Box Score
MANSFIELD - Tony Fannick had 22 points and nine rebounds to lead four players in double figures and Mansfield withstood East Stroudsburg University's comeback bid for an 80-75 win on Thursday night at Decker Gymnasium.
Mansfield improves to 10-7 (3-2 PSAC East), while ESU (12-6, 3-2) dropped its second straight game after winning six straight from January 4 through the 21st.
The Mounties led 41-33 at halftime and scored the first seven points of the second half to open a 15-point lead. The Warriors came back with an 11-2 spurt over the next 2:30 to pull within six, sparked by buckets by sophomore guard Mike DeMarco to open and close the run, and eventually narrowed the deficit to 54-52 by the 12-minute mark after four straight points from senior forward Chris Bach.
Fannick replied with a three-pointer to help Mansfield keep the Warriors at arms length, and threatened to pull away with an 8-0 run to go ahead 68-57 with under seven minutes left.
Bach hit a jumper and junior guard Andy Heimbach and senior forward Aaron Pinckney both made three-pointers to get ESU back within three. The Warriors closed the gap to two points three times in the final minutes, but Mansfield pushed the lead back to four each time.
DeMarco's jumper with 35 seconds left made the score 76-74, but Ryan Callahan was 4-for-4 from the line and the Warriors missed two three-pointers that would have gotten them within one possession at the end.
Chris Pender scored 19 points and was 4-of-5 from the three-point line for Mansfield, Yuseff Carr had 14 points and Callahan scored 13 and was 8-of-8 at the foul line. The Mounties were 25-for-30 at the stripe for the game.
Bach led ESU with 17 points, eight rebounds and four blocks, and Heimbach added 15 points, the fourth time in the last five games that he has hit double figures.
Junior guard Robby Pines scored nine points, a season-high, and had five assists and no turnovers in 25 minutes. Pines entered the game ranked fifth in Division II in assist-to-turnover ratio.
The Warriors welcome West Chester to Koehler Fieldhouse on Saturday for a 3 p.m. tip between two of the top teams in the PSAC East. Both squads will enter with 3-2 records in conference play.
