ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Erin Gibbons led the Mansfield women's basketball team with a game-high and career-high 22 points against Roberts Wesleyan on Tuesday evening, however the Redhawks were able to use a strong second half showing to come away with a 77-57 win at the Voller Athletic Center.
 
Mansfield opened their season on the road against a Roberts Wesleyan team that already had four games under their belt. The first quarter of play saw some excellent ball movement from the Mounties, allowing them to hang with the Redhawks. Gibbons hit a three-pointer two minutes into play to give the Mountaineers a 5-4 lead, but it was Sara Nady who responded for the Redhawks with five unanswered points to give them a 9-5 advantage. From there, Roberts Wesleyan was able to keep the lead for the remainder of the game.
 
The Redhawks showed good poise down the floor in transition. An offensive board and putback by Noelle Cameron helped the Mounties cut the lead 18-11 to end the first quarter. Roberts Wesleyan had five offensive boards and seven second chance points in the first ten minutes of play, while Mansfield turned over six possessions.
 
To start the second, Ellie Thompson came out firing for the Mounties. She hit a jumper within the first few moments of play and then caused a Redhawks turnover to give Mansfield some good momentum. Senior guard McKenzie Hatch threaded a great pass to Thompson in the paint after a tricky head-fake at the elbow drew a few defenders. Once the pair of Redhawks committed to Hatch, she dropped a bounce pass between them to Thompson at the block, who finished with ease. Following a three-second violation by Roberts Wesleyan, Hatch pushed the tempo upcourt and passed to Mia Leonard in the post. Leonard made a series of nice post moves to shake a defender in the paint, and then was able to get her shot to drop and bring the game to 18-17.
 
After a battle of back-and-forth pressure several plays later, Gibbons was able to connect on a pair of free throws to make it a 26-22 game. Roberts Wesleyan went on a 13-0 run to close out the half, giving them the momentum to pull away in the final two quarters.
 
Thompson finished with 16 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the field (89%) and seven rebounds for Mansfield. Gibbons added three steals and four rebounds to her game and career-high 22 points on the night. Tying Thompson on the night for the team-high of seven rebounds was Cameron, who also contributed four points, two assists and two blocks. Hatch ended up with seven rebounds and three rebounds. Kira Merritt and Alyssa Denofa combined for eight points.
 
For the Redhawks, four players recorded double digits in points. They were led by Tashayla Sutorius and Emily Miller with 16 apiece. Miller also pulled down nine boards. Dimitra Gkizani led all players with ten boards, unlocking herself a double-double by also tallying 12 points. With the win, Roberts Wesleyan improves to 3-2 on the season.
 
Mansfield's next matchup comes at home against Salem University for their home opener on Wednesday, November 28^th. Both Mounties basketball teams host Mountie Madness on Monday, November 26^th at 7 p.m. in Decker Gymnasium. The event is free and open to fans of all ages.