EAST STROUDSBURG – The Mansfield Mountaineers men’s basketball team let a tight second half slip away on Wednesday night, as it fell, 106-88, to East Stroudsburg on the road.

Darrien Berrios Rivera set a new career high 25 points to lead the Mounties. JuJu Pagan had 16 points and was a perfect 5-5 from the free throw line. Four total Mounties scored in double figures. The Mountie leading rebounder was Sterling Scott with six.

In the first half, Mansfield (2-21, 1-16 PSAC) hung with the high-powered Warriors offense (17-7, 11-6 PSAC), shooting 58 percent from the field. Mansfield was 8-for-8 from the free throw line and shot 7-for-14 from three-point range. Berrios Rivera and Pagan combined for 30 points in the half, as the Mounties trailed 55-51 entering the break.

Mansfield struck first in the second half, on a Pagan layup, but two points was the closest it got. East Stroudsburg responded with a 22-8 run through the first five minutes of the second half. That run included the Warriors going 4-for-5 from beyond the arc.

Mansfield tried to claw back with a 10-4 swing, using a pair of Berrios Rivera deep balls that cut the deficit to ten. But the Warriors would double up Mansfield through the next five minutes, as the teams traded baskets for the rest of the half and East Stroudsburg escaped with the 18-point victory.

Mansfield is back in action on Saturday as it hosts Shepherd for a Valentine’s day showdown.