MANSFIELD – After a back-and-forth opening 39 minutes that featured multiple leads from both teams, the Mansfield University men's basketball team closed out the game on a 9-1 run to secure a 75-68 victory over Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) foe Shepherd University on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 26 in front of an electric crowd in Decker Gymnasium.

The Mansfield University Athletic Department honored graduating seniors Marcus Friend, Eli Alvin and Jordan Hernandez prior to the game for their contributions to the men's basketball program and the university.

Freshman Scott Woodring shot 73 percent (8-of-11) from the field to finish with 17 points, while grabbing a team-high nine rebounds. Sophomore Jaz Farrell finished with 13 points after knocking down 3-of-5 shots from deep, while Friend and Justice Smith each added 11 points. Smith grabbed seven rebounds and Friend dished out a team-high nine assists and four steals.

To open the second half, both teams traded their first three baskets before Shepherd scored four-unanswered points to knot the game at 42-42 heading into the under-16 media timeout.

The Mounties (5-23, 4-18 PSAC) went back up three after a trifecta from Alvin, but the Rams (12-16, 7-13 PSAC) responded with an 8-4 run over the next two minutes to retake the lead, 52-49 with 13:22 to go.
The Rams continued to lead until the 10:27 mark when Woodring converted a 3-point play the old-fashion way to put the Mounties up 56-55.

The Rams' led 60-56 coming out of the under-8 media timeout, but a three by Wooden and a 1-of-2 trip at the line from Smith tied the game back at 60-60.

Shepherd led 67-66 with just over three minutes to go, but the Mounties went on to outscore Shepherd 10-1 to close out the game and steal the victory. Friend had five points during the run, including the dagger 3-pointer with 37 seconds remaining and the Mounties up 68-67, as well as the final two free throws to seal the win.

In the first-half, the Mounties fell down, 6-2 through the opening three minutes before going on a 7-2 run to take their first lead of the contest, 9-6 at the 15:26 mark. The Mounties led for the next seven minutes of the half, before a Shepherd 3-pointer regained the Rams' lead at 17-16.

The Mounties regained the advantage on their next possession when Alvin connected on a shot from long range. Shepherd fought back to tie the game at 21-21 with 5:42 remaining, but the Mounties never trailed from that point to take a 36-32 lead into the break.

The Mounties shot 50 percent (13-of-26) from the floor, while sinking a game-high six 3-pointers to build the lead. Farrell led all scorers with 11 points thanks to a 3-of-4 effort from 3-point land.

For Shepherd, Cam Stephens led their offense with 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting.

Saturday's contest concludes the 2021-22 regular season for the Mounties.