EDINBORO, Pa. – The Bloomsburg men's basketball team fell short against Edinboro, 81-71, in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) crossover contest inside the McComb Field House on Saturday afternoon.
 
Ries Naugle (Selinsgrove, Pa./Selinsgrove Area) led Bloomsburg (2-9, 0-6 PSAC) with an inspired effort, posting a career-high 30 points on 11-for-20 shooting. The sophomore drained a trio of three-pointers while nearly doubling his previous career-high of 17 points. Naugle also notched three assists, a rebound and a block. Xion Nichols (Woodland, Ca./State College Area) tallied double-digit points as well, finishing the night with 15 points.
 
The Huskies shot 43.1 percent from the floor in the contest, going 22-for-51 from the floor. The deep ball worked well for the maroon and gold, going 8-for-13 (61.5 percent) while draining six three pointers in the second half. Edinboro (7-5, 4-2) posted the same shooting percentage as the Huskies, going 25-for-58 on the day.
 
Edinboro grabbed the momentum early, jumping ahead to a 6-0 lead 86 seconds into the game. After an early timeout, Naugle got Bloomsburg on the board with his first of the night on a fastbreak layup. A three from the Fighting Scots moved the lead to 9-2 before the Huskies turned around the momentum with a 7-0 run to tie the game. After trading baskets, a pair of free throws from Kodi Johnson (Folcroft, Pa./Phelps School) gave Bloomsburg its first lead of the contest at 13-11 halfway through the frame.
 
The two sides traded the lead back and forth throughout the first half before a late surge put Edinboro ahead 31-24 with under three minute to go in the half. The Huskies responded with a late run of their own to pull the game back within two, ending with a three from Naugle.
 
Nichols tied the contest just 11 seconds into the second half with a tipin layup before the Fighting Scots went on a 14-0 run over the next four minutes of play. Bloomsburg slowly chipped away at the lead throughout the half, cutting the lead to as little as five points with five minutes to play. The Huskies were unable complete the comeback as Edinboro held on for an 81-71 victory.
 
Bloomsburg returns to the Nelson Field House on Wednesday, January 7 as it host Shippensburg at 7:30 p.m.