SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. -  A slow start proved too much to overcome for the Slippery Rock University men's basketball team in a 92-83 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division loss to California University (Pa.) Saturday at Morrow Field House.
 
The loss drops The Rock's record to 10-6 overall and 6-4 in league games while the Vulcans improve to 14-4 overall and 9-3 in the PSAC West following the win.
 
Tyler Frederick was one of two Rock players to score at least 20 points Saturday as the senior forward produced his sixth double-double of the season with 20 points and 16 rebounds. 10 of Frederick's 16 rebounds came on the offensive glass. Lashon Lindsey just missed out on a double-double as well, finishing the game with eight points and 10 rebounds.
 
Amante Britt scored a career-high 23 points while dishing out five assists and making two steals over 40 minutes.
 
Jonathan McFall and Bobby Clifford came off the bench to round out Slippery Rock's leading scorers with 15 and 14 points, respectively. McFall also collected six rebounds, two steals and one block while Clifford was responsible for three assists and one block.
 
A slow start once again haunted Slippery Rock on Saturday as the Vulcans jumped out to a 12-1 lead over the game's opening three minutes, forcing SRU to spend the rest of the game trying to erase the early double-digit deficit.
 
SRU closed the score to within three points on two separate occasions in the first half, but just as The Rock appeared poised to take the momentum into the halftime break, California scored eight of the period's final 10 points, capped off by a Zyan Collins 3-pointer with just seconds remaining, to take a 45-36 edge following 20 minutes of competition.   
 
The Vulcans came out of the locker room firing on cylinders and in the process darted out to a 13-4 run which pushed its lead out to a game-high 18 points at 58-40 with 15:36 left in regulation.
 
To The Rock's credit they did not quit following the Vulcans' run. SRU went on to outscore California, 36-23, over the following 13 minutes to narrow Cal's lead to just 81-76 at the 2:50 mark in the second half. Clifford was exceptional for SRU over the run, scoring 14 points including four 3-pointers to help get Slippery Rock back in the game.
 
However, the comeback bid ended there as Slippery Rock was unable to get closer than five points over the remainder of the game. Brent Pregram helped to fend off The Rock's late charge with a pair of 3-pointers over the final 2:23 of regulation on the way to the Vulcans' 92-83 win.
 
SRU closed the game shooting 37.8 percent (31-of-82) from the field overall, 26.8 percent (11-of-41) from 3-point territory and 58.8 percent (10-of-17) at the foul line. Slippery Rock held a +2 rebounding margin (44-42) over Cal U thanks in no small part to a near season-high 22 offensive rebounds which The Rock converted into 20 second chance points.
 
SRU also forced Cal U into 13 turnovers while committing only nine miscues of its own. Slippery Rock has now made nine or less turnovers in a game in three of the last four contests.
 
California shot well in every area Saturday with final percentages of .533 (32-of-60) from the field overall, .500 (9-of-18) from 3-point range and .760 (19-of-25) at the foul line. Philip Alston, the PSAC's leader in both scoring and rebounding, had a great all-around game with 26 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and three blocks.
 
Slippery Rock will look to snap its three-game losing streak when it returns to the road to play at Edinboro University 7 p.m. Monday.





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