Matt Durisko

Men's Basketball 2/18/2019 2:49:00 PM Bob Shreve, Sports Information Director

Fighting Scots Look to Continue Late Surge at Slippery Rock

Winners of three of the last four games, Edinboro is making a late push for a spot in the PSAC Tournament. The Fighting Scots improved to 5-12 in the PSAC West and 8-14 overall on Saturday with a 74-67 overtime win at Gannon. Slippery Rock won its third straight game on Saturday, a narrow 61-60 decision at Clarion. SRU is now 18-7 and 15-3 in league play. They have clinched a PSAC playoff berth and now seek a first round bye as one of the top two seeds in the division. The Rock needs a win in one of its final three games, or a Mercyhurst loss to clinch a first round bye and a home quarterfinal playoff game.
The playoff picture is beginning to take shape in the PSAC as the regular season is winding down. Indiana(Pa.), Slippery Rock, and Mercyhurst have locked down three of the Western Division's six playoff berths. That leaves Pitt-Johnstown (9-9), Gannon (7-11), Seton Hill (6-12), California(Pa.) (5-12), Edinboro (5-12), and Clarion (3-14) battling for three remaining spots. Last Wednesday's setback to Seton Hill may come back to haunt the Fighting Scots, but recent wins over Pitt-Johnstown, California(Pa.), and bow Gannon have vaulted the Scots back into the hunt. Edinboro has four games remaining, with three of those against the West's Big Three – IUP, Slippery Rock, and Mercyhurst – plus a home contest on Saturday with Clarion.
The Fighting Scots come into the game ranked 10th in the PSAC in scoring at 73.3 ppg., along with 16th in scoring defense (82.5 ppg.). Slippery Rock is sixth in scoring at 80.7 ppg., and stands seventh in scoring defense at 72.4 ppg. Edinboro continues to rely a great deal on the 3-pointer, ranking fourth in 3-pointers made per game (9.0).
Jaryn Simpson continues to enjoy an outstanding sophomore campaign. A week ago, he was selected the PSAC West Athlete of the Week. On Saturday, the 6'2" guard took over in overtime against Gannon. After being held to 10 points iin regulation, he scored 10 of Edinboro's 13 points in overtime, including back-to-back 3-pointers. Simpson recently had the first triple-double at Edinboro since the 2007-08 season against Pitt-Johnstown, finishing with 25 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists. He ranks among the PSAC leaders in a variety of categories, including seventh in scoring (18.4 ppg.) and sixth in assists (4.6 per game). He leads the PSAC in free throw percentage (89.5 pct.).
Slippery Rock is riding a three-game winning streak despite playing without Micah Till, one of the top players in the PSAC. The 6'7", 260 lb. redshirt junior has missed the last three contests. He currently ranks second in the PSAC in scoring at 21.0 ppg., along with leading the conference in rebounding (10.0 rpg.) and ranking second in blocked shots (2.0 per game).
Head coach Pat Cleary was named the PSAC West Coach of the Year after leading Edinboro to an 18-11 record a year ago. It marked the finest year of his five-year reign after Edinboro had been picked to finish eighth in the Western Division. The 2018-19 Fighting Scots lost their top returning player, All-PSAC selection Anthony Coleman, after four games, and were also without DeAnthony Owens for an extended period.

On the Radio/Video

The Edinboro-Slippery Rock game can be heard on WFSE-FM 88.9, with Madi Gross and Chase Rowland providing the commentary. The game can also be viewed live as part of the PSAC Network.

All-Time Series vs. Slippery Rock

Edinboro leads 89-85: Six of the last nine meetings have been decided by six points or less.
First Meeting: 1928-29 – Edinboro 46, Slippery Rock 32
Last Meeting: 2018-19 – Slippery Rock 88, Edinboro 71
Current Streak: Slippery Rock won the last meeting
Cleary vs. SRU: 3-9

Last Meeting
February 14, 2018 – Edinboro 97, Slippery Rock 87 at Edinboro, Pa. BOX | RECAP

Slippery Rock closed the game on a 23-10 run to win their 12th-straight game. Edinboro put a good scare into The Rock, closing a 15-point second-half deficit to four points at 65-61 with 8:00 remaining when Steven Freeman drained a 3-pointer. A Slippery Rock timeout was followed by a 10-0 run by The Rock, building the lead back up to 75-61 with 4:24 left to play. Trey Staunch registered his second career double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds as he battled the PSAC's second-leading scorer and top rebounder, Micah Till. Till would finish with 25 points and seven boards. John Warren II also scored 25 points for SRU. Jaryn Simpson continued his strong play with 19 points and nine rebounds, while Daylon Harris was also in double digits with 10 points.

