Women’s Recap

     On Sunday, December 3, the Bloomsburg University women’s basketball team opened a doubleheader at the Nelson Field House with a 57-52 win against Slippery Rock University. The Huskies are now 4-5 on the season with a 1-3 record against Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division opponents; and they sit in fourth place in the PSAC Eastern Division. Slippery Rock, meanwhile, falls to 4-4 on the season with a 3-1 record against PSAC West opposition, good for sixth place in the PSAC West.

     The first quarter was up-tempo, but led to few baskets early on. Freshman Megan Brandt started it off for the Huskies, scoring the first two baskets of the game. The Huskies took a 5-0 lead to start the game and didn’t allow their first field goal until the 5:03 mark in the first quarter. The Rock scored the final four points of the quarter, but Bloomsburg led 13-10 after the first 10 minutes of play.

     The Huskies came out firing in the second quarter, to extend the lead to 21-10 following an 8-0 run. Meghan Corridoni provided most of the scoring. She was the spark Head Coach Allison Tagliaferri was looking for. The Huskies held at least a 10-point led all the way to half. The Rock shot just 4-for-28 from the field (14.3%) and trailed 30-18 at the half.

     The Huskies knew coming out of the half that they had to give the ball to Corridoni. The Huskies got the lead to 20 from a 6-0 run led by two free throws from Taylor Sneidman and two more baskets from Corridoni. Bloomsburg maintained the large lead until the end of the quarter, leading 50-34.
The Rock came out much more aggressive in the fourth, and by the time 1:37 remained in the game, The Rock had matched the Huskies at 52. A free throw from Corridoni then gave the Huskies a one-point lead. Following a missed opportunity from the Rock, Alyssa Mack knocked down a three-pointer to make it a four-point game with under a minute to play. The Huskies went on to win 57-52 in a much-needed pivotal PSAC conference victory. The Huskies were led by Corridoni with 19 points, Brandt with 14, and Mack with 11. Payton Spadaccino, Mack and Sneidman each had three assists. Corridoni also led in rebounds with seven.

     Bloomsburg takes the floor again this Saturday, Dec. 9 as they host Clarion University in yet another doubleheader. The women’s tip-off is slated for 3:00 pm.

Men’s Recap

     After the women’s game concluded, the men’s team immediately began warmups. The Bloomsburg men’s basketball team then went for the sweep of Slippery Rock on Sunday, but ultimately fell short, 77-74. With the loss, the men’s team falls to 4-4 overall with an 0-4 record against PSAC East teams. The Rock, meanwhile, improved to 6-2 overall and 2-2 in the PSAC West.

     The first half was well contested and was tied 41-41. The Huskies got the majority of the scoring from Khary Mauras (12 points) and Hashim Moore (9 points). Slippery Rock was led by Micah Till, a former football player at North Carolina State University, who played the best game of his college basketball career on Sunday. He finished tied with a double-double (32 points, 14 rebounds, both team-highs), an assist, and two blocks.

     The Rock started the second half by taking a six-point lead, that was eventually followed by a Huskies 7-1 run. Ethan Houston played some important minutes for the Huskies and nailed a three-pointer in the run. The remainder of the game was close with both teams having opportunities to build a lead. With 2:43 to play, the game was tied at 73, following two free throws from Christian Mortellite. After that, The Rock limited the Huskies to just one point off a good free-throw from Kyle-Michael Rose. A free-throw by Till, a dunk by Brandon Simmons, and another free-throw by Khyree Wooten lifted Slippery Rock over Bloomsburg by a final score of 77-74.

      Mauras led the way for the Huskies with 21 points and Moore added 17. Mortellite also reached double-digits in the points department with 12, and he led the team with nine rebounds. Both Mortellite and Mauras led the team with three assists apiece.

     Like the women’s team, the men will play Clarion on Saturday at the Nelson Field House. Tip-off is slated for 1:00 pm.

Season Leaders:

Points:
M: Christian Mortellite,           179
W: Meghan Corrioni, 71
Points-Per-Game:
M: Christian Mortellite, 22.4
W: Meghan Corridoni, 7.9
Assists:
M: Khary Mauras, 31
W: Taylor Sneidman, 20
Rebounds:
M: Christian Mortellite, 68
W: Taylor Montana, 46
Blocks:
M: Kyle-Michael Rose, 20
W: Meghan Corridoni, 10
Steals:
M: Christian Mortellite, 14
W: Megan Brandt, 9