Slippery Rock men’s basketball opened their Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) slate on Friday when West Chester University came to Morrow Field House and handed SRU a 81-64 loss.
Ike Herster led The Rock in scoring with 23 points in the contest on 50% shooting from the field, while grabbing five rebounds and dishing two assists. Jomo Goings was the only other Rock player to score in double digits with 15 points, while creating three turnovers (two steals and one block).
The Rams jumped out to a 13-5 lead in the first six minutes of the game after making five of their first ten shot attempts and converting on two of three free throws.
The White and Green clawed back to take a 17-16 lead four minutes later. This was quickly followed by a West Chester run to regain a six-point advantage at 32-26.
The Rock closed out the first half on a 11-7 run to make the score 39-37 and cut their deficit to two, led by O’Meech Wilson’s first block of the night.
Wilson had an emphatic presence on the defensive end. Wilson sent back seven shots, tying him for the third-most blocks in a single game in Slippery Rock history.
The junior sits behind Devin Taylor, who had nine against Kutztown in 2010-11, and behind Erik Raleigh, who had eight against Millersville in 2014-15.
SRU made the first run in the second half, taking a 45-41 lead, their largest and last lead of the game.
The Rams would score 16 straight points and hold The Rock scoreless for 6:27, until a Herster jumper ended the run, bringing the White and Green back to within 10.
Slippery Rock was unable to get the game back within reach, dropping their conference opener to West Chester for the second straight season.
