WASHINGTON, D.C. – Malcolm Richardson scored 18 of his game-high 26 points in the second half and overtime period to lead the Slippery Rock University men's basketball team to a 78-74 overtime win on the road in non-conference action at the University of the District of Columbia Tuesday night.
 
The win improves The Rock to 3-3 overall and provides a solid bounce back for the team after suffering a loss at home to Lock Haven Sunday. UDC drops to 0-5 on the year after dropping its home opener.
 
Richardson re-entered the game with just over nine minutes to play in regulation with the score tied at 52-52. He proceeded to rattle off 11 straight points on 5-of-5 shooting to give The Rock a cushion they would end up needing.
 
UDC rallied down the stretch and hit clutch free throws to tie the game at 67-67 to force overtime, but the Firebirds could never regain the advantage and Slippery Rock posted an 11-7 edge in the overtime period to secure the win.
 
Richardson scored 13 points in the second half and five in the overtime to lead the way. He also handed out three assists and recorded six rebounds.
 
Cornelius Brown finished with his second straight double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Jamal Gatali added 13 points and Chaquille Pratt scored six points and grabbed 11 rebounds.
 
Juwan Strothers scored nine points off the bench and Maxx Rynd added six points as The Rock got some much needed bench scoring.
 
Slippery Rock shot 41.5 percent from the field (27-of-65), 44.4 percent from 3-point (8-of-18) and 55.2 percent from the free throw line (16-of-29). The Rock recorded a 45-39 advantage in total rebounds.
 
UDC shot 38.6 percent from the field (22-of-57), 38.5 percent from 3-point (5-of-13) and 73.5 percent from the free throw line (25-of-34).
 
The Rock defense forced 16 turnovers and was able to convert those to 21 points on the offensive end of the floor. SRU also grabbed 16 offensive rebounds and turned those in to 12 second-chance points in the win.
 
Tuesday's game was the last before the brief Thanksgiving holiday break for Slippery Rock. The Rock will return to action at home next Tuesday, Dec. 1, when Daemen visits for a 7 p.m. non-conference game.