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SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. -- A short-handed Rock squad came up a little short of the needed funds to cash a potentially significant gutcheck Sunday afternoon and fell to visiting Cheyney, 74-70, in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference "crossover" action in Morrow Field House.

The Rock took on the Wolves without the services of nine players, including three starters, suspended for violating team rules, but got stellar efforts from the seven student-athletes eligible to participate.

Unfortunately, the effort wasn't enough and SRU (4-9) suffered its sixth straight loss.

Cheyney, meanwhile, snapped a six-game losing streak and improved its season record to 2-9.

Five members of the Green and White squad played 32 or more minutes in the game and all five players recorded double-digit scoring totals.

Junior guard Amanda Nero scored a game-high 23 points for The Rock and also grabbed eight rebounds and handed out five assists.

Senior post players Nijha McNeely and KellyAnn Staudinger each chipped in 13 points, McNeely snaring seven rebounds and Staudinger four, while senior guard Dana Stewart added 11 points, a team-high nine rebounds and had five assists and sophomore wing Alissa Schake had 10 points, four assists and three rebounds.

Redshirt freshman wing player Jackie Palus had four rebounds in 21 minutes of action, while freshman guard Amy Reilly had an assist and a steal in six minutes.

The Rock was in full control of action midway through the first half, when it held a 12-point, 28-16, advantage. But Cheyney put together an 18-7 run in the next six minutes to trim the deficit to one, 35-34, with four minutes left.

SRU held off the Wolves' charge and took a two-point, 39-37. edge into intermission before the guests scored the first six points of the second half to take a 43-39 lead with 16:30 left in the game.

The Rock then went on a 17-4 run in the span of six-plus minutes to take a 56-47 lead with 9:30 left to play and held an eight-point, 63-55, advantage with four minutes left.

A 9-1 Cheyney run in the next two minutes, though, brought the guests back even at 64-64 with two minutes left.

SRU held a pair of one-point edges, the final one a 67-66 lead with 1:20 left, before Cheyney took the lead for good 20 seconds later.

Cheyney's largest lead of the game was a five-point, 72-67, cushion with 20 seconds left to play.

The Rock returns to action Saturday at 1 p.m., when it will host Bloomsburg in another PSAC "crossover" game in Morrow Field House.

SRU concludes the seven-game interdivisional series the following day with a 1 p.m. game vs. Mansfield before hosting Edinboro in a 6 p.m. game Jan. 16 to open the PSAC-West schedule.