Take a look at the PSAC-East men’s basketball rankings and you’ll see Bloomsburg at the bottom of the barrel. For those onlookers who may not be avid followers of the Huskies ballclub this year, it could look very similar to last year’s results that had the Huskies as cellar dwellers throughout the season. You couldn’t be more wrong. Yes the Huskies are in last place in the PSAC East, but in reality this year’s Bloomsburg men’s basketball team is like night and day compared to the 08-09 squad. This team has heart. This team can play with anyone on any given night. This team deserves more than what they’ve got. An 8-12 overall record and 2-6 league record could be different, a lot different, if it weren’t for one simple thing that has been the Huskies’ fatal flaw this season: overtime
For the fourth time this season on Monday, the Huskies took another team from the PSAC-East into overtime. And for the fourth time this season, the Huskies came out on the losing end. It didn’t matter that it was the Cheyney Wolves, a dangerous team that similarly to Bloomsburg, had just upended league leader Kutztown a few nights before. And for the fourth time this season, Bloomsburg just couldn’t close out the game. This time though, it was after a heroic comeback that put the Huskies. Bloomsburg came out shooting similar numbers to the temperature outside Monday night, having trouble buying any baskets from the field. Couple that with one of the worst defensive halfs by the Huskies all year, and the result was a 12 point 43-31 hole going into the half. The Huskies came out in the second half and looked like a completely different team. They moved better, they defended better, and most of all they got the ball on the offensive end down to their big men. The Huskies got massive games from forward Larry Webster who finished the night with 19 points and 14 boards, as well as Adon El who registered 14 points and 10 rebounds.
The Huskies quickly came out with a 10-3 surge behind the play of the big men inside, as well as the rejuvenated shooting touch of Rueben Britt from the perimeter. After a brief defensive lapse the Huskies hit a second offensive surge going on a huge 12-3 run at the hands of Britt, El, and Webster to put the Huskies up 72-68 with 1:07 left. But in eerily similar fashion to their earlier overtime losses this year, the Huskies could not close out the Wolves down the stretch, coming up empty on the offensive and allowing Tyrone Smith to capitalize with two big free throws with 10 seconds left to tie the game and send it into overtime.
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