CALIFORNIA, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University men's basketball team ended its regular season schedule on a high note Saturday courtesy of an impressive 81-64 road victory at California (Pa.).
 
The victory, Slippery Rock's second in as many games, gives SRU a 17-11 overall record at the conclusion of the regular season. The 17 victories tie this year's team for the second most wins inside the program over the last eight years. California moves to 19-8 overall following the loss.
 
With the win, Slippery Rock officially claimed the fifth seed out of the Western Division in the upcoming Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament via a 10-10 league record. The Rock travels to fourth-seeded Seton Hill University for a first-round tournament game 7:30 p.m. March 2.
 
Slippery Rock will be making its eighth consecutive PSAC Tournament appearance.
 
The Rock's victory over California snapped a five-game winning streak for the Vulcans over SRU and also marked Slippery Rock's first victory at Cal since 2022. SRU picked up the elusive road victory inside the Convocation Center in convincing fashion as it led for nearly the entire game (38:40).
 
Four of The Rock's five starters finished in double figures Saturday to spur on the win.
 
Pacing the efforts was the duo of Elijah Hill and Isaac James. Hill and James both produced double-doubles, with Hill going for 18 points and 11 rebounds while James had 17 points and 10 rebounds. Hill and James combined to shoot 14-for-28 from the field overall and 6-of-8 at the foul line. Hill also connected on an important second-half 3-pointer.
 
Braylon Littlejohn continued his run of strong play in his second collegiate start, finishing with 14 points, four steals, four rebounds and one assist.
 
Brady Mayo rounded out The Rock's double-digit scorers with 12 points. Mayo has now reached double figures in nine of 11 games.
 
Kerwin Prince nearly became the third Rock athlete to register a double-double Saturday in a seven-point, 10-rebound showing.
 
Off the bench, Alex Griggs provided SRU with six points and five rebounds. Enire Bowens matched his season-high with five points. Mack Staunch scored two points and grabbed two rebounds and Kent Hairston logged his first collegiate rebound.
 
Collectively, Slippery Rock shot 48.4 percent (31-of-64) from the field overall, despite making just 5-of-17 3-point attempts (.294). SRU was 14-of-24 (.583) at the foul line.
 
The Rock dominated the glass in the form of a +18 (52-34) rebounding margin. SRU's 15 offensive rebounds resulted in 17 second chance points.
 
Defensively, The Rock limited the Vulcans to a .371 field goal percentage (23-for-62) as well as a .222 3-point field goal percentage (4-of-18). Cal also had issues at the foul line, converting just 14-of-25 attempts. Bryson Lucas had 12 points, eight rebounds, four blocks, four assists and three steals in the losing effort.
 
SRU set the tone early with a 24-9 game-opening run over the first 11 minutes of regulation. James matched the entire California roster early on with nine points of his own to spearhead The Rock's early barrage.
 
Slippery Rock maintained its double-digit advantage through the remainder of the first half, eventually taking a 15-point, 43-28, lead into the halftime break.
 
As to be expected from the sixth-ranked team in the Atlantic Region, California made a significant run in the second half as the opening eight minutes belonged to the Vulcans which cut The Rock's lead down to just one point. With 11:52 to play in regulation, Slippery Rock clung to a narrow 53-52 lead.
 
However, SRU withstood the spurt with a Hill 3-pointer stretching The Rock's lead back out to multiple possessions. Hill's triple ignited a 21-4 run which safely put the game out of reach. Slippery Rock grew its lead out to as many as 21 points before settling for the 17-point triumph.
 
Slippery Rock now looks to avenge a pair of regular season losses to Seton Hill when it meets the Griffins in the first round PSAC Tournament matchup. A full preview, ticket information and live stream coverage options will be provided Sunday.







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