FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Moore Scores 23, but Mounties Drop Close One to SRU
 
MANSFIELD – Thomas Moore led three Mountaineers in double-figure scoring but Mansfield came up just short in an 80-72 loss at Slippery Rock on Saturday afternoon.
 
Slippery Rock opened the game with three of its first four field goals coming from beyond the arc to take an early lead. The Rock led by 10 points just before the first media timeout, but the Mountaineers worked their deficit down to five points capped by a Gerasimos Koutoufas 3-pointer.
 
Slippery Rock extended its lead late in the half to take a 46-31 advantage into halftime.
 
The Rock opened the second half with a pair of free throws to take their biggest lead of the game at 18 points. Mansfield used a 16-6 run to close within eight points with 12:37 remaining in the game.
 
The Mountaineers pulled within six points twice but were unable to close the gap.
 
Moore hit three treys in the game and was just shy of a double-double with nine boards in his 2014-15 debut. Matt Tamanosky recorded 15 points and seven boards with Da'Quan Jones adding 12 points.
 
Malcom Richardson led The Rock with 21 points while Cornelius Brown had a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds. Maxx Rynd came off the bench to score 18 points.
 
Mansfield shot 46.7% from the field while holding Slippery Rock to 37.9% shooting.
 
The Mountaineers travel to Edinboro tomorrow for the second leg of its PSAC crossover weekend.