MANSFIELD – Less than a week after Slippery Rock upended No. 3 IUP, Mansfield's upset bid came up just short in an 87-76 setback to the Rock Friday night at First Citizens Community Bank Court at Decker Gymnasium.
 
The Mountaineers held a 34-33 halftime lead and trailed by just four points with four minutes to play in the contest.
 
Mansfield (1-15, 0-11 PSAC) opened the game with a 5-1 lead before things were knotted up at 10-10 with 13 minutes to play in the half. An 18-4 run over the next seven minutes lifted Mansfield to a 28-14 lead with under six minutes remaining. Taylor Sweeney knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and Garret Cook added another during the run.
 
Slippery Rock (12-5, 9-1 PSAC) closed out the half on a 19-6 run of its own to pull within one point at halftime at 34-33.
 
In the second half, back-to-back Sweeney jumpers gave the Mounties a five-point lead. However, the Rock scored nine unanswered to take the lead for what would prove to be the final time. SRU climbed to a nine-point lead at 51-45, but Mansfield closed within two points on a 10-3 run capped by a Sweeney trifecta. Later, a Cook 3-pointer brought the Mounties within a point at 56-55 with under eight to play.
 
The Mountaineers would stay within two possessions of the Rock until the final three minutes when free throws made the difference. Slipper Rock went 23-31 (74.2%) from the charity stripe in the game.
 
Tyler Moffe and Sweeney each posted 20 points with Moffe recording his first career double-double with 10 boards. Moffe also dished out seven assists. Cook connected on 5-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc to score 17 points. Eli Alvin chipped in 11 points to go along with a career-high seven rebounds.
 
Micah Till posted a double-double with 20 points and a game-high 17 boards and eclipsed the 1,000 point milestone midway through the second half. John Warren II also recorded a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
 
Jared Armstrong scored a game-high 26 points and Nolen Gerald added 14 points.
 
Slippery Rock benefitted from 25 second chance points and scored 50 of its 87 points in the paint.
 
Mansfield travels to Shippensburg Wednesday.