LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Junior guard Jon Valeriano buried five 3-point shots and scored a team-high 17 points Wednesday night to help propel visiting Slippery Rock University to a methodical 72-59 win over Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division men's basketball action.

The win was SRU's second consecutive and ninth in the last 12 games and improved the Green and White's season records to 14-7 overall and 11-6 against PSAC rivals.

The victory, coupled with Clarion University's 91-53 loss at Mercyhurst, also moved SRU into sole possession of third place in the division standings. The Rock hold a one-game advantage over both California (13-10, 10-7) and Clarion (14-9, 10-7). 

Lock Haven suffered its 39th consecutive loss and saw its 2011-12 season records drop to 0-20 overall, 0-17 in conference action.

Rock senior center Luiz Santos scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds, freshman Chaquille Pratt (pictured) came off the bench to score 12 points and snare seven rebounds and junior John Bayardelle added 10 points to complement Valeriano's scoring effort. Tabari Perry and Devin Taylor each added eight points to the winning cause, with Perry also grabbing seven rebounds. Valeriano handed out a team-best four assists.

Lock Haven's Armandi Marshall also scored 17 points to tie Valeriano for game-high honors, while Anthony Baker added 13 points and five rebounds and Andre Rivers finished with 10 points and five rebounds.

The Rock scored the first five points in the game en route to a wire-to-wire victory.

SRU held an 11-point (23-12) lead at the midway mark of the first half and extended the margin to as many as 16 points (41-25 with 3:00 left) before it took a 15-point, 44-29, advantage into the intermission.

Pratt and Valeriano each scored 12 first-half points to lead The Rock effort.

The Rock held a pair of 21-point leads in the second half, the final one being a 72-51 difference with 3:30 left to play in the game, before they coasted home with the win.

SRU made 5-% (29-58) of its field-goal attempts, 36% (9-25) of its 3-point shots and 71% (5-7) of its free throw attempts in the game and held a commanding 41-21 advantage in rebounding.

Lock Haven, which won the turnover battle by a 13-7 margin, shot 43% (21-49) from the field, was 0-for-6 from long range and made 17 of 26 (65%) free throws.

Division standings – Indiana (17-4 overall, 14-3 PSAC), despite dropping a 65-54 decision Wednesday night at California, remained atop the division standings. The Crimson Hawks are one game ahead of Mercyhurst (15-6, 13-4) and three games ahead of The Rock.

California and Clarion are tied for fourth place, followed by Edinboro and Gannon, both of which are 11-10 overall and 9-8 against conference rivals. Lock Haven remains in the division cellar.

Gannon nipped Edinboro, 77-73, in overtime in the other PSAC-West game played Wednesday night.

The Rock travels to Edinboro for a 4 p.m. game Saturday, while Indiana hosts Mercyhurst, while Gannon is at Clarion and Lock Haven travels to California.

SRU then hosts California in a 6 p.m. game next Wednesday in Morrow Field House. That will be the first of three home games the Green and White will have in their final four regular-season contests.

That bodes well for The Rock's bid for their third PSAC postseason tournament berth in the last four seasons. SRU is 9-3 in home games this winter and 41-11 (79%) in the Field House in Kevin Reynolds' four seasons as The Rock's head coach.

The top four teams in the PSAC-West standings at the end of regular-season competition earn berths in the conference tournament. SRU earned conference runner-up honors last winter after advancing to the semifinal round in the 2008-09 campaign.