MANSFIELD – After being separated by just two points entering the halftime intermission, the Mansfield Mountaineers women's basketball team fell to the Gannon University Golden Knights 77-62 at First Citizens Community Bank Court at Decker Gymnasium on Sunday afternoon.
 
Gannon used a 21-0 run in the second half to slip away from the Mountaineers. The Golden Knights had four players score at least 13 points.
 
Mansfield opened up the game by winning the tip. Just seconds later, the ball circled over to Paige Whitfield in the left corner and she connected for three. Fellow sophomore guard Erin Gibbons then made a layup through traffic to make it 5-2. Noelle Cameron got in on the action by hitting a jump shot from the block with contact and then converting for the three-point play. At the end of the first quarter, Mansfield led 21-17.
 
From there, Gibbons led the offense, scoring all 12 of her points in the first half, which included back-to-back trifectas.  Kira Merritt and McKenzie Hatch both buried deep threes in the second quarter, but Gannon scored 16 points in the paint to take a 40-36 lead into halftime. 
 
In the first three minutes of the third, Whitfield went on a tear, scoring seven of her 12 points in that time. The sophomore began her streak with a layup. The Altoona native proceeded to hit another 3-pointer. She then knocked down a floater from the short corner, and also came up with a steal. Unfortunately, after that run the Mounties saw a 30%+ decrease in both FG and 3-point FG percentages. Gannon then pulled out their 21-0 run, shooting 58.3% from 3-point land in the second half. In the paint, the Golden Knights outscored the Mounties 38-20.
 
Nicole LaCava scored eight of Gannon's first 11 points on the day, while 12 of her game-high 16 points came in the first half. Teammates Chelsea Rourke and Boston McKinney helped supplement the Golden Knights offense in the second half, combining to shoot 4-for-6 from beyond the arc. Gannon's deep bench provided an astounding 41 points in the contest, and the team scored 16 second chance points.
 
Whitfield set her career-high in assists with six on the night, and matched her career-high of 12 points, which she set yesterday against Pitt-Johnstown. She is now averaging 10.3 points per game. Hatch led the team in points (14), assists (7), and rebounds (5 - tied with Gibbons).
 
Freshman Lily Soullaird collected the first points of her career, hitting a three from straightaway in the fourth quarter. The guard from Hanover also tallied two rebounds. Mia Leonard added eight points and two boards, and Ellie Thompson, who was averaging 14.3 points per game entering today, was contained by the Golden Knights for just a pair of free throws late in the contest.
 
Mansfield is back in action this Wednesday, hosting LeMoyne College at 6 p.m. for a non-conference matchup.