SLIPPERY ROCK — Slippery Rock went for the home run — and struck out.

Leading rival Indiana (Pa.) University 62-61 with 10.5 seconds to play, The Rock inbounded the ball from under its own basket. Tommy Kelly opted for a long pass toward the IUP bucket, but overthrew his intended target.

Indiana's Julian Sanders gained possession of the ball, hurried back the other way and missed a short jumper. But 6-foot-8 junior center Danny Ayebo tipped in the rebound with 3.2 seconds left, however, giving the 16th-ranked Crimson Hawks a dramatic 63-62 men's basketball victory Saturday at Morrow Field House.

The win was the eighth in nine games for IUP (15-3, 12-2). It marked the Crimson Hawks' sixth straight victory over The Rock (12-6, 9-5).

“I made the wrong read. It was my decision,” Kelly said of his long inbounds pass. “Then I didn't throw a very good pass.

“In retrospect, I should have just gotten the ball inbounds. They had to foul us either way.”

SRU coach Kevin Reynolds said the inbounds execution at the end of the game was on him.

“I have to take the blame there,” he said. “I should have called a lower risk play. We had time there.

“With a one-point lead, the ball and 10 seconds left, we have to win that game. This one's on me.”

No team ever had a double-digit lead in the contest. IUP had the biggest advantage at 50-41 with 10 minutes left, but an 8-0 Rock run quickly made it a one-point game.

Two Ashton Smith free throws gave the Crimson Hawks a 61-57 lead with 2:50 to play in the battle between the PSAC's top-two ranked teams defensively. But Chaquille Pratt canned a trey with 59 seconds left and Aubin Reeves sank two free throws with 22 seconds to go.

Those plays gave SRU its 62-61 advantage — its first lead since the 17:02 mark of the second half. The Crimson Hawks were then called for an offensive foul with 10.5 seconds left.

“I wasn't that surprised they threw the ball deep at that point,” IUP coach Joe Lombardi said. “We had full-court pressure on and if they get an easy layup off that play, they don't have to worry about free throws.

“That's not an easy pass to execute, though. I don't know how many times they've tried it.”

Once Sanders retrieved the loose ball — blindly tossed backward by an SRU player trying to save the possession — Lombardi said the game became a scramble.

“And scrambles favor the offense,” he said. “Still, we got lucky. The rebound caromed right to Danny. If it bounces away to either side, we lose.”

Smith had 24 points and Sanders 19 for IUP. Devin Taylor paced The Rock with 16 points and 10 rebounds — his ninth double-double of the season. Reeves had 13 points, Tabari Perry 11.

IUP sank 19 of 21 free throws, SRU just 12 of 20.

“We needed to do better there,” Reynolds allowed of the foul shooting. “But the end result was we had the ball and the lead with seconds to play.”

With 3.2 seconds left, Kelly tried a second long pass into the frontcourt. IUP had all five defenders back, however, and easily intercepted it.

“We had the midcourt covered there, too,” Lombardi said. “We weren't going to allow an easy shot.”

INDIANA 63Marcel Souberbielle 2-4 2-2 6, Josh Wiegand 4-6 0-0 8, Anthony Wells 1-3 0-0 2, Julian Sanders 5-16 9-9 19, Ashton Smith 7-20 8-9 24, Devante Chance 1-2 0-1 2, Kevin Jones 1-2 0-1 2, Danny Ayebo 1-2 0-0 2.

Totals: 21-55 19-21 63.

SLIPPERY ROCK 62Tabari Perry 4-12 0-0 11, Luiz Santos 2-5 0-1 4, Devin Taylor 6-10 4-4 16, Jon Valeriano 1-4 0-2 3, Aubin Reeves 2-5 8-9 13, Chaquille Pratt 3-6 0-2 7, John Bayardelle 1-5 0-1 3, Tommy Kelly 0-4 0-0 0, Torrance Timothy 2-7 0-1 5 .

Totals: 21-58 12-20 62.

Indiana 29 34 —63Slippery Rock 28 34 —623-point goals: Indiana 2-10 (Smith 2); SRU 8-24 (Perry 3, Valeriano, Reeves, Pratt, Bayardelle, Timothy).

Wednesday: SRU at Clarion, 7:30 p.m.