SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Mansfield University women's basketball team could not overcome a slow start on the road, falling at Shippensburg University, 65-47 in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division action on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 5.
 
The Mounties (6-13, 5-10 PSAC) fall into a tie for fifth in the PSAC East, while Shippensburg (12-9, 8-7 PSAC) holds a firm grip on the fourth position. The Mounties split with Shippensburg in 2021-22 after earning a victory over the Raiders at home, 70-50, on Jan. 12.
 
Sophomore Logan Nutt (12 points) and junior Jasmine Hilton (13 points, four rebounds) led the Mountaineers in scoring, while senior Paige Whitfield hauled in a team-high six rebounds and dished out a team-high four assists. Junior Alivia Paeglow recorded six points and four rebounds to lead the Mountaineers' second unit.
 
In the first half, the Mounties slow start on offense (6-of-19 shooting) allowed Shippensburg to build a 19-12 after the opening period. Nutt scored her first basket to tie the game at six with 5:28 remaining in the first, but the Raiders closed out the quarter with a 13-6 advantage to build the early lead.
 
The Mounties bounced back in the second as they held Shippensburg to 33 percent (5-of-15) shooting from the floor, while forcing six turnovers to take the second quarter, 12-10. Nutt cut the second quarter deficit to three, 19-16, with a second chance layup, but the Raiders responded with an 8-2 run to extend their lead to 27-18 at the 2:09 mark.
 
Field goals by Nutt and Whitfield sandwiched a Shippensburg jumper to close out the half and send the Mounties into the break trailing, 29-24. Hilton and Nutt each had six points in the first half to lead the Mountaineers' offense.
 
However, that is as close as the Mounties could get, as the Raiders extended their lead to double-digits, 37-24, less than four minutes into the second half. The Mounties didn't get on the board until the 4:28 mark in the third period.
 
Neither team had a great shooting night, as the Mounties shot 20-of-61 and the Raiders finished 23-of-54 from the floor, but the Raiders racked up 18-of-24 free throws while limiting MU to 6-of-11. The Raiders and Mounties shot a combined 2-of-22 from behind the arch.
 
For Ship, Lauren Pettis finished with 14 points and nine rebounds, while Destiny Jefferson added 12 points.
 
The Mounties are back in action on Monday, Feb. 7 when they travel to West Chester University for a 5:30 p.m. contest.