SLIPPERY ROCK — After experiencing a death in his family, Michael Evans Jr. came alive on the court.

The junior guard scored 37 points, including eight 3-pointers, in helping the Slippery Rock University men's basketball team remain unbeaten with a 101-94 victory over Ashland (Ohio)Tuesday night at Morrow Field House.

Evans attended the funeral of his uncle, who died in an accident last week, Saturday in North Carolina. He returned to campus Monday.

"He barely had a chance to practice to get ready for this game,"SRUcoach Kevin Reynolds said.

He didn't need it.

Evans nailed six 3-pointers in the first half alone and had 20 points by intermission. The lead changed hands 13 times and was tied on three occasions during the first 20 minutes.

Evans hit a trey at the buzzer to give The Rock (4-0) a 45-42 lead at the break.

"I hit my first two shots early and, yeah, I could kinda feel it,"Evans said. "This past weekend was tough on my family. My father lost his comrade, a piece of his heart.

"I was anxious to get back here and do what I love to do: play basketball. I needed this. This was good for me."

Michael Evans Sr. is a former NBAplayer and is an assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors.

The lead changed hands 15 times on the night, The Rock taking the lead for good at 54-53 on an Evans' baseline jumper with 14:36 to play.

That lead peaked at 85-71 with 5:47 to go, but the visiting Eagles (2-1) had a run left in them.

A 3-pointer by Bret Wackerly — Ashland's top scorer with 29 points — cut the gap to 93-92 with a minute to play. But Maurice Douglas nailed a 3-pointer at the other end with 48 seconds left.

After Ashