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SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University men's basketball team punched its ticket to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference quarterfinals with a 68-65 win over Seton Hill Saturday night in the opening round of the playoffs from Morrow Field House.

The Rock led by eight at halftime and led by six with just under four minutes to play, but Seton Hill rallied to take the lead 61-60 with 1:24 to play.

Josh Martin, who hadn't scored in the game, knocked down a pair of free throws to put Slippery Rock back on top and Antonio Butler added to the lead with a 3-pointer with just 33 seconds left to make it 65-61.

Seton Hill rallied to cut it to 66-65 with 10 seconds to play, but Martin knocked down two more free throws to extend the lead back to three points with eight seconds to play.

Kameron Taylor was sent to the free throw line with four seconds left and missed both attempts, but the Griffins got the ball back after a turnover from Slippery Rock with just two seconds left on the game clock. Max Kenyi got a contested look at a tying 3-pointer at the buzzer, but the shot went long and Slippery Rock held on.

The Rock improve to 20-9 on the season, the seventh 20-win season in program history and the fourth in the six-year tenure of head coach Kevin Reynolds. Seton Hill finishes its year at 15-12.

Slippery Rock advances to the quarterfinals, where it will travel to No. 1 seed Gannon Tuesday night for a 7:30 p.m. matchup in the Hammermill Center.

Saturday night's third meeting between Slippery Rock and Seton Hill proved just as dramatic as the first two meetings between the teams. The Rock recorded a one-point win, 72-71 at home in the first meeting this season and a four-point win, 73-69 at Seton Hill Feb. 22.

Slippery Rock was spurred Saturday night by a dominant performance in the paint that led to 30 points and a +26 advantage in rebounds (44-18).

Maurice Lewis-Briggs led the charge with his 17th straight double figure scoring performance, finishing with a double-double of 20 points and 13 rebounds for game-high honors in each category.

Only two Rock players could manage more than seven points, making the 17-point night from Matej Delinac off the bench a significant factor in the win. The 17 points was one shy of his career-high (18 vs. Gannon Dec. 4). He also pulled down seven rebounds.

Kelvin Dixon added seven points off the bench and Butler and Tabari Perry each chipped in six points.

Seton Hill was led by Taylor with 18 points and four assists. Malachi Leonard added 16 points and Max Kenyi chipped in nine points.

Slippery Rock shot the ball poorly in the early stages of the game, scoring just two points in the first 4:30 and shooting under 30 percent during that stretch. The Rock turned it on from there, putting together a 17-2 run that put them out front for the rest of the opening period.

SRU finished the game shooting 46 percent from the field (23-of-50), 40 percent from the 3-point arc (6-of-15) and 53.3 percent from the free throw line (16-of-30).

Seton Hill shot 46.9 percent from the field (23-of-49), 38.5 percent from long range (5-of-13) and 73.7 percent at the free throw line (14-of-19).

The rebounding advantage of 44-18 allowed Slippery Rock to shut down any second chance opportunities for Seton Hill, which scored zero second chance points and managed just two offensive rebounds.

A complete game preview for Tuesday's quarterfinal, along with live coverage options, will be posted to www.RockAthletics.com Monday.


Game Notes: Slippery Rock is making its 15th appearance in the PSAC playoffs … The Rock is now 9-10 all-time in PSAC playoff games … SRU is 7-4 under Reynolds in the PSAC playoffs … The Rock is making its fifth appearance in the playoffs under Reynolds … SRU played in and lost the PSAC title game last winter and in 2011 … Maurice Lewis-Briggs has scored 10 or more points in 17 straight games and 25 of 29 games this season … Reynolds is now 117-59 in his tenure at SRU … The Rock is 68-18 at home under Reynolds.

Bracket: Mercyhurst defeated California 54-50 in the other opening round game from the PSAC-West side of the bracket. The Lakers will travel to No. 2 seed Indiana (Pa.) Tuesday. On the east side, Bloomsburg defeated Kutztown 82-71 and will play at West Chester Tuesday. Millersville defeated Lock Haven 81-75 and will play at No. 1 seed East Stroudsburg Tuesday. The semifinals and finals will take place at the highest remaining seed in the east March 8-9.