MANSFIELD, Pa. – Idris Ali finished with a team-high 17 points to help the Mansfield University men's basketball team (4-11, 3-8 PSAC) build a first-half lead, but Shepherd University (10-7, 6-4 PSAC) shot over 50 percent in the second half to steal a 69-64 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) victory inside Decker Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon, Jan. 21.
 
Leading the PSAC's third-place Rams 33-27 coming out of the break, the Mounties extended their advantage to 38-31 with 18:24 to go after back-to-back jumpers from Saraj Ali.
 
The Mountaineer offense went cold over the next three minutes and the Rams knocked down a pair of triples to cut the deficit to one, 40-39 at the 14:21 mark.
 
Buckets by Michael Dickson and Gabe Perez put the Mounties back up 45-40 two minutes later, but Shepherd countered with a 6-1 run over the ensuing two minutes to knot the game at 46-46.
 
The Rams drilled a 3-pointer on the next possession to take their first lead since the nine-minute mark in the first half, 49-46, with 8:47 remaining.
 
Shepherd rode the momentum with red-hot shooting over the next six minutes, extending their lead to as much as 12, 64-52, with just under three minutes to go. The Mounties cut the deficit to two scores three more times to close out the contest, but the clock was no longer on their side and Shepherd closed out the come-from-behind victory.
 
The Rams recovered from a cold start to the game (11-of-32), to shoot 54 percent (13-of-24) in the second half to ignite the comeback. The Mounties finished the game 25-of-56 (45 percent) from the floor, but knocked down just 3-of-14 shots from behind the arch, as the game started to shift in that direction.
 
Ali shot over 50 percent from the floor (7-of-13) and pulled in six rebounds, a tie for the team lead with S. Ali (seven points). Dickson also finished in double figures off the bench, finishing with 13 points on an efficient 6-of-9 shooting. Scott Wooding knocked down two shots from deep, totaling six points, five rebounds and a team-high three assists.
 
In the first half, Ali shot an efficient 5-of-8 from the floor, forcing his way into the paint early to help the Mounties jump out to a 33-27 lead heading to the break. Dickson was also crucial to the early Mountaineer success, leading the second unit with seven points, including a thunderous dunk that brought the crowd to their feet. 
 
The Mounties' defense held the Rams to 34 percent (11-of-32) shooting from the field in the first half, while holding a plus-four advantage at the charity stripe.
 
For the Rams, Carson Poffenberger finished with a game-high 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting to lead the way. Dan McClain-Corley and Jon Preston each added 15 points.
 
The Mounties visit Bloomsburg University on Monday night, Jan. 23 at 5:30 p.m. for a PSAC contest.