SLIPPERY ROCK — It's been said that a team can learn more from a loss than it can from a win.

In that case, the Slippery Rock University men's basketball team is a much wiser group following its season opener.

The Rock (0-1) was outscored 8-4 in overtime, after making good on just two of five free throw attempts and missing its final two shots from the field in a 72-68 loss to Ohio Valley (W.Va.) University Thursday night at Morrow Field House.

"We had our chance at the free throw line, but we just couldn't put 'em in," said SRU coach John Marhefka.

"But we've got a young team. Hopefully, we can learn from this experience."

SRU's Erroll Robinson, who scored all 11 of his points after halftime, had a chance to give The Rock the lead with 1:05 left in the extra period, but he connected on just one of two attempts from the line.

That tied the score at 68, but it also was SRU's last point.

Ryan Thompson scored the go-ahead bucket for the Fighting Scots (2-0) with 55 seconds left off a pass from Chris Cobbina. It was Thompson's only basket of the game.

"We're not used to that," said Scots coach Bill McGee. "Usually, Chris is scoring the big points for us, but he wasn't having his greatest game tonight. There were three times tonight when he gave it up and we got points out of it. That's how the winning basket was scored."

The Rock's final chance to tie, which came on a running jumper by Robinson, caromed off the rim with 35 seconds remaining and Ohio Valley's Caleb Canton added two free throws to account for the final score.

Despite the defeat, SRU received a solid performance from freshman guard Matt Hale, who scored 17 points, including five 3-pointers.

"He's a fire plug," Marhefka said. "And we expect him to get better and better as he gains more experience."

Matt Schaefer, another freshman guard, offered 13 points, seven rebounds and eight assists while former Butler County Community College standout Nathanael McCoy scored 10 points.

Of the 11 players who saw action for SRU, eight were sophomores or freshmen.

"A lot of these kids don't have game experience at this level," said Marhefka. "And a lot of situations that happen on the court, you really can't simulate them in practice.

"Sometimes, you can simply tell them and they'll get it," Marhefka added. "But other times, they have to actually go out on the court and experience it before they learn."

The Rock held a 60-57 advantage after Pete Craig's basket with 2:40 left in regulation.

The Scots reclaimed the lead late, but Robinson drove the lane and scored in the closing seconds of the second half, tying the score at 64.

After almost two minutes of overtime, Canton scored the first points of the extra period, which two big points, McGee said.

"Getting the first points of overtime is always big," he said. "The team that scores first ends up winning the game about 75 or 80 percent of the time."

Notes:

Ohio Valley received double-digits in points from five players, led by 15 from both Cobbina and Steve Camberis. … The Scots outrebounded The Rock 55-34. … Ohio Valley competes in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference … The Rock hosts West Virginia Wesleyan Monday.

OHIO VALLEY (72)Marlon Pierre 5-8 0-0 10, Steve Camberis 6-13 0-2 15, Chris Cobbina 5-13 5-10 15, Caleb Canton 4-8 2-2 11, Derrick Whiteside 1-2 0-1 2, Austin Jones 1-3 0-0 2, Jon Melhorn 2-2 0-0 5, Sean Michael 4-14 1-2 10, Ryan Thompson 1-3 0-0 2. Totals: 29-66 8-17 72.

SLIPPERY ROCK (68)Brandon Thompson 1-4 2-2 4, Matt Schaefer 6-12 0-0 13, Matt Hale 6-16 0-2 17, Dejan Jancic 2-5 1-2 5, Erroll Robinson 4-12 2-4 11, Nathanael McCoy 4-8 0-0 10, Corey Nesser 0-1 0-0 0, Jamar Scales 2-5 0-0 4, Tim Dykgraaf 0-0 0-0 0, Joseph Vines 0-1 0-0 0, Pete Craig 2-4 0-1 4. Totals: 27-68 5-11 68.Halftime — Ohio Valley, 39-32. 3-point goals — OVU 6-14 (Camberis 3-6, Canton 1-3, Melhorn 1-1, Michael 1-2, Whiteside 0-1, Jones 0-1), SRU 9-22 (Hale 5-12, McCoy 2-4, Robinson 1-3, Schaefer 1-3). Rebounds — OVU 55 (Cobbina 12), SRU 34 (Schaefer 7). Assists — OVU 14 (Cobbina 4), SRU 17 (Schaefer 8). Total fouls — OVU 13, SRU 18. Fouled out — SRU-Schaefer; Technical fouls — none.