Highlights  |  Postgame Interview

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University men's basketball moved 2.5 games clear of Mercyhurst University in the race for a first round bye in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference playoffs with an impressive 83-74 victory that snapped the Lakers' eight-game winning streak Wednesday night at Morrow Field House.
 
The victory improves Slippery Rock to 17-7 overall and 14-3 in PSAC games, which includes a perfect 9-0 mark in home conference games. Mercyhurst dropped its third straight game in the series against SRU to fall to 16-5 overall and 11-5 in PSAC games.
 
The Lakers entered the game as the hottest team in the PSAC West with wins in eight consecutive games, including an upset victory on the road at nationally ranked IUP. Slippery Rock led for more than 36 minutes, including the entire second half, to halt that winning streak. It marked the second time this year SRU stopped an opponent's winning streak of at least eight games after previously snapping third ranked IUP's 14-game winning streak back in January.
 
Perhaps even more impressive is that Slippery Rock put an end to the Mercyhurst streak while playing without the leading scorer and rebounder in the PSAC West as Rock All-American Micah Till missed his second straight game with an injury. Till scored a career-high 35 points in a 92-91 double overtime win at Mercyhurst earlier this year.
 
With Till's 21.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game missing from the lineup, The Rock looked elsewhere for additional production and found it in a big way. Nolen Gerald had a coming out party to lead all scorers in the game with a career-high 24 points on 11-of-15 shooting from the field. Gerald also handed out six assists, grabbed four rebounds and recorded two steals. For the second game in a row SRU looked to Julius Palmer for a boost in the paint and Palmer delivered his best performance of the year with 12 points, eight rebounds, two blocks and one steal.
 
Slippery Rock also leaned on its two active leading scorers in guards John Warren II and Jared Armstrong, who both delivered. Warren tallied 19 points, six rebounds, four steals, three assists and two blocks and Armstrong scored 16 points, including 14 in the second half to help spark the run that put the game away.
 
The Rock got 81 of their 83 points from five total players Wednesday night with Vinny Lasley adding 10 points and seven rebounds and Amante Britt chipping in two points.
 
Both teams came out of the gates on fire from long range, knocking down seven 3-pointers each in the first half alone. The Rock made the last bucket of the period to lead 43-40 at halftime with both teams shooting 47 percent from the floor and at least 50 percent from 3-point.
 
Slippery Rock pushed the lead out to nine points over the first five minutes of the second half and stretched it to double figures with 12:58 to play. The advantage grew to a game-high 16 points with 4:26 to play before Mercyhurst chipped away to cut it back to a nine-point final margin.
 
After knocking down 7-of-13 3-point attempts in the first half, the Lakers were held to just 1-of-9 from long range over the final 20 minutes.
 
Slippery Rock finished the night shooting 51.5 percent from the field (34-of-66) after Mercyhurst entered the game holding opponents to an average of 39.9 percent. The Rock shot 45.5 percent from 3-point (10-of-22) and 62.5 percent from the free throw line, hitting five of just eight attempts at the charity stripe. SRU posted a 37-30 edge in total rebounds and made Mercyhurst pay in the transition game. The Lakers finished with just 10 total turnovers, but SRU flipped nearly all of them into points with 17 points off the miscues.
 
Mercyhurst shot 47.5 percent from the field (28-of-59), 36.4 percent from 3-point (8-of-22) and 66.7 percent at the free throw line (10-of-15). Patrick Smith led the Lakers with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Jason Massey added 14 points.
 
Slippery Rock will now turn its focus to a road trip to Clarion University Saturday for a 3 p.m. tip. The Rock can guarantee themselves of a first round playoff bye with two wins in their final four games or one win and a loss by Mercyhurst in any of its final five games.
 


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