huskies outrebounded the Mountaineers 35-29, including a 26-18 advantage in defensive rebounds.
 
Bloomsburg returns home on Saturday, February 10 for 3 p.m. matchup with Millersville.