SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University men's basketball team defeated Shaw University, 81-74, Friday on night one of the 2024-25 Atlantic Region Challenge at Morrow Field House.
 
The victory marked The Rock's third consecutive season-opening win. The last time SRU won three straight season-openers came in 1989-90, 1990-91 and 1991-92.  
 
Friday's win also serves as Slippery Rock's 12th straight win over a non-conference opponent at Morrow Field House, a streak that goes back to an 81-71 triumph over Alderson-Broaddus College on Nov. 13, 2021 – a stretch of 1,091 days.
 
Slippery Rock earned the hard-fought win by overcoming a shooting performance from the field that saw SRU make just 17-of-53 attempts (.321) to go with 20 turnovers by routinely getting to, and converting from, the foul line.
 
All told, The Rock connected on a near perfect 46-of-50 attempts. The 46 successful free throws were a single-game program record, but fell short of the PSAC record of 49 which was set by Indiana University (Pa.) against - coincidentally enough - The Rock in the 2011 PSAC Tournament Championship game.
 
As they did so many times last season, the returning all-conference tandem of Jomo Goings and Maceo Austin led Slippery Rock to Friday's win.
 
Goings went for a 26-point, 14-rebound double-double that also included five steals and three blocks while Austin posted 25 points, nine rebounds, four steals and three assists. Goings, who matched his career-high in points, was a flawless 16-of-16 at the out the foul line while Austin went 9-for-10 at the charity stripe and a solid 8-for-15 from the field overall.
 
Ike Herster was The Rock's third player to finish in double figures after fighting through a slow start to chip in 15 points and five rebounds.  
 
Luke Howes came off the bench to provide SRU with six points, four rebounds, two steals and two assists. Rounding out Slippery Rock's top performers were Day Waters (three points, one block, one steal) and Michael Moore (three rebounds, two steals, one block).
 
While The Rock had an uncharacteristically off night on the offensive end of the floor, they shined defensively by holding the Bears to a .366 overall field goal percentage, a 6-for-26 (.231) showing from long range and forcing 22 turnovers. SRU also held a +3 (45-42) rebounding margin.
 
Slippery Rock parlayed its stout defensive effort into 30 points off turnovers, its highest such total since tallying 33 in a 96-71 victory over California (Pa.) on Jan. 7, 2023.
 
Slippery Rock played its way to a six-point (17-11) lead midway through the first half before the Bears proceeded to score 17 of the of next 21 points to take seven-point advantage – their largest lead of the night – with 2:15 to play in the opening 20 minutes.
 
However, in a sign of things to come, Slippery Rock scored the final five points of the half to trim its deficit to just two points at 28-26 heading into the break.
 
Shaw built its lead out to four points to open the second half before Slippery Rock once again went on a run – this one of the 8-0 variety – to take a 40-36 lead it never relinquished.
 
The run came by way of two points from both Goings and Herster and was capped off via a four-point play from Austin, who finished a transition layup, withstood an intentional foul and re-grouped to convert two more free throws.
 
While Shaw was able to cut The Rock's lead to two points on two separate occasions, it could never finish off its comeback bid as SRU stretched its advantage out to as many as 11 points en route to the eventual seven-point decision.
 
Elijah Scranton led Shaw with a 15-point, nine-rebound, two-block, two-steal performance.
 
Slippery Rock will look to close the first weekend of the 2024-25 season on a high note with a victory over Virginia Union University 7 p.m. Saturday on night two of the Atlantic Region Challenge at Morrow Field House.




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