MANSFIELD – Jeremiah Worthem tipped-in a missed free throw with seconds remaining to force overtime, but Roberts Wesleyan pulled away to earn an 86-80 non-conference victory on Wednesday night at Decker Gymnasium.
 
Mansfield (1-3, 1-1 PSAC) jumped out to a 10-3 lead capped by Malik Carter's lay-up with just under 14 minutes to play, but a 6-0 run by the Redhawks made it a one-point game. The Mountaineers led until a Justin Vaughn trey gave Roberts Wesleyan (7-1, 0-0 ECC) a 21-20 advantage at the 7:14 mark.
 
Mansfield would trail until Tyler Moffee knocked down a pair of free throws to take a 33-32 lead with just over three minutes remaining in the half. A Cedrick Powell lay-up as time expired in the half made it 41-38 Mansfield.
 
The Mountaineers started the second half on an 11-2 run to take their biggest lead of the night, but Roberts Wesleyan countered with a 13-4 run of its own to close within three points. The Redhawks took their first lead of the second half at 68-67 with 3:51 remaining and held a 72-69 lead with just 37 seconds to play.
 
Matt Tamanosky got to the line with 12 seconds left where he hit the first attempts but missed the second. Incredibly, Worthem skyed toward the rim and tipped the ball in to tie the game at 72-72 and force overtime.
 
Roberts Wesleyan built a lead and maintained it in overtime to escape with the win.
 
Malik Carter led four Mounties in double-figure scoring and Worthem recorded back-to-back double-doubles with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Powell recorded 16 points, eight rebounds, and six assists and Tamanosky added 15 points.
 
Roberts Wesleyan was paced by Gintaras Bartaskas' 27 points on 6-11 shooting from 3-point. Michael Bush added 18 points with Joseph Manny recorded 13 points and nine rebounds.
 
The Mountaineers continue a three-game home stand by hosting Edinboro on Saturday and Mercyhurst on Sunday.