Boxscore
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University men's basketball team's season-opening win streak came to an end Sunday afternoon as visiting Shippensburg handed The Rock a 77-74 setback in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference “crossover” action in Morrow Field House.
The loss snapped a 10-game win streak to open the 2009-10 season and an 18-game regular-season win streak for the Green and White.
The Rock will look to regain its winning ways Saturday when it visits Millersville for another “crossover” game. The following day, SRU travels to No. 25 West Chester for an interdivisional contest.
Senior guard
Maurice Douglas scored a team-high 20 points for The Rock, while junior guard
Jabril Bailey had a 15-point, 13-rebound “double-double.” Junior forward
Maron Brown added seven points and 13 rebounds.
Daziah Miller scored a game-high 23 points and snared seven rebounds for Shippensburg (7-4).
SRU finished the game with a 39% (28-71) efficiency in field goal attempts that included a 36% (12-33) accuracy from 3-point range. The hosts made six of 12 free throws.
Shippensburg shot 48% (29-60) from the field, 50% (4-8) from beyond the arc and 75% (15-20) from the foul line.
The Rock had a 45-38 rebounding advantage but was on the high end of a 14-10 turnover comparison. Shippensburg also enjoyed a 34-28 scoring advantage in the paint and a 30-22 advantage in bench scoring.
The Rock took a 2-0 lead before the opening tip due to a technical foul on a Shippensburg player for hanging on the rim during pregame warmups.
That began a 7-0 Rock run in the opening 90 seconds of action, but Shippensburg refused to go away.
The Raiders answered SRU's opening run with a 10-4 run in the next two and a half minutes to trim the margin to one point, 11-10, with 14 minutes left in the first half.
Four and a half minutes later, the Raiders completed the comeback and tied the score at 20-20.
The guests took their first lead of the game, 27-25, with six minutes remaining before halftime and held a three-point, 35-32, with three minutes left.
The Rock tied the score at 35-35 and 37-37 before Shippensburg scored the final two points of the half to take a 39-37 lead into the intermission.
The score was tied five times and the lead changed hands three times in the opening 20 minutes.
Bailey and Douglas each scored nine first-half points while senior guard
Bryen Spriggs chipped in seven points off the bench. Bailey and
Maron Brown each snared five rebounds.
SRU made 39% (14-36) of its shots from the floor in the first half with a 43% (6-14) efficiency from 3-point range. The hosts made three of four free throws.
Shippensburg hit 50% (16-32) of its action shots, was 1-of-1 from 3-point range and canned six of nine free throws. The Raiders had a 20-16 advantage in points scored in the paint.
SRU was on the high side of 12-5 personal foul and 8-4 turnover comparisons but held a 22-19 rebounding edge.
The guests opened the second half with a 16-6 run to take a 55-43 lead with 13:45 left to play, only to see The Rock roar back with a 19-10 run to trim the margin to three points, 65-62, with eight minutes left.
The Rock trailed by only one point with 10 seconds left after Douglas stole the ball and laid it up, but in the end could not overcome the Raiders' run to open the final stanza.