If a team improves every game in a season, the result will likely end with the hoisting of a championship trophy.
While Rock men’s basketball may or may not lift a championship trophy this season, it did improve against Rider University, even if only slightly.
Continuing a run of games against Division I opponents, Slippery Rock lost against Rider, 90-59, Saturday afternoon in Lawrenceville, New Jersey despite holding an early lead.
After losing to Pittsburgh by 51 points, Slippery Rock only lost to Rider by 31 points. Senior guard Jared Armstrong led the way with 23 points on 9-of-19 shooting with five of seven three-pointers drilled.
Leading 10-9 in the early going, a 17-0 run from the Broncs in the middle of the first half effectively ended the game. A 46-33 halftime lead ballooned into the 90-59 final despite SRU holding Rider scoreless from three-point range in the second half.
Senior guards Donovan Walker and Will Robinson, Jr. rounded out Slippery Rock’s top three scorers, chipping in eight and five points, respectively. Although, neither shot particularly well from the field, going a combined 5-of-22.
Freshman forward Lashon Lindsey put together a second consecutive encouraging showing. The freshman from Meadville High School scored four points on 2-of-2 shooting and pulled in three boards, but he was unable to stay out of foul trouble again.
Fellow freshman forward Revelinio Tholel continued to show his strength on the glass, grabbing a team-high seven rebounds.
While Slippery Rock shot just 34% from the field, it improved from 6% to 41% from behind the arc. Rider was able to balance out its 28% shooting from three-point range by shooting 54% from the field.
With its exhibition slate of games finished, Slippery Rock will move ahead to the start of regular season play Saturday in West Virginia.
Playing in the Joe Retton Classic in Fairmont, West Virginia, Slippery Rock will play Notre Dame (Oh.) and Fairmont State in its first taste of regular-season basketball.
The match against Fairmont State will serve as a homecoming for Grady, who spent four season playing for the Fighting Falcons in the late 2000s. In his senior season, Grady averaged 7.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. against Notre Dame on Nov. 8.
