SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Elijah Cottrill had a huge night with a team-high 23 points to go along with three assists, one steal and two rebounds, but Clarion fell 71-67 on the road to Slippery Rock on Wednesday evening.

Clarion trailed by as many as 10 in the first half but solid shooting from the Golden Eagle offense found the Blue and Gold trailing by just three points heading into the half. Shooting an astounding 12-25 (48%) from the field to end the first half, the Golden Eagles commanded the paint outscoring the Rock 16-14 down low.
 
The Golden Eagles and The Rock battled back and forth all game long. Clarion tore its way back from a three-point deficit to pull within one 51-50 with 5:56 left in the second half off of a layup from Stevan Rodriguez, but the Golden Eagles were unable to pull any closer. Slippery Rock built the lead to 10 points after some solid inside post play to seal the deal.
 
Rock forward Micah Till proved clutch for the Slippery Rock, scoring 10 of the last 20 points down the stretch to stamp the victory.
 
Cottrill took control for the Blue and Gold as the game came to a close tallying the last eight points as Clarion tried to pull back within striking distance. Cottrill finished the game shooting 8 of 12 (67%) and a perfect 100% from the charity stripe.

Clarion falls to 4-18 on the season and 3-13 in PSAC play while Slippery Rock improves their overall record to 11-11 and 7-9 in the PSAC.

Till led all scorers with 33 points on the day, knocking down 10 of 16 field goal attempts. Cottrill lead the way for Clarion scoring 23 points in 39 minutes of work, while Rodriguez tallied 19 points, three steals, one assist and one board. Godspower Ogide made his first career start in the Blue and Gold, tallying eight points, five rebounds and two blocks, while Kaison Branch added nine points and four rebounds in 31 minutes of work.

As a team the Golden Eagles shot well on the evening going 50% from the field including 6 of 16 from three-point range. They also knocked down 8 of 15 attempts from the free throw line.

The Golden Eagles will travel to Mercyhurst on February 8 to take on the Lakers. Tip-off is slated for 3 pm.Clarion's short road trip will come to an end as they return home on February 12 to host the visiting Edinboro Fighting Scots. Tip-off is set for 7:30 pm.