Jomo Goings and Ike Herster each scored 21 to lead The Rock, but it was not enough to overcome the heroics of Rudy Fitzgibbons Ⅲ Saturday night at Morrow Field House.
Fairmount State started off hot by jumping out to a 16-6 lead in the first seven minutes of the game while making six of their first 11 shots.
After that point, The Rock went on a 34-19 run to close out the first half. SRU shot 11-17 (64.71%) from beyond the 3-point line in the first half, having all but two of their made field goals in the first half coming from beyond the arc.
Goings got into early foul trouble, picking up two fouls in the first six minutes of the game and picked up his third at the end of the first half.
The second half started with a 10-point swing in the favor of the Fighting Falcons, who turned their five-point deficit into a five-point advantage while scoring 20 of the first 30 points in the second frame.
Slippery Rock then went on a quick five-point run to even the game up at 55, courtesy of three Goings’ free throws and a Mack Staunch layup.
The final 11:58 of the game consisted of six ties and one lead change that set up Slippery Rock with a 3-point lead with less than a minute left and Andre Harris at the line for the Fighting Falcons.
Harris made one of two from the line, but a steal and layup on the ensuing Rock possession by Tyheil Peterson tied up the score at 75.
Goings had a chance to put SRU up in the final seconds but missed a jumper. Fairmount State was able to call a timeout and draw up a play, which was executed when Fitzgibbons Ⅲ drained the game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer.
Goings continued his strong start to the year with his third 20-point outing in Slippery Rock’s first four games. The junior added five rebounds, five assists and one steal, while knocking down nine of his 12 free throws.
Herster hit five of his 10 three-point jumpers while adding a block to the scoresheet. Day Waters scored his Rock career high of 17 points in this matchup.
Fairmount State spread out their attack and had all five starters eclipse double digits in the scoring department, led by Harris and David Jolinder with 19 points each.
SRU is now 2-2 overall, with both of their losses coming by three points.
The Rock continue their three-game homestand next Friday when they kickstart their Pennsylvania State Athletic Association schedule by welcoming West Chester University at 5 p.m. and Millersville University on Saturday at 3 p.m.
