BLUEFIELD, W. Va. - The Mansfield Mountaineers women's basketball team (1-1) closed out their opening weekend with the tournament host, Bluefield State (2-0) as part of the PSAC/CIAA Challenge, but the Big Blue's comeback attempt late in the fourth quarter shocked the Mounties, escaping with a 72-71 victory.
Mansfield played the final minutes of action with only four players on the court in a hard fought ending to their opening weekend.
Katie Sheeler dropped 24 points with three three pointers in a huge opening weekend for the sophomore.
Paris Anthony inked 15 points on the stat sheet, and shot 62.5% on the afternoon. Sarah Hortin picked up her first double-double as a Mounties with 14 points and 13 rebounds.
Sheeler scored five of the team's first seven in the opening minutes.
With a 7-7 split midway through the first quarter, the host created momentum with nine unanswered points over the next two minutes.
To end the first quarter, Sheeler added five more to her double-digit quarter, contributing to the final nine of 12 points scored by the Mounties, but Bluefield State held the slight 19-16 edge after the first ten minutes of action.
The first nine points of the second quarter went the Mountaineers' way thanks to Anthony's six-point outbreak and long distance three from Miya Nguyen, which became a part of a 14-2 run for Mansfield to take the 30-21 advantage.
Anthony also finished with a double-digit quarter, adding another bucket and Sheeler topped off the Mountie lead with a three under a minute remaining to hold the 35-30 lead, heading into halftime.
Sheeler and Anthony combined for 25 points at half with an exceptional 75% shooting percentage.
Bluefield State brought the game with two to start the second half, inching to a 38-36 deficit.
The two teams traded blows through the third quarter, with Mansfield holding the score, until Hortin picked up eight points in the final five minutes to give the Mountaineers the 53-45 lead before the final quarter.
Coach Amy Senefelder's team strengthened their free throw shooting from the previous season, shooting 11-12 (91.7%) in the quarter and 17-20 (85%) up through the first three quarters.
Hortin's first two baskets in the fourth solidified her earning 12 of the last 15 Mountaineer points, giving Mansfield a double-digit lead at 57-47.
Bluefield State looked to spark a comeback, dropping in nine of the next 12 points to downsize the lead to 60-56.
Because of foul trouble, the Mounties had a 4-on-5 situation for the final minutes of action.
After a pair of Sheeler free throws, the Big Blue sank a much needed three to make it a one possession game for the first time since the beginning of the half at 62-59.
Sheeler tacked on another pair of free throws before the host copied and pasted the last play with a three to cut it to 64-62 with three minutes remaining.
The one player advantage for the Big Blue started showing, as the host kept on the pressure with a layup to make it a one-point game at 65-64.
As the teams traded back four points, Nguyen sank a free throw with 41 seconds remaining to make it 70-68 for Mansfield.
Bluefield State erased what once was a double-digit lead with a layup at 29 seconds left, looking to steal a victory on their home court.
After a Mounties miss, the host earned a trip to the charity stripe and sank two free throws to take the 72-70 lead with just two seconds remaining.
Mansfield threw the ball in and earned a trip to the line, looking to take it to overtime, but a missed free throw earned the Big Blue another victory on the season, winning 72-71.
UP NEXT:
Mansfield will host their 2024-25 home opener on Tuesday, Nov. 12 when Penn State Schuylkill heads to Marion Decker Gymnasium. This nonconference battle will tip-off at 5:30 p.m.
