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ASHLAND, Ohio -- A frigid start proved fatal to The Rock's victory hopes Sunday afternoon as hosting Ashland recorded a 75-63 victory in non-conference action.

The Rock (2-8) shot a icy-cold 23.1% (6 of 26) from the field in the first 20 minutes and trailed by 23 points, 40-17, at halftime.

A 66.7% (18 of 27) shooting effort in the final 20 minutes allowed The Rock to make the final score respectable.

The Rock finished the game with a respectable 45.3% efficiency from the field, made only 3 of 16 shots from beyond the arc and hit 12 of 16 free throws in the game.

Ashland jumped out to an 8-0 lead before SRU got on the scoreboard for the first time with just less than 15 minutes left in the first half. The Rock then scored seven straight points to trim the margin to one, 8-7, before Ashland outscored the guests by a 32-10 margin to take the 23-point halftime lead.

The Eagles (7-5) held a 35-point, 59-24, lead with 13:42 remaining in the game before SRU closed the game with a 39-16 run.

Darnell Johnson scored a team-high 15 points for The Rock. Matt Schaefer added 12 points, Cory Somerville a team-best seven rebounds, Jade Burka and Ken Ottrix five rebounds each and Erroll Robinson four assists.

The Rock will seek to end a four-game losing skid Dec. 29 when it visits Division I Youngstown State for a 2:05 p.m. non-conference game, the fifth straight road contest for the Green and White.

SRU is then idle until it hosts Cheyney in a Jan. 6 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference "crossover" game in Morrow Field House.