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Bloomsburg Drops Season Opener in Men's Basketball

SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV —The Bloomsburg University men's basketball team dropped its season opener on Saturday losing to Belmont Abbey College, 57-55, at the Clarion Hotel Invitational at Shepherd College in West Virginia. The game was the first for Bloomsburg coach Rich Mills who is taking over for the retired Charlie Chronister.

Bloomsburg will face the loser of the Columbia-Union/Shepherd College game at 2 p.m. on Sunday in the consolation game of the tournament.

The Huskies (0-1) started slowly in the game going the first four minutes before scoring and then falling behind 25-14 at the 5:16 mark. Poor shooting plagued the Huskies in the opening 20 minutes as they shot just 9-27 from the floor and were 0-6 from three-point range.

In the second half, the Huskies shooting improved and the team cut and eight point halftime deficit to just two, 42-40, on a Jason Benson three-point shot. After falling behind 47-42 with 8:57 to play, Bloomsburg scored back-to-back baskets to make it a 477-46 game with 7:32 to play. However, on the Huskies' next possession, with a chance to take the lead, Seth Scott was called for an offensive foul. In all, the Huskies had three chances in the second half to take the lead, but turned the ball over on each occasion.

With under a minute to play in the game, Belmont Abbey's Shaune Taylor stole the ball and made a lay-up giving the Crusaders a 57-52 lead. Bloomsburg's Tom Barlow, though, hit a three-pointer with 36 seconds left to make it a two-point game, 57-55. On the Crusaders' next possession Letrasky Pressley missed a shot with the Huskies' Adam Bohman grabbing the rebound.

After a Bloomsburg timeout, the Huskies worked the ball around with Ryan Luckman taking the ball to the baseline and throwing back out to Bohman. The 6-8 senior, though, missed on a three-pointer, which would have won the game for the Huskies.

Bohman scored a game-high 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Huskies, while Tom Barlow added 14. Jason Benson chipped in with 11 in his first game as a Huskie.

Shaune Taylor led the Crusaders (1-0) with 17 points, while Damien Humphrey added 12 points and 11 rebounds.

BOX SCORE

BELMONT ABBEY

BLOOMSBURG

3pt Goals-Belmont-Abbey: Taylor (3), Humphrey (1), Morcia (1), LaVann (1):

Bloomsburg: Barlow (1), Benson (1)

Halftime: Belmont-Abbey 30, BU 22