PHILADELPHIA – Trailing by 21 early in the second half, the USciences men's basketball team fought all the way back to within three before eventually running out of steam in an 87-76 loss to Bloomfield on Thursday night at Bobby Morgan Arena. 

The game-high deficit, 62-41, came with 15:48 remaining. 

The Devils held Bloomfield to just one point over the next 5:26, pulling within single digits for the first time since the 5:50 mark of the first half when back-to-back 3-pointers by Austin Kennedy and Sean Simon completed a 15-1 run to make the score 63-56 with 11:06 to go. 

After a Bears basket, Omari Salvi scored five straight points to make it a four-point game, before Zachary Foley followed three Bloomfield points with five unanswered of his own to make it a one-possession contest, 68-65, for the first time since the 9:52 mark of the first half with 7:44 left. 

That capped a 24-6 surge over 7:03, but it would remain a one-possession game for 10 seconds as the Bears responded the next trip down the floor. 

That was the first of six straight Bloomfield points, and University of the Sciences could not make it a two-possession game again. 

Kennedy (11 points), Foley (11) and Salvi (10) sparked the comeback by each scoring in double-figures in the second half alone. 

Salvi led USciences with a season-best 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting, to go along with a team-high seven rebounds. 

Kennedy also had a new season-best with 17 points, while Foley and Jordan Davidson both scored 11. 

Foley added a team-high five assists, as the Devils matched a season-best with 19. 

University of the Sciences made one more field goal and one more 3-pointer than Bloomfield, but the difference came at the free throw line with the Bears making triple the amount of foul shots as the Devils, 21-7. 

USciences led for just 2:27, with Bloomfield taking the final lead change on a 3-pointer just 2:41 in.

The Devils managed to tie it twice, including at 17-17 on a Kennedy 3-pointer with 11:48 to play in the first half, before the Bears took the lead for good 13 seconds later. 

Bloomfield established a double-digit advantage, 40-30, 5:50 ahead of the half, before eventually leading 52-37 entering the locker room.  

University of the Sciences hosts its second game in three days this Saturday, welcoming Felician to Bobby Morgan Arena for a 3 p.m. tip.