SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The IUP men's basketball team had a strong start before going cold in an 81-62 loss to Slippery Rock on Saturday afternoon at Morrow Field House.
Fresh off a nailbiting victory in overtime against Clarion, Slippery Rock (14-12, 12-8) moves to 11-1 at Morrow Field House this season. Struggling from beyond the arc, IUP (16-10, 13-7) could not narrow the gap enough in the second half in the team's second consecutive setback.
After a fantastic start, IUP saw its double digit lead in the first half slowly evaporate. Slippery Rock used a 21-4 run that spanned over six minutes, regaining the momentum going into the locker room before taking control. Both teams entered the matchup with a postseason berth secured.
Garvin Clarke poured in a game-high 30 points (13-28) for IUP, adding 12 rebounds, three assists and two steals in 40 minutes of action.
Bryce Radford posted 11 points, while
Ethan Porterfield recorded 10 points, four rebounds and five assists.
Jaylen Stewart chipped in nine points and seven rebounds, while
Damir Brooks posted two blocks and three steals defensively. IUP shot 39.7% for the game and made just three attempts from beyond the arc.
SRU shot just over 40% from beyond the arc, placing three in double figures. Jomo Goings and Ike Herster poured in 20 points each, while Lashon Lindsey racked up a double-double with 17 points and 15 boards.
IUP raced ahead to a 12-2 lead early with Porterfield posting four of those points in the opening onslaught. The Rock worked to whittle the deficit back one point (17-16) around midway through the half.
From there, the scoring went back and forth as IUP maintained a one-possession lead in the first half. Stewart slashed in for a basket and a 23-18 IUP lead. Slippery Rock took its first lead of the contest on a driving score from Sheick Samoura, part of a 23-11 spurt for the hosts.
Slippery Rock rattled off an 18-4 run to mount a double-figure advantage of its own late in the first half. A trey from Lindsey ballooned the SRU lead to 12 (39-27) heading into the intermission. The first half saw just five combined turnovers between the two teams.
Radford sliced the SRU lead to 41-30 with a triple early in the second half. SRU continued its efficient shooting, using some runouts and stretching the advantage to 50-34 at the 14:39 mark. SRU posted a 9-2 scoring run, building the advantage back to 55-36.
SRU continued to outpace IUP, which got back within 78-53 on a runout basket from Clarke.
Up Next
The tough road continues for IUP, visiting No. 9 California (Pa.) on Wednesday, February 27 for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP men's basketball on X (Twitter) @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_MBB.
