SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - Second half woes proved too much for the Slippery Rock University men's basketball team to overcome in a 64-59 loss to the University of the District of Columbia at Morrow Field House on Saturday.
 
Slippery Rock (1-3) shot 42.9 percent from the field and made five 3-pointers in the opening 20 minutes to take a seven-point lead into the halftime break.

However, The Rock fell apart in the second half, shooting just 32 percent and committing 14 turnovers while allowing the Firebirds (2-2) to make nearly 50 percent of their shots as the District of Columbia rallied to escape Slippery Rock with a five-point victory.
 
Despite the non-ideal second half, Slippery Rock still found itself in the game late as UDC was unable to stretch its lead to more than one possession for the final seven minutes of regulation until Zachary Olukanni made two free throws with 30 seconds left to play to propel the District of Columbia to a 64-59 win.
 
Micah Till led Slippery Rock on Saturday, finishing the game with 24 points, six rebounds, three blocks, two assists and a pair of steals while shooting 8-for-17 from the field overall, 1-for-3 from long range and 7-for-9 from the free throw line. Till has gone for at least 21 points in three of The Rock's four games this season.
 
Jared Armstrong came off the bench to make three 3-pointers on the way to a nine-point game. Fellow reserve Nik Cazacu added six points. While nine of the 10 players that saw the court on Saturday for SRU scored, no other Rock player had more than four points.
 
Vinny Lasley pulled in nine rebounds, blocked two shots and made two steals in 28 minutes off the bench. Julius Palmer had six points and one block while John Warren II and Amante Britt combined to dish out seven assists to round out The Rock's top performers.
 
For the game, Slippery Rock shot 38.3 percent (23-for-60) from the field overall, 29.4 percent (5-for-17) from 3-point territory and 72.7 percent (8-for-11) at the foul line.
 
The District of Columbia committed 20 turnovers of its own while shooting just 38.5 percent (25-for-65) overall, 36.8 percent (7-for-19) from distance and 70 percent (7-for-10) from the foul line. However, the Firebirds benefitted greatly from 21 Rock turnovers which they translated into 21 points. 15 points off of turnovers came in the second half for UDC.
 
The District of Columbia was paced by Olukanni, who totaled 14 points, eight rebounds and two steals.
 
Slippery Rock will look to regroup from its slow start to the 2018-19 season with a victory 2 p.m. Nov. 24 at Daemen College.
 
 


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