SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Behind a stellar all-around performance by
Jomo Goings, the Slippery Rock University men's basketball team earned a 70-56 non-conference victory over West Virginia Wesleyan College Monday at Morrow Field House.
The Rock's victory snapped a five-game losing streak and improved their record to 3-6 overall while the Bobcats fall to 1-5 following the loss.
Goings did a little bit of everything in leading SRU to the victory by turning in an 18-point, seven-steal, five-rebound, four-assist, two-block performance.
Already one of the nation's best in steals, Goings, who shot 5-for-11 from the field overall and 7-for-9 at the foul line Monday, increased his Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference leading steal total this season to 34.
Additionally, Goings' seven steals against the Bobcats were the most by a PSAC athlete this season as well as being tied for the fifth-highest single-game total in program history.
Maceo Austin tallied his first double-double of the year by way of a 14-point, 10-rebound effort that also included four assists, three steals and one block.
O'Meech Wilson nearly joined Austin with a double-double after finishing with nine points, 12 rebounds and three blocks.
Austin and Wilson combined for 11 offensive rebounds – five more than the entire West Virginia Wesleyan roster.
Ike Herster rounded out SRU's leading scorers with 12 points, accompanied by five rebounds, two steals and one block.
The quartet of
Luke Howes (6),
Sheick Samoura (5),
Alex Griggs (3) and
Bryon Ottrix (3) all scored points as well. Howes also provided SRU with six rebounds, five assists and two steals.
Slippery Rock overcame an off-shooting night of 34.4 percent (22-of-64) overall and 24 percent (6-of-25) from 3-point range by controlling the paint forcing the Bobcats into a plethora of mistakes.
For the game, The Rock held a +20 rebounding margin (47-27) over West Virginia Wesleyan in addition to forcing WVWC into 23 turnovers. SRU scored 20 points off the Bobcats' miscues in addition to turning its season-high 23 offensive rebounds into 16 second chance points.
SRU also assisted on 16 of its 22 successful field goals. Slippery Rock continued what has been a strong season at the foul line by way of a 20-for-25 (.800) collective showing Monday.
While the Bobcats stayed in the game thanks to their 3-point shooting in which they converted 13-of-23 shots from distance, West Virginia Wesleyan made only six of its 24 two-point field goal attempts thanks in no small part to nine Slippery Rock blocks.
After trailing for the majority of the first half, Slippery Rock closed the opening 20 minutes on an 11-7 run to take a 37-33 edge into the halftime break. West Virginia Wesleyan kept the game close for much of the second half, but could never re-take the lead.
The turning point of the night came with SRU leading 47-45 and 11:35 to play in regulation as The Rock accounted for 12 of the following 17 points over the next four minutes to stretch their lead out to 59-50. Wilson was responsible for five points over the decisive run.
SRU largely controlled the remainder of the game, pushing its lead out to double-digits for the final three minutes and finished by a Howes layup with 1:09 remaining in regulation to seal what turned out to be The Rock's largest victory of the season.
Michael Batchelor (21), Alex Mirhosseini (20) and Curtis Litton (12) scored 53 of West Virginia Wesleyan's 56 points.
Slippery Rock returns to the road – and PSAC competition – with back-to-back crossover games 5 p.m. Friday at Kutztown and 3 p.m. Saturday against Bloomsburg.
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