Box Score

SLIPPERY ROCK – A 17-point deficit early in the second half proved to be too much for the Clarion University men's basketball team to overcome in a 91-81 loss at Slippery Rock in the PSAC-West opener for both teams Wednesday night at Morrow Field House.

 

The Golden Eagles (9-3 overall, 0-1 PSAC-west), who have lost three straight after a 9-0 start, trailed by just six, 38-32, at halftime but missed its first seven shots of the second half allowing Slippery Rock (11-4, 1-0) to go on 11-0 run at the start of the half to build the lead to 49-32, with 17:23 to play.

 

Clarion battled back to within six points a couple of times, the last at 69-63 on a Lloyd Harrison jumper with 4:32 to play, but couldn't get any closer despite a couple of chance to close within four.

 

Slippery Rock's Jon Valeriano, though, answered Harrison's jumper with a three-pointer at the four-minute mark to return The Rocks lead to nine points, 72-63. That was one of six three-pointers hit by Slippery Rock, all in the second half. The Rock entered the game averaging 4.7 made threes per game. Slippery Rock shot 42.9 percent from beyond the arc despite entering the contest hitting just 29.5 percent from three-point land.

 

Overall, Slippery Rock, a 43.5 percent shooting team, was hot all night connecting on 57.4 percent of its shots including 16 of 26 (61.5 percent) in the first half. The Rock, a 68.7 percent free-throw shooting team, also couldn't miss from the line hitting 23 of 28 (82.1 percent) for the game including 13 of 16 in the final 2:23.  

 

Shooting, meanwhile, was the downfall for Clarion, as the Golden Eagles, who came into the contest shooting 51 percent from the floor on the season, shot 43.1 percent from the field, its second-worst percentage of the season. Clarion was no better from the line connecting on 60 percent (12 of 20) of its charity shots. The Golden Eagles entered the game at nearly 75 percent from the line.

 

Senior point guard Lloyd Harrison tried to carry Clarion scoring 26 points, his fifth 20-point game of the season and the 12^th of his career. He has 17 tallies in the second half and added five assists.

 

Jamar Harrison contributed 19 points, his 27^th straight double-digit game, and Bud Teer had 14 points and 10 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season with all five coming over the last eight games. Paul McQueen chipped in 13 points and eight rebounds.   

 

Slippery Rock was paced by Jabril Bailey's 19 points and six rebounds with Devin Taylor adding 18 points and seven rebounds, Maron Brown 17 points, Rashid Coleman 18 tallies and five boards and Valeriano 12 points, including 7 of 8 from the line, and 10 assists. He entered the game averaging 3.5 helpers per contest.

 

Clarion returns to action at 3 p.m. Saturday when it hosts Edinboro.

 

NOTES – Mike Sherry hit one three-pointer in the game and became the fourth player in school history hit at least 200 in his career. He has exactly 200 in his career joining Kwame Morton (411), Rollie Smith (261) and Terrance Vaughns (241) in the 200-career three-pointer club … Clarion has lost eight straight PSAC-West openers last winning at California in 2003.