• Box Score

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. (Jan. 26) – After starting the game on a 14-6 run, the California University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team was unable to hold off host Slippery Rock, 86-68, in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play on Wednesday night.

The Vulcans fall to 9-7 overall this season and 2-3 in league play. The Rock improves to 13-6 overall and 3-2 in conference action. The Vulcans had won two straight against Slippery Rock after dropping both contests to The Rock during the 2008-09 season.

Junior forward Steve Swiech (Greenock, Pa./Elizabeth-Forward) led the Cal U offense with 17 points on 7-of-10 from the floor and three-of-four at the charity stripe despite playing only 17 minutes because of foul trouble. The 6-9 Akron transfer also grabbed five rebounds.

Two other Vulcans scored in double-figures with senior guard Joe Berenato (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic) posting 13 points on 5-of-10 from the field and classmate Rashawd Hatten (Clairton, Pa./Clairton) adding 10 points. Berenato led the Vulcans with four assists while Hatten contributed two assists, two steals and one blocked shot.

Cal U started the game on a 14-6 run, capped off by a Hatten three-pointer at the 14:15-mark. Slippery Rock answered back with a 13-5 run of its own over the next five-plus minutes to tie the game at 19-19 after a lay-up by junior guard Devin Taylor. The game went in to halftime with The Rock leading by six points, 34-28.

The two teams traded baskets for the first eight-plus minutes of the second half when junior guard Chad Tipton (Hanover, Pa./South Western) came up with a steal and found classmate Freddy Appiah (Toronto, Ontario/Ascension of Our Lord) for a fastbreak lay-up to cut The Rock lead to five points, 49-44, at the 11:36-mark. Slippery Rock then went on a 17-8 run capped off by a three-pointer by Taylor to extend its lead to 66-52 with 5:48 left to play.

Cal U held an edge on the glass, 35-28, including 16 offensive rebounds. Sophomore Quentin Harding (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) pulled down a team-best seven rebounds for the Vulcans. After shooting just 36.0 percent (9-of-25) from the floor in the first half, Cal U shot 46.9 percent (15-of-32) in the second half and 42.1 percent for the game. Meanwhile, The Rock shot an impressive 55.8 percent (29-of-52) for the game.

Taylor led all scorers with 26 points for Slippery Rock, while senior Maron Brown added 18 points and junior Joe Valeriano and senior Jabril Bailey added 15 and 14 points, respectively. Brown contributed a game-high eight rebounds and Taylor recorded eight assists.

The Vulcans return to Hamer Hall on Saturday, Jan. 29, when they host Lock Haven at 7 p.m. The game is one of two Cal U home games this season scheduled to broadcast live on Pittsburgh CW (Ch. 15/808 Comcast; Ch. 12/713 Atlantic Broadband, Ch. 19/110 Armstrong). Live stats of the game will also be available by clicking here.