Box Score
MANSFIELD, Pa. – Renata Neal poured in a career-high 23 points, but it was not enough as host Mansfield upset visiting West Chester, 66-61, in a PSAC East women’s basketball contest inside Decker Gymnasium Saturday afternoon.
West Chester (16-9, 6-6 PSAC East) falls into a tie for fourth place with Bloomsburg and Cheyney while Mansfield (5-19, 2-10) ends a six-game losing streak with the win.
The Golden Rams held a 59-58 advantage with four minutes left in the contest when the Mountaineers went on an 8-2 run to close out the game. Tegan Atallah’s two free throws in the final seconds iced the contest for the hosts. Mansfield nailed all four of its foul shots in the final 10 seconds of play.
A close-knit affair that saw eight ties and no lead climb higher than six points came right down to the wire. West Chester held Mansfield without a field goal over the final three minutes of play, but could not capitalize on its own opportunities. Three turnovers in the final 2:48 hurt the Golden Rams.
The story of the game was Mansfield’s shooting in the first half. The Mounties made 15 of 21 shots, posting a 71.4 percentage from the field and still only held a two-point lead (38-36) at the break. West Chester shot 44.4 percent, making 16 of 36 attempts, and in the second half limited Mansfield to just a 29.6 (8 of 27) field goal percentage.
Megan Stewart was the only other West Chester player in double figures. She had 10 points and five steals. Allison Hostetter had six assists.
Meredith Hafer led four Mansfield players in double figures with 18 points. Her sister Mallory posted 11 points. Mallory Moore had 14 points and Nicole Pender 13.
West Chester travels to Shippensburg on Wednesday in a key PSAC East showdown that has playoff implications. All the action can be heard on 91.7 WCUR-FM, or over the internet on Red Zone Media (www.redzonemedia.com).
