BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University men's basketball team clawed back from a nine-point second-half deficit but could recapture a lead in an 81-70 loss to Bloomsburg in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division game at Nelson Field House.
 
The loss for Shippensburg (12-6, 9-5 PSAC) ends a season-long seven-game winning streak. The Raiders struggled shooting Wednesday, connecting on only 36.5 percent (23-63) of its field-goal attempts.
 
SU trailed by one at the half, but Bloomsburg was able to open a nine-point advantage with just under 12 minutes remaining. The Raiders slowly fought its way back into the game, and cut the Huskies' lead to two at 70-68 when sophomore Dustin Sleva converted a traditional three-point play with 2:25 remaining.
 
On the ensuing possession, however, Bloomsburg leading scorer Christian Mortellite connected on a contested three-pointer from the wing as the shot clock expired to afford the Huskies a five-point lead. The Raiders never got closer.
 
Sleva turned in another fine performance, finishing with 19 points, 16 rebounds and four assists – all of which were Raider team highs.
 
Sleva was joined in double digits by junior Abe Massaley, who scored 12, grabbed three rebounds and dished two assists.
 
Sophomore Clay Conner and freshman Antonio Kellem each contributed 10 points.
 
Kellem also was the main member of SU in charge of slowing Mortellite, and the Raider freshman limited Mortellite to just two points in the first half. The Bloomsburg standout used the foul line to his advantage to score 18 points after the break.
 
Redshirt-freshman Manny Span provided big second half minutes as SU tried to rally, scoring four points and grabbing three rebounds.
 
Wednesday marked the first time this season in which the Raiders scored 70-plus points and lost (previously were 12-0). It was also just the fourth time SU shot less than 40 percent from the field. The Raiders are 0-4 when they don't reach 40 percent.
 
The Raiders, who entered Wednesday's game out-rebounding opponents by an average of 5.1 boards per game, were outrebounded 54-41. The Huskies outrebounded SU 20-11 on the offensive glass.
 
SU is on the road again Saturday, with a trip to West Chester on deck for a pivotal PSAC East matchup with the Rams. Tip-off is slated for 3 p.m.