SLIPPERY ROCK — The win was unconventional.

But it was big.

Slippery Rock University’s men’s basketball team was held below 60 points for only the second time all season Saturday, but still managed a 56-48 victory over Mercyhurst at Morrow Field House.

The win keeps The Rock (12-3, 9-2) tied for first with Indiana (Pa.) in the PSAC West and dropped the Lakers (11-6, 7-4) two games back in the race for the top spot.

“If we’re serious about winning this thing, this is a game we had to have,” SRU coach Kevin Reynolds said. “We had to grind this one out. The shooting isn’t always going to be there.

“Any time we best a fully-funded program, it’s a great win for Slippery Rock. That (Mercyhurst) program is designed to win a national championship.”

SRU averages 77 points per game, but managed only nine field goals in the first half while hitting three of 14 shots from outside the arc.

Still, The Rock managed a 24-19 lead at halftime. Mercyhurst averages 70 points per game and was held to a season-low 48. The Lakers’ previous low was 60 points against Millersville on Dec. 19.

“Our defensive effort was huge and we banged the boards hard,” SRU senior forward Devin Taylor said. “We take pride in our defense. No matter how much we score, defense is the staple of this team.”

The Rock took the lead for good on a Darious Clark trey less than three minutes into the game. But SRU held a shaky 26-22 advantage with 18:54 left in the game.

A sudden 11-0 run — Tabari Perry hitting a 3-pointer, Taylor sinking two treys, Perry stealing the ball and driving for a layup — opened the gap to 37-22 with 15:16 left.

The Lakers got as close as 47-41 with 3:09 to play before The Rock put the game away at the free-throw line.

Taylor had 15 points and nine rebounds, Perry 15 points in the victory. Luiz Santos, a 6-foot-10 center, snared 14 rebounds.

“Luiz only scored two points, but you can contribute to a win in ways other than scoring,” Reynolds said. “He had plenty of rebounds at critical times in this game.

“Perry’s defensive effort on Luis Leao was tremendous. By not letting him go off, he made things tough on them offensively.”

Leao is the lone Mercyhurst player averaging in double figures, scoring 21.1 points per game. He scored 15 Saturday, hitting but 4 of 11 shots. Paul Bilbo added 12 for the Lakers.

SRU has won seven of its last eight and hosts California (Pa.) Wednesday night.

“We’ve done things a little backward so far this year,” Reynolds said. “We’re 6-0 in PSAC road games, 3-2 at home. It’d be nice to get on a bit of a run here.”

Mercyhurst 60, SRU (women) 44

The Rock women (4-11, 3-8) got off to a dreadful start offensively and never recovered.

“We missed our first 11 shots, had 26 turnovers. ... That’s not giving yourself a chance to win,” SRU coach Tanya Longo said. “We missed an opportunity today and that’s disappointing.”

A win would have lifted The Rock out of the PSAC West basement and into a tie with Mercyhurst (5-10, 5-6) in the league standings.

But SRU scored only four points in the first 12 minutes — going 1 of 14 shooting with nine turnovers — and trailed 25-15 at halftime.

“Our defensive effort was solid and kept us in this game,” Longo said. “But you can’t have a day where all of your shooters go cold at the same time.

“Mercyhurst recognized that and once they packed everybody in defensively, we were done. Our focus today wasn’t where it needed to be.”

Erinne Cunningham and D’Asia Chambers were the lone Rock player in double figures with 15 and 12 points, respectively. No other SRU player scored more than five points.

Chambers grabbed 12 rebounds. SRU sank 1 of 19 shots from 3-point range. The two teams combined to hit just 3 of 40 shots from beyond the arc.

“This game came down to who was going to get the better of the inside play and they beat us there,” Longo said.

Kaylee Foster scored 15 points, Dana Banda and Paris Thomas 11 each for Mercyhurst. Thomas is a transfer from SRU.

Butler graduate and former Laker basketball standout Amy Achesinski is now a full-time assistant coach with Mercyhurst.