MANSFIELD – Senior Paige Whitfield scored a career-high 24 points to power the Mansfield University to a season-saving 71-65 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) victory over Millersville University on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 12 inside Decker Gymnasium.

Whitfield knocked down 4-of-5 shots from behind the arch, 8-of-9 shots at the charity stripe, while dishing out four assists and pulling in four rebounds.

The Mountaineers shot a season best 50 percent (9-of-18) from behind the arch, while tying a season high of 16 free throws made on an efficient 84 percent.

With the victory, the Mounties (7-15, 6-12 PSAC) remain in the thick of the PSAC postseason hunt, sitting a game behind in the loss column of the sixth and final spot. The Marauders (7-16, 6-12 PSAC) are one of four teams battling for position in the conference standings with four games to go.

It took the Mountaineers until the final two minutes of the opening half, but a perfect trip to the line from Whitfield gave MU their first lead, 33-31, with 1:53 to go.

The Mounties saved their best period for the third, where their defense led to efficient offense to extend their lead to 49-40 heading into the under-four media timeout. The Mountaineers did not allow a field goal until the 4:31 mark, which they immediately answered on their ensuing possession off a Merritt jumper.

 The Whitfield show continued as she connected on her next three free throws, highlighted by a 3-point play the old fashion way to give the Mounties their first double-digit lead, 56-43, with 1:51 to go.

The Mountaineers outscored the Marauders, 23-13, in the third period, while holding them to 14 percent (1-of-7) from the floor, out-rebounding 10-4 and forcing six turnovers.

The Mountaineers' defense continued to apply pressure to open the fourth, limiting Millersville to six points through the opening five minutes to remain on top, 62-53.

The Marauders scored four straight to cut the deficit to 65-59 with 2:32 to go, but senior Sydney Reed drilled her third 3-pointer of the afternoon on the next possession to halt the run.

However, Millersville scored the first five points with less than a minute remaining to make it 70-65 Mansfield with 25 seconds to go.

The Mountaineers got the stops they needed, and sophomore Logan Nutt drilled a free throw to close out the 71-65 victory.

Junior Jasmine Hilton finished with her second straight double-double, pulling in 10 rebounds to go with 14 points. Nutt continued her double-digit scoring streak, finishing with 13 points and five rebounds, while Reed knocked down four triples for 12 points. Senior Kira Merritt chipped in five assists.

Mia Leonard led Millersville with a team-high 14 points and five rebounds.

In the first half, back-and-forth high scoring opening five minutes saw 24 points scored as the Marauders built an early 14-10 lead heading into the first media timeout.

The Marauders built a 16-12 lead at the two-minute mark before Reed drilled her second 3-pointer of the period to trim the deficit to one, 16-15. Two quick Mountaineer turnovers allowed the Marauders to jump back to a 21-15 advantage and ultimately carry a 23-17 lead into the second.

After a slow start to the second quarts by both teams, the Marauders countered a trifecta by Whitfield with a pair of baskets to make it 27-22 with 5:34 to go. A free throw by Hilton and a trifecta by Merritt cut the deficit to 27-26, but the Marauders immediately answered with a triple of their own to regain a 3-point lead.

However, the Mountaineers shot 50 percent the rest of the way to close the half on a 9-6 run to take their first lead of the game and head into the break leading 35-33. Whitfield and Hilton scored all nine points during the run.
The Mountaineers have a quick turnaround, traveling to Bloomsburg University on Monday, Feb. 14 at 5:30 p.m. for a PSAC contest.