SLIPPERY ROCK — Jamal Palmer rolled the dice and lost.

Trailing PSAC West leader California (Pa.) 65-63 with 6.6 seconds left and having possession at midcourt, the Slippery Rock University men's basketball coach called a timeout.

"We were going for the win right there,"Palmer said. "The plan was for (junior guard)Kenny Smith to take a 3-pointer. That was our best chance.

"I didn't feel like we had the size to match up with them in overtime."

Smith had hit three of his four 3-point shots earlier in the game. His attempt just before the buzzer was blocked by Cal's Kelvin Green, however, and the Vulcans (21-5, 9-2) escaped Morrow Field House with a win Wednesday night.

The victory clinched a first-place tie in the PSACWest for California. The Vulcans will win the title outright with a victory over Edinboro at home Saturday.

"I feel very, very fortunate to be getting out of here with a 'W' tonight,"California coach Bill Brown admitted.

California defeated SRUfor the fourth straight time and the 11th time in their last 12 meetings. The Rock (5-21, 2-9) has lost eight games by four points or fewer or in overtime this season.

"Yeah, we're close to turning the corner,"Palmer said. "We need to go out and add the couple of players we're missing to complete the puzzle. We need a little more size and a big, athletic kid on the wing."

The Rock had a 13-point lead (39-26) with 16 minutes to play and the lead changed hands seven times before California finally secured the win.

Green stuck back an offensive rebound for a 65-61 Vulcans lead with 25 seconds left before Matt Schaefer's layup pulled The Rock within 65-63 with 13 ticks left.

John Owens missed a pair of free throws with 11 seconds remaining for Cal, giving The Rock its opportunity at the end of the game.

Green had 18 points and 14 rebounds off the bench for the winners while Theron Colao came off the bench to score 16 points, including four treys.

"We've got eight players averaging eight points or more per game, so we're used to getting production off the bench,"Brown said.

When they were trailing by double-digits, the Vulcans employed a fullcourt press for three minutes and got back in the game through numerous Rock turnovers.

SRU had 23 turnovers on the night.

"We didn't handle their pressure well in the backcourt,"Palmer said. "That's been a problem spot this season."

Playing his final home game, senior forward Glenn Reepmeyer scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for SRU. He has 1,041 points and 746 rebounds in a college career that ends Sunday at Clarion.

Fellow senior Brandon Thompson has 471 points and 208 rebounds in three years at SRUsince transferring from Western Michigan.

Palmer, tagged interim head coach during the off-season, had his contract extended for a year earlier this week.

"I don't knowe if the interim tag is still on there or not,"Palmer said. "I was so thrilled to get another year that I wasn't about to ask any questions.

"We're moving in the right direction. I'm glad the (administration) can see that."

CALIFORNIA (Pa.) (65)James Hairston 0-3 4-5 4, James Petty 0-6 3-4 3, John Owens 1-8 0-2 2, Osborne Gardner 6-11 6-7 18, Ron Banks 1-3 0-0 2, Theron Caloa 6-10 0-3 16, Raynard Sawyer 0-2 0-0 0, Kelvin Green 8-18 1-2 18, Ali Mbaye 0-2 2-2 2.

Totals: 22-63 16-25 63

SLIPPERY ROCK (63)Brian Campuzano 0-1 0-0 0, Brandon Thompson 2-5 0-0 6, Jamar Scales 6-11 0-0 12, Erroll Robinson 0-1 2-2 2, Glenn Reepmeyer 7-12 2-2 16, Matt Schaefer 2-6 0-0 5, Kenny Smith 4-8 0-0 11, Joseph Vines 4-9 3-5 11.

Totals: 25-53 7-9 63

Halftime score: SRU32, California 22;

3-point shooting:Cal 5-20 (Hairston 0-2, Petty 0-2, Owens 0-3, Bank 0-1, Calao 4-8, Sawyer 0-1, Green 1-3), SRU6-13 (Thompson 2-3, Robinson 0-12, Schaefer 1-4, Smith 3-4, Vines 0-1);

Rebounds:Cal 39 (Green 14), SRU36 (Reepmeyer 10); Assists:Cal 10 (Owens 5), SRU15 (Schaefer 4);

Turnovers:Cal 14, SRU 23

Sunday: SRU at Clarion