MANSFIELD – Freshman Justice Smith scored a game-high 29 points to help the Mansfield University men's basketball team outscore Lock Haven University in the second half, but the Bald Eagles used a dominate first half to leave Decker Gymnasium with a 102-81 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) victory on Monday night, Jan. 10.
 
The Mountaineers' (1-12, 0-7 PSAC) offense continued to score at a high rate, surpassing 70 points for the fourth straight game, but the defense could not contain the Bald Eagles (5-7, 2-6 PSAC), who shot 51 percent (39-of-76) from the floor and 48 percent from 3-point land (13-of-27).
 
Smith went a perfect 10-of-10 from the line and 9-of-21 from the floor to lead four Mountaineers in double figures. The freshman also secured a double-double with 11 points, while adding a team-high five assists and four steals. Sophomore Jaz Farrell (12), sophomore Marcus Friend (10) and freshman Manir Waller (10) also scored in double-figures. Friend added two blocks, five assists and three steals, Farrell also had two blocks, and Waller pulled in six rebounds.
 
After a back-and-forth opening five minutes, the game was knotted at 12-all heading into the under 16 media timeout. Smith drilled a pair of free throws and converted a layup in the paint to give the Mounties a 13-12 lead with 14:28 remaining, but the Bald Eagles countered with a 12-0 run over the next three minutes to take their largest lead of the half, 26-17.
 
The Bald Eagles were unconscious in from three in the first half where they connected on 10-of-16 shots to lead by as much as 32 in the period. LHU was led by DaQuan Granberry who knocked down four trifectas on the afternoon.
 
The Bald Eagles shot 61 percent (23-of-38) from the floor in the half, while limiting the Mounties to 36 percent (12-of-33), including 0-for-7 from three to carry a 60-33 lead into the break.
 
Mansfield flipped the script in the second half, outscoring LHU 48-42, while knocking down all four of their 3-pointers and outshooting Lock Haven from the floor and at the line. However, time was no longer on the Mountaineers side and the early deficit proved to be unsurmountable.
 
The Mountaineers finished 23-of-26 at the foul line and improved their shooting by over 10 percent in the second half.
 
Granberry finished with a 24-point, 11-rebound double-double, while shooting 9-of-18 from the floor and 4-of-10 from three. Jesse McPherson added 19 points, while Dymir Montague (11 points) and James Price (13 points) also scored in double-figures.
 
The Mounties are back in action on Wednesday night, Jan. 12 at 7:30 p.m. when they welcome Shippensburg University to Decker Gym for a PSAC game.