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Slippery Rock defeats Millersville University 2-0 in their eighth straight victory.
Three runners earn AllPSAC honors at the conference championship meet.
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SRU to face Cal-U for top spot By Kristin Karam Assistant Sports Editor
Sole possession of first place in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division is at stake this Saturday afternoon. Slippery Rock football team (7-1, 4-1) and California University of Pa. (6-2, 4-1) are currently tied for the top spot. Initial Division II superregion rankings were released on Monday. The top six teams in the final ranking, released Nov. 17, earn berths into the NCAA Division II National playoffs. SRU ranked fifth behind West Chester University, Shepherd University, Bloomsburg University and Winston-Salem State University. Cal was ranked eighth. “This is the exact position we wanted to be in,” head coach George Mihalik said. “It’s a good rivalry. The fact that first place of the Western Division is on the line and regional rankings will be affected just adds to it. Everything is wrapped up in this one game.” This past weekend, Slippery Rock defeated Edinboro University 44-20. The win broke SRU into the NCAA AFCA top 25-poll at No. 24 and they moved up to No. 20 on the D2Football. com poll. The Rock offense posted 637 total yards against the Fighting Scots but turned the ball over three times. SEE GREEN, PAGE C-2
PHOTO COURTESY OF EDINBORO SPORTS INFORMATION OFFICE
Senior quarterback Nigel Barksdale heads to the backfield to avoid getting sacked by an Edinboro University defender. Barksdale threw for 342 yards and one touchdown against the Fighting Scots.
Rock defeats Millersville in final seconds
Men's basketball picked to finish third in preseason poll By Madeline Williams Sports Editor
Green and White scores two goals in final 1:32 of game to beat Marauders By Brian Hepfinger Rocket Contributor
Slippery Rock University junior men's soccer forward Dom Francis scored the winning goal with just eight seconds left in regulation play to defeat Millersville University 4-3 in exciting fashion on Wednesday afternoon. Senior defender Joshua Gray threw-in the ball to junior defender Declan Brennan, who headed it to Francis during the final seconds to put the game away and prevent overtime. "For the game winner, I just put everything I had into that throw," Gray said. "We only had 10 seconds on the clock, so I just threw the ball as far and as straight as I could." This game was a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference matchup that featured two of the conference’s top teams. The game was streamed live in HD by Tourbeau Sports as the featured National Game of the Week. With the win, SRU improves to 12-3-1 overall, with a 7-3 record in the PSAC. Millersville falls to 10-5-1 overall with a 7-3 SEE SRU, PAGE C-3
PHOTO COURTESY OF JOE HARPER/BIG GOLD PHOTOGRAPHY
Junior guard Matej Delinac shoots a three-pointer at Slippery Rock’s exhibition game against Southern Mississippi. Delinac led the Rock with 16 points against the Golden Eagles.
Despite losing to Division I Southern Mississippi, 77-65, in exhibit ion action on Tuesday night at Reed Green Coliseum, the Slippery Rock men’s basketball team gained valuable experience that will carry over into the regular season that kicks off in two weeks. The Green and White trailed the hosts by only six points, 35-29, at the half and cut a 19-point deficit with a 9-0 run in the final two minutes of the game to give the Division I team some work. Southern Mississippi returned four starters to a team predicted to make some noise in Conference USA this season. “It’s a great opportunity to play a team of that caliber,” head coach Kevin Reynolds said. “We have a lot to build on from the game. There were some positives, but also some negatives that we need to improve on during the next few weeks.”
SRU equally battled with Southern Miss in rebounds, 33-33. Junior Abdul King, a transfer from Kutztown University, led the rebounding effort for the visitors with four boards. Leading the scoring attack for the Rock was junior guard Matej Delinac, with 16 points in his first game with the team. Delinac is a transfer from Marshalltown Community College in Iowa. Senior Maurice LewisBriggs, a transfer from Morehead State, added 14 points for the Rock. Senior Josh Martin, a transfer from Bridgeport, and junior Antonio Butler, a transfer from Garrett College, each chipped in eight points apiece. The Green and White is picked to finish third in the PSAC-West in preseason poll released on Tuesday after their second PSAC runner-up finish and NCAA playoff appearance in the last three years. IUP received seven SEE ROCK, PAGE C-4