Head Coach Pat Cleary (Edinboro '99) -- 73-83, 6th Year

Pat Cleary was introduced as Edinboro's tenth head coach on March 26, 2013 after head coach Greg Walcavich announced his retirement. Cleary served as Walcavich's assistant coach for 14 years.
Cleary's first three teams improved each year since his appointment, with his 2015-16 team earning the third seed in the PSAC West Tournament with a 15-11 overall record and 14-8 league mark. Two years ago the Fighting Scots came in at 8-18 overall and 6-16 in the PSAC West, with injuries forcing the Fighting Scots to suit up as few as seven players in February.
The 2017-18 Fighting Scots were picked to finish eighth in the PSAC West Coaches' Preseason Poll. They would surprise the league with a fourth place finish at 13-9 in league play, and 18-11 overall. Edinboro would defeat Pitt-Johnstown in the opening round of the PSAC Tournament, then hand top-seeded Indiana(Pa.) a defeat in the quarterfinals. The playoff run came to an end with a loss to eventual PSAC champion East Stroudsburg in the semifinals. It marked Edinboro's first appearance in the PSAC Final Four since 2008.
Cleary was named the PSAC West Coach of the Year. The 18 wins were the most by the Fighting Scots since the 2012-13 team won 18 games.
He guided Edinboro to the PSAC Tournament for the first time in 2014-15 with a 14-13 record, a four-game improvement over his first year, after being chosen to finish eighth in the PSAC West preseason poll. His first Boro squad finished 10-16 in 2013-14.

Scouting the Fighting Scots

Edinboro comes into the second meeting with Slippery Rock with an 8-14 overall record and 5-12 mark in PSAC action. The Fighting Scots rallied for a 74-67 overtime win at Gannon on Saturday and have now won three of their last four games. They are fighting for one of three remaining playoff spots in the PSAC West. Edinboro was picked to finish seventh in the PSAC West in the coaches' preseason after finishing fourth in the division with an 18-11 record a year ago.
In a back-and-forth game that featured seven ties and 15 lead changes, the Fighting Scots would rally from a 60-55 deficit with 2:37 remaining to send the game into overtime. DeAnthony Owens' layup with two seconds remaining tied the game at 61-61. Jaryn Simpson took over from there, scoring 10 of Edinboro's 13 points in overtime. Edinboro never trailed in the extra session after Simpson opened the scoring with a 3-pointer. .
Simpson continues to enjoy a breakout season as a sophomore. The 6'2" guard averaged 3.4 ppg. as a freshman, but has boosted that total to 18.4 ppg., which ranks seventh in the PSAC. Against Pitt-Johnstown recently, he accomplished something that hasn't been done by a Fighting Scot since the 2007-08 season. Simpson recorded a triple-double, the first since Ryan McLemore had one against Slippery Rock on February 13, 2008. Simpson scored a game-high 25 points, adding a career-high 14 rebounds and matching his career-best with 11 assists. Simpson has scored in double figures in 20 of 22 games, with 10 games of 20-or-more points. That includes a career-high 34 points vs. Bloomsburg and 33 in the first meeting with Pitt-Johnstown. Simpson leads the PSAC in free throw percentage (89.5 pct.), is second in 3-point field goals made per game (3.0), sixth in assists (4.6 per game), and 11th in 3-point field goal percentage (37.9 pct.). He has also become Edinboro's latest ironman, ranking third in the PSAC in minutes (37.1 per game). He had played all 40 minutes the previous five games before foul trouble limited him to 25 minutes at Cal and 29 vs. Seton Hill. He would play all 45 minutes at Gannon.
Simpson scored 20 points at Gannon, 10 of those in overtime, while playing on the same court where his father, Bronze Simpson, enjoyed great success as a collegian. Bronze Simpson played for Gannon from 1992-96 and ranks 13th all-time in both scoring (1,417 points) and rebounds (624).
DeAnthony Owens sat out eight games recently, but has played a major role since returning. The 6'4" junior, a transfer from New Mexico JC, scored 18 points at Gannon, including the tying layup to send the game into overtime. Owens is averaging 12.1 ppg. and has made 23-of-72 3-pointers in 14 games.
Trey Staunch provides the inside muscle, averaging 14.0 ppg. and a team-high 7.0 rpg. A 6'4", 280 lb. senior who earned second team All-PSAC West honors as an offensive tackle, he is in his second season on the hardcourt. Staunch ranks sixth in the PSAC in field goal percentage at 53.8 percent. He has scored in double figures in 18 of 21 games and had his fourth double-double against Gannon with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Turner Kurt has started the last 12 contests at forward. The 6'8" freshman is averaging 8.9 ppg. and 4.8 rpg., has made 34-of-87 3-pointers, and has a team-high 17 blocked shots. He registered his first career double-double against Seton Hill last week with 10 points and a season-high 12 rebounds.
Daylon Harris has boosted his average to 8.7 ppg., scoring in double figures in four of the last seven games. He has made 22-of-58 3-pointers. Harris is a 6'5" junior forward who joined the Fighting Scots after previously playing at Western Nebraska CC.

Scouting The Rock

Slippery Rock comes down the stretch of the PSAC playoff race with a tournament berth in hand and just a half-game behind front-runner Indiana(Pa.) in the PSAC West. That despite a change at head coach just prior to the start of the season and playing without its star player the last three games. The Rock was picked second in the PSAC West coaches' preseason poll, and comes in at 18-7 overall and 15-3 in the Western Division.
SRU won its third straight game on Saturday, narrowly escaping an upset bid by last place Clarion, 61-60. Vinny Lasley's layup with 10 seconds remaining avoided the upset. All-American Micah Till missed his third straight game.
On November 2, 2018, Ian Grady was named the acting head coach at Slippery Rock, replacing Kevin Reynolds. On February 12, 2019, the "acting" tag was removed. He is in his 10th season on the SRU coaching staff, and has played a major role in turning The Rock into one of the top programs in the Atlantic Region. Slippery Rock has won 20-or-more games six times in the last 10 years and has reached three NCAA Division II postseason tournaments. SRU was 21-9 a year ago.
Slippery Rock returned just one player from last year's squad, but that player was All-American Micah Till. The 6'7", 260 lb. redshirt junior has been one of the most dominant players in Division II since joining SRU a year ago. He averaged 21.0 ppg. and 12.0 rpg. in 2017-18. He currently ranks second in the PSAC in scoring at 21.0 ppg., first in rebounding (10.0 rpg.), and second in blocks per game (2.0), but has not played the last three games. Till became just the 14th player in SRU history with 1,000 points (1,026) and 500 rebounds (547), and did so in just 47 games. In three meetings with Edinboro, he has averaged 26.3 points and 10.7 rebounds.
With Till out, a different player has led The Rock in scoring in each of the three games. Jared Armstrong, a transfer from Butler(KS) CC, and John Warren II are alsin double figures. Armstrong, a 5'10" junior, averages 15.9 ppg. and has made 64-of-150 3-pointers. Warren II earned All-NSIC honors while playing three seasons at Augustana(SD), and was a member of the 2015-16 national championship team. The 6'6" senior comes in at 13.1 ppg. and has made 54-of-142 3-pointers. He made 5-of-11 3-pointers on his way to 25 points in the first meeting with Edinboro.
Vinny Lasley, started 23 games in 2016-17, but did not play last year. A 6'6" redshirt senior, he is averaging 7.8 ppg. along with 7.8 rpg.
Nolen Gerald also played at Augustana with Warren II a year ago. A 6'3" senior, he is averaging 8.8 ppg., and scored 24 points in an 83-74 win over Mercyhurst a week ago.

Next for the Fighting Scots

Edinboro heads home on Saturday, February 23 for the final two home games of the 2018-19 season. The Fighting Scots will host Clarion in a 3:00 p.m. tipoff.
The day is part of Edinboro's Alumni Basketball Weekend, and will also feature our annual Make A Wish Day, with a reveal at halftime of the game.

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Players Mentioned

#4 Anthony Coleman: G; 6' 3"; Senior

#11 Jaryn Simpson: G; 6' 2"; Sophomore

#45 Trey Staunch: F; 6' 4"; Senior

#3 Daylon Harris: F; 6' 5"; Junior

#33 Turner Kurt: F; 6' 8"; Freshman

#24 DeAnthony Owens: G; 6' 4"; Junior

#22 Steven Freeman: G; 5' 11"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#4 Anthony Coleman
: 6' 3"; Senior
: G

#11 Jaryn Simpson
: 6' 2"; Sophomore
: G

#45 Trey Staunch
: 6' 4"; Senior
: F

#3 Daylon Harris
: 6' 5"; Junior
: F

#33 Turner Kurt
: 6' 8"; Freshman
: F

#24 DeAnthony Owens
: 6' 4"; Junior
: G

#22 Steven Freeman
: 5' 11"; Junior
: G

Edinboro University Athletics

Scoreboard

Scoreboard

Fighting Scots Look to Continue Late Surge at Slippery Rock

Players Mentioned

#4 Anthony Coleman

#11 Jaryn Simpson

#45 Trey Staunch

#3 Daylon Harris

#33 Turner Kurt

#24 DeAnthony Owens

#22 Steven Freeman

Players Mentioned

#4 Anthony Coleman

#11 Jaryn Simpson

#45 Trey Staunch

#3 Daylon Harris

#33 Turner Kurt

#24 DeAnthony Owens

#22 Steven Freeman