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LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University men's basketball team's response a day after shooting 37 percent in a loss at Mansfield was as cool as the other side of the pillow. The Rock bounced back Sunday with a shooting effort better than 55 percent in an 88-79 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference road win at Lock Haven.
 
Frustrated by seeing its six-game winning streak snapped Saturday afternoon after a poor shooting performance at Mansfield, The Rock came out Sunday on fire, shooting 60.6 percent and scoring 51 points in the opening half.
 
Lock Haven valiantly kept pace for most of the game and stayed close with the help of a 23-of-26 shooting effort from the free throw line, but Slippery Rock pulled away down the stretch or the win.
 
The victory improves The Rock to 11-3 overall and 6-2 in PSAC games with one more crossover against the Eastern Division left on the schedule. Lock Haven dropped to 3-9 overall and 3-5 in PSAC action.
 
Slippery Rock improved to 11-0 on the season when holding its opponent under 45 percent shooting in a game and improved to 4-1 against the PSAC East in crossover games this season. The final crossover game is set for this Wednesday when Bloomsburg visits Morrow Field House for a 7:30 p.m. tip.
 
Slippery Rock took the lead for good less than two minutes into the game Sunday. Lock Haven remained close in the early stages of the opening half, but The Rock pushed the lead out to 12 points on two occasions thanks to hot shooting.
 
The Bald Eagles battled back down the stretch of the opening period to cut the deficit to six points with Slippery Rock leading 51-45 at the break.
 
Lock Haven got the deficit down to four points early in the second half, but Slippery Rock responded to open up an 11 point lead, 61-50 with 16:44 to play.
 
The hosts pushed back again, this time with a 12-4 run to cut The Rock lead to 65-62 with 11:46 to play, but Slippery Rock responded immediately with a 12-5 run of its own to regain a double digit lead, 77-67 with 7:53 to play.
 
Lock Haven again pushed back and got the deficit to four points, 79-75 with 5:02 to play, but Slippery Rock slammed the door with a 5-0 run over the next three minutes to open up an 84-75 edge with less than two minutes to play.
 
The Rock placed five players in double figures and finished the game with a 22-9 edge in scoring off the bench. Frank Holloway led the way with 20 points and seven rebounds, with 18 of his points coming in the first half as he set the early tone.
 
Cornelius Brown recorded this third double-double in the last four games with 13 points and 12 rebounds as he continues to increase his role in the offense.
 
Antonio Butler followed his career-high 25-point effort from Saturday with 18 points Sunday. Chaquille Pratt added 11 points off the bench, Kelvin Goodwin chipped in 10 points and four assists and Malcolm Richardson added six points and four assists to round out the top performances from Slippery Rock.
 
The Rock shot 55.2 percent for the game, connecting on 32-of-58 total attempts, including 7-of-18 from beyond the 3-point arc (38.9 percent). The one negative to come from the game Sunday was the free throw shooting performance, where Slippery Rock managed just 58.6 percent from the line (17-of-29). The Green and White continued their strong play on the glass, outrebounding Lock Haven 40-29.
 
The Bald Eagles were paced by four players in double figures, including two players with 19 points. Wali Hepburn was held under his per game scoring average with 19 points on just 6-of-19 shooting. Al Blount also scored 19 points after knocking down all seven of his free throw attempts and hitting four 3-pointers. Bootsie Walker added 13 points and Nate Walters added 11 points and a team-high six rebounds.
 
Lock Haven shot 50 percent in the first half but shot only 29.4 percent in the second half to finish the game with a 39.1 percent final mark, hitting 25-of-64 attempts. The Bald Eagles were 37.5 percent from beyond the 3-point arc (6-of-16) and 88.5 percent at the free throw line (23-of-26).
 
Sunday's win was the 15th straight for Slippery Rock over Lock Haven in a series that dates back to the 1957-58 season. The Rock improved their overall advantage in the series to 74-37.
 
Slippery Rock returns to Morrow Field House Wednesday to welcome Bloomsburg for a 7:30 p.m. PSAC crossover contest.