EAST STROUDSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA – Mansfield led for the first 10 minutes, but the Mountaineers went ice-cold from the floor for the rest of the game, falling 102-74 at No. 19 East Stroudsburg in a PSAC quarterfinal game Tuesday night.
Mansfield started out the game strong taking a 9-2 lead a little three minutes into the game on a jumper by Joe Bell and were up 11-5 on a dunk by Bell a minute later.
The Mountaineers held a 22-21 advantage midway through the first half before East Stroudsburg used a 22-0 run to take a 43-22 lead with a little more than three minutes remaining before halftime. Mansfield could never recover and went ice-cold from the floor over that span missing 12 straight shots while East Stroudsburg connected on 80% of its attempts from the floor during the run.
Mansfield, which made just 2-of-18 shots from the floor of the final 10 minutes of the first half, trailed 54-33 at halftime, with East Stroudsburg shooting 62.5% from the floor and connecting on 16-of-18 free throws.
Senior Chuck Harper ended his collegiate career with 992 points after committing his fifth foul with just under six minutes to play.
Kevonte McClain and Joe Bell each scored 16 points to lead Mansfield with Bell just missing a double-double with a game-high nine rebounds. Harper added 11 points.
Whis Grant scored 19 of his game-high 21 points in the first half to lead East Stroudsburg. Duane Johnson added 15 points with Terrance King scoring 14.
Mansfield, which had a four-game winning-streak snapped with the loss, falls to 10-18 for the season while East Stroudsburg, which advances to the PSAC Final Four, improves to 22-5.
(Mansfield Athletics)
