FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Mounties Never Find Their Rhythm in Road Loss at Mercyhurst

ERIE – Thomas Moore scored a team-high 15 points for Mansfield but it wouldn't be enough to counter a 27-point performance from Jean Onana as Mercyhurst cruised to a 78-60 win over the Mountaineers in a PSAC crossover contest Wednesday night.

Mansfield, especially leading scorers Charles Pemberton and Joe Bell, struggled to get untracked in the game and find their rhythm after the long bus trip to Erie.

Pemberton and Bell, both ranking among the top seven scorers in the PSAC coming into the game, were held scoreless in the first half until Pemberton scored on a layup with just 33 seconds remaining before halftime.

The game marked the first time this season that both seniors were held to less than 10 points.

Moore was the only Mountaineer scoring in double-figures with 15 points including a perfect 8-8 from the free throw line. He also had three steals and two assists. Pemberton had nine points, seven of them coming in the second half and Da`Quan Jones added eight points.

Onana, who averaged 5.9 points on the season coming into the game, was unstoppable off the bench hitting 9-15 from the floor including 5-7 on 3-point attempts.

Despite the unusual offensively unproductive first half from Pemberton and Bell, the Mountaineers hung with the Lakers for much of the first 20 minutes. Mansfield scored the game's first points on a 3-pointer by Andreas Katopodis and rallied from a 16-11 deficit midway through the first half to take a 21-18 advantage on a layup by Moore with a little more than seven minutes remaining before halftime.

But Mercyhurst would counter going on a 9-0 run and holding Mansfield without a field goal for almost four minutes until Matt Knezovic's 3-pointer with 3:25 left closed the gap to 29-26.

Mercyhurst held a 38-30 advantage at intermission and Mansfield closed to 49-44 on a 3-poiner by Katopodis five minutes into the second half but could never pull any closer.

Mercyhurst held a decisive 39-23 rebounding advantage including an 18-4 advantage on the offensive boards.

With the loss, Mansfield drops to fourth place in the PSAC. The Mountaineers travel to Shippensburg on Saturday.