SLIPPERY ROCK — Things were not looking good.

In what Slippery Rock University men’s basketball coach Kevin Reynolds termed a “must win,” his team fell behind rival Indiana (Pa.), 49-38, when Shawn Dyer drained a trey from the left corner with 18:21 to play Saturday night at Morrow Field House.

The 16th-ranked Crimson Hawks (15-3, 9-3) were shooting 62 percent from the floor at the time and were primed to hand The Rock (13-5, 8-4) its third straight loss.

Then ... It didn’t happen.

SRU used a 16-4 run to get back in the game in the next six minutes, then hit free throws in the final minute to secure a 75-71 win in a see-saw game.

“They got some momentum and imposed their will on us,” IUP coach Joe Lombardi said. “I like to consider us a skilled team. They’re a more physical, athletic team.”

The latter won out on this day.

IUP wound up shooting just 34.8 percent in the second half, managing only eight field goals. The Rock wound up with a 47-29 rebounding advantage, including an astounding 22-4 edge on the offensive boards.

“We’re not a great shooting team, so we need those second and third-chance opportunities,” SRU forward Frank Holloway said.

Antonio Butler’s layup off a fast-break gave The Rock a 54-53 lead with 12:13 left in the game — the hosts’ first lead since 9-8 in the game’s first six minutes.

The game was tied at 67 with 1:52 remaining.

“This was definitely a must-win for us,” Reynolds said. “You can’t lose three conference games in a row and expect to win the league.”

A turn-around baseline jumper by Chaquille Pratt gave SRU the lead for good at 69-67 with 1:13 to play. The sophomore forward came off the bench to post career-highs of 26 points and 15 rebounds.

“He was a monster out there tonight,” Reynolds said. “We don’t have a superstar on this team. It can be a different guy on any night. Tonight, he was the guy.”

Pratt shrugged off his performance.

“The opportunity was there for me to step up and I had to do it,” he said. “I know I can play and this was a big game.”

Senior guard Butler sealed the deal by sinking all six of his free throw attempts in the final 51 seconds. He sank a pair with 51.1, 8.9 and 3.2 seconds on the clock, extending The Rock lead to four points each time.

Butler ended the game shooting 69 percent at the line. He was 9-for-9 in this game.

“I knew we needed them,” he said. “No way could we afford to lose this game.”

SRU’s win snapped a four-game losing streak to the Crimson Hawks.

“We had a more defensive lineup on the floor once we were up 11,” Lombardi said. “Maybe that contributed to the momentum change, I don’t know.

“We weren’t going to shoot 60 percent all night. The law of averages was going to balance out. They just took it from us.”

Butler wound up with 15 points, Holloway 11 for The Rock. Devante Chance paced IUP with 18 points and seven rebounds. Brandon Norfleet had 15 points and four assists, Daddy Ugbede 12 points and Tevin Hanner 11.

SRU won despite shooting just 38 percent from the field, including three of 14 from 3-point range.

IUP 73, SRU (women) 48 — The 17th-ranked Crimson Hawks (15-1, 11-1) went on a 24-4 run in the first half and cruised to their 15th consecutive win over The Rock.

SRU’s D’Asia Chambers, the second-leading scorer in the conference behind IUP’s Lindsay Stamp, went to the bench with two personal fouls just five minutes into the game. That fueled the visitors’ run, which turned an 11-8 lead into a 35-12 advantage.

“Fall behind by that many against one of the best teams in the country and it becomes an impossible hole to climb out from,” SRU coach and Mars graduate Bobby McGraw said.

Chambers didn’t play the final 15 minutes of the first half. She only played 17 minutes overall, scoring six points and grabbing four rebounds. She averages 17.1 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.

Stamp had 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Crimson Hawks. Marita Mathe had 16 points, six boards and five assists. Taylor Siggers paced The Rock with 14 points, but turned the ball over eight times.

SRU dropped its fifth straight game and has lost eight of nine. IUP had 22 assists and five turnovers on the night, The Rock 10 assists and 14 turnovers.

“We played them much better in the second half,” McGraw noted, SRU pulling as close as 47-35 with 15 minutes to go. “Nobody’s giving up on this team. We’re making strides.”