Jan. 10, 2009

Box Score

MANSFIELD - On a day where the weather outside was cold, the shooting inside Mansfield's Decker Gymnasium was anything but as the Clarion University men's basketball team fell to Mansfield 97-86 in an old-fashion shootout.

Clarion (8-3) had five players score in double figures and shot 45.3 percent from the floor including a blistering 51.4 percent in the first half. But it wasn't enough to overcome a Mansfield squad that hit 54.4 percent of its shots including an amazing 63.3 percent in the opening half. The Mountaineers (7-4) also had four players reach double figures.

Josh Yanke led Clarion, which lost for the first time since Nov. 26, with 18 points and six rebounds. Mike Sherry added 15 points and six assists, Shameel Carty chipped in with 14 points, Marcus Robinson had 11 and Damon Gross 10 points and five boards.

Chris Pender led all scorers with 28 points while adding five rebounds for Mansfield. Chris Greene added 16 points, Yuseff Carr had 13 and seven rebounds and Donny Lyons 10 for the Mountaineers.

Clarion got off to a good start taking a 17-11 lead four minutes into the game, and the Golden Eagles led by nine, 50-41, with 5:10 left in the first half. But Mansfield ended the half on a 17-0 run to take a 58-50 halftime lead, and that run grew to 22-0 at the start of the second half giving the Mountaineers their biggest lead of the game at 63-50.

But the Golden Eagles fought back using a 16-3 run to get within three, 72-69, on two David Blanks free throws with 10:36 to play. Clarion was still within four, 80-76, with 7:29 to play before Mansfield used 16-7 run to put the game away.

Clarion, winners of seven of nine, returns to action Sunday at 1 p.m. at Bloomsburg.