SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Rock rolled to its second straight emphatic win Sunday afternoon when it mauled Mansfield, 72-50, in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference “crossover” game in Morrow Field House.

 

Sunday's win improved The Rock's season record to 6-9 and gave the Green and White a 2-5 record at the conclusion of this year's PSAC interdivisional series.

 

SRU opens its PSAC-Western Division schedule Wednesday with a 6 p.m. home game vs. Edinboro.

 

Mansfield suffered its second straight loss Sunday, the fifth in its last six games and saw its season record fall to 5-10.

 

Senior post player KellyAnn Staudinger led The Rock scoring effort Sunday with a game-high 15 points. She was joined in the double-digit scoring column by sophomore post player Haley Gaidosh with 12 points, junior guard Amanda Nero and sophomore wing player Colleen Smith with 11 points each and sophomore wing player Julie Molloy with 10 points.

 

Gaidosh grabbed a team-high five rebounds. Nero handed out seven assists and Molloy had six handoffs.

 

Sunday's outcome was never in doubt as The Rock scored the first eight points of the game, held a 16-2 lead at the 12:45 mark of the opening half and was ahead by a 21-4 margin with 10:30 left.

 

The Rock led by 21 points, 35-14, at halftime. That matched the largest lead of the opening 20 minutes of action.

 

SRU never led by less than 20 points in the second half and held its largest lead of the game, a 26-point, 55-29, advantage with 11:45 left to play.

 

The hosts hit 71.4% (15 of 21) of its second-half shots to finish with a 57.1% efficiency. SRU was five of 11 (45.5%) from 3-point range in the game and a perfect 11 of 11 from the foul line.

 

Mansfield finished the game with a 34.5% (19 of 55) efficiency from the field, made three of 13 (32.1%) of its shot from beyond the arc and nine of 10 charity tosses.

 

The Rock had a 25-24 edge in rebounding and forced Mansfield into 17 turnovers while committing 15 miscues.

 

The Rock shot 46.4% (13 of 28) from the field in the first half, 50% (3 of 6) from 3-point range and a perfect six of six from the foul line.

 

Mansfield, meanwhile, shot an icy-cold 17.9% (5 of 28) from the field, hit one of eight (12.5%) from 3-point range and made three of four free throws.

 

The Rock held a 20-15 rebounding lead at halftime.

 

 

Sunday's game marked the fourth successive game in which The Rock has scored 70 or more points. SRU reached that plateau in only two of its first 11 games this winter.