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Mortellite cements his name into BU record books: Redshirt senior breaks men’s basketball program’s all-time scoring record

       Last Wednesday at the Nelson Field House, redshirt senior Christian Mortellite of the Bloomsburg University men’s basketball team made history when he broke the program’s all-time scoring record with 1,912 points. That record was previously held by Mike Ellzy, who finished his BU career with 1,911 points from 1993-97.

       The redshirt senior from Hammonton, New Jersey went into the night needing 13 points to break the record. Mortellite got off to a hot start, scoring 12 points in the first half. There were a few times where Mortellite had opportunities to break the record before halftime, but that last point evaded him until the 18:54 mark in the second half, where a layup gave Mortellite sole possession of the school’s all-time record. He finished the game with a team-high 21 points in Bloomsburg’s 76-71 loss to Kutztown.

      “I’m just blessed to have had the opportunity to play here for a great university with great coaches and great teammates,” Mortellite said. “It’s great to see all of the work that I put in pay off. It’s been a ton of fun and I’m looking forward to helping us make a run in the playoffs.”

     Mortellite has been at the top of the statistics chart all season long for Bloomsburg. Going into Wednesday night against Cheyney, he leads the team in points (450) and rebounds (150). He is also inching his way to another milestone, the 2,000-point club. With five games left in the regular season, Mortellite owns 1,934 career points as a Husky. Mortellite is averaging 21.4 points-per-game this season, and to get to 2,000 career points, he needs to average around 13.2 points-per-game.

     “[Christian] is someone that goes out there and gets it done every night,” said Sam Saxton, a redshirt sophomore on the men’s basketball team. “There are a lot of times where we need someone to pick us up during a game, and he does it. He’s an amazing player that can really do some amazing things. I’m really impressed by him.”

      Going into Wednesday night against Cheyney, the Huskies are 12-9 overall with an 8-9 mark against Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) eastern division opponents. Bloomsburg currently ranks fifth in the division, and all five of their remaining games are against division rivals. In both the men’s and women’s standings, the top six teams from both the PSAC east and west divisions will make the playoffs, with the top two teams from each side receiving byes. All of Bloomsburg’s remaining games are crucial, but the matchup against Millersville on Saturday could end up carrying the most weight, since MU ranks right behind Bloomsburg in the standings.

     On the women’s side, the Huskies come into Wednesday night sporting an 8-15 record with a 5-12 mark against PSAC-East opposition. On Jan. 31 against Kutztown, the Huskies snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 68-60 win, and then the ladies took down Lock Haven 66-54 on Saturday. Like the men, the women are ranked fifth in the PSAC East. Only two teams in the east have winning records against conference opponents, with five teams in the west holding winning records in divisional play.

     This season has been a tough one for the women’s team, but they still control their own destiny and can sneak their way into the playoffs if they keep the momentum going. Sophomore Taylor Montana from Berwick recorded two double-doubles last week against Kutztown and Lock Haven, and was named this week’s PSAC East Co-Athlete of the Week.

 

 

 

Now that Mortellite officially broke history and is Bloomsburg’s all-time scorer, he now sits just 66 points away from becoming a member of BU’s 2,000-point club.
 

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