FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Moore, Matter and Touhey combined for 45 points to lead Mansfield to 68-58 win over Houghton – Mounties improve to 3-1 on season

BOX SCORE

MANSIELD – Mallory Moore, and freshmen Jena Matter and Megan Touhey combined for 45 points to lead Mansfield to a 68-58 win over pesky Houghton in a non-conference women's basketball game at Decker Gymnasium Tuesday evening. 

Houghton jump out to an early advantage leading 12-7 five minutes into the game before Mansfield held the Highlanders scoreless for the next eight minutes. The Mountaineers used a 13-0 run over that span and took a 20-12 lead on a 3-pointer by sophomore Kayla Espigh. 

Mansfield (3-1) held a 33-26 halftime advantage largely behind Moore and Touhey who scored 20 of Mansfield first-half points. 

Mansfield went on a 10-2 run over the first five minutes of the second half to take a 43-28 lead but Houghton cut the advantage to 46-41 on a layup by Ashley Dupler with 12:42 remaining. 

Houghton continued to chip away at the lead pulling to one point at 55-54 with five minutes to go.
While Moore, Matter and Touhey combined for 66% of the Mountaineers points it was senior Tegan Atallah's only basket of the night that may have been the most important of the game. 

With Mansfield holding a 59-56 lead with three minutes to play, Atallah buried a 3-pointer as time expired on the shot clock that effectively ended Houghton's hopes. 

Mansfield shot 49% from the floor while recording 19 steals in the game. 

Moore scored a team-high 18 points with six assists, four rebounds and four assists while Touhey scored a collegiate-high 15 points including hitting 3-4 of her 3-point attempts. Matter, who earlier in the day was named the PSAC East Freshman of the Week, scored 12 points with a game-high eight rebounds. Junior Nicole Pender also had a strong game scoring eight points with six steals and five assists.

Ashley Dupler led Houghton (3-3) with a game-high 21 points and seven rebounds.
 
Mansfield host Lock Haven on Wednesday, Dec. 1 at Decker Gymnasium.