EDINBORO, Pa. – The Mansfield University men's basketball team (2-6, 1-3 PSAC) led on the road by as much as 17, but Edinboro University (3-6, 1-1 PSAC) ended the game on a 22-3 run to steal a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) victory, 75-73, in a clash between Western and Eastern division foes on Monday afternoon, Dec. 19.
 
The Mounties held all the momentum from late in the first half to midway through the second, but a late surge by the Fighting Scots proved to be the difference.
 
A perfect trip to the line by Gabe Perez gave the Mounties their largest lead of the night, 70-53 with 7:55 to go. Edinboro suck a pair of free throws on their next possession and went on to score the next 17 points of the contest to knot the game at 70-70 with just 2:30 remaining. Edinboro went 5-of-7 from the floor and knocked down all three trifectas they attempted, while holding the Mounties scoreless thanks to four turnovers.
 
Idris Ali halted the run with two consecutive trips to the charity stripe, knocking down 3-of-4 to put the Mounties back on top, 73-70. However, Edinboro scored on their next trip and followed with a steal and converted put-back layup to take their first lead since the 13:08 mark in the first half.
 
After several empty trips, Edinboro forced their 13^th turnover on the contest and made 1-of-2 shots at the line to extend their lead to 75-73 with 16 seconds to go. The Mounties missed a 3-pointer as the clock struck zero and the Fighting Scots closed out the come-from-behind victory.
 
In a game that featured six ties and five lead changes, both teams finished with 11 makes at the line and shot around 30 percent from 3-point land in the contest, but Edinboro connected on 16 field goals in the second half, while limiting the Mounties to nine makes during the run.
 
Ali and Scott Woodring led the Mounties offense with 15 points each. Woodring added five rebounds, while Ali pulled in six boards, notched one block, one steal and made six shots at the line. Manir Waller added 15 points and eight rebounds, while Saraj Ali scored eight points and finished with a team-high 11 rebounds. Gabe Perez added 11 points and was 4-of-4 at the foul line.  
 
In the first half, the Mounties outscored the Fighting Scots, 26-18 over the final 13 minutes to take a 42-34 lead into the break. The Ali brothers combined to 11 points to lead the Mounties' offense during the run, while the defense forced six turnovers.
 
All five Edinboro starters finished in double figures, led by a game-high 21 points from Will Taylor.
 
The Mounties will enjoy a short holiday breaking before returning to Marion Decker Gymnasium to host Mercyhurst University in a PSAC East-West clash at 3 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 30.