Win over IUP moves Rock men into tie for PSAC West's final playoff spot
By Phil Swartzlander
Rocket Assistant Sports Editor
Issue date: 2/22/08 Section: Sports
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The Rock (7-17 overall) and IUP (12-12) are now tied for fourth place in the division with matching 4-5 PSAC-West records, but IUP, despite the loss, sits in fourth place because of its better overall record.
The Rock started out hot, as junior Jamar Scales nailed a jumper, junior Matt Schaefer followed with two quick three-pointers and junior Erroll Robinson hit a three of his own to jump out to an 11-0 lead.
"We got that feeling that we couldn't be stopped, and we pounded the basketball," Head Coach Jamal Palmer said.
The lead was expanded to as much as 15 throughout the first half, as the Rock used a 55 percent shooting effort from the floor and a hot 50 percent from beyond the arc in the game's first 20 minutes.
"During practice, coaches really emphasized getting open looks and knocking down shots. We did that," junior Darnell Johnson said.
The hot shooting torched the zone defense that IUP played until 16 minutes left in the second half.
"We knew that they would be coming in the zone, so we went with the four-guard lineup with Jamar Scales getting the start," Palmer said. "The four guards worked better for us."
Scales was also in the starting lineup because Cory Somerville, who usually starts, was sick. Scales took advantage of the start, scoring 12 points while leading the team with five rebounds and four assists.
The Rock came out hot to start the second half as well, going ahead by as many as 17 points before IUP used its strong inside game to cut the lead to seven.
"At times, we were playing silly basketball," Palmer said. "We had to get back to an easy game and contest their shots."
IUP played hard down the stretch and eventually cut the lead to five, but the Rock's free-throw shooting became the deciding factor. SRU hit 11 of 16 from the charity stripe in the second half.
The Rock received a complete team effort, with four of its five starters finishing in double-digits in scoring.
Schaefer led the Rock with 16 points, going 5-for-10 from three-point land.
Johnson added 15 points while junior Joseph Vines scored 11 and added four assists and three steals. The only starter not to reach double figures was Robinson, who finished with nine points.
Palmer was pleased with his squad's effort.
"They came out, played hard and hit big shots," Palmer said. "It was a huge win for us."
The victory over IUP was the second in a row for the Rock, as it won last Saturday against Penn State New Kensington, 87-63.
The game wasn't much of a contest, as the Rock took an early 10-point lead and extended it to as much as 32.
The Rock will now face winless Shippensburg on the road on Saturday and will look to leapfrog IUP for fourth in the PSAC West.
"In my opinion, this is a must-win for us. We know we've got to get this win," Palmer said.
Freshman wing Itay Levi hit a three-pointer with 13 seconds on the clock to give the Rock a 74-72 win the last time the two teams squared off, on Feb. 2.
The Rock will then travel to California University of Pennsylvania (20-4, 9-0) on Wednesday to take on the PSAC West's No. 1 squad.
SRU will round out its regular season at home against Clarion on Saturday, March 1.
"I like our chances to make playoffs," Johnson said. "We need to win these last three games."
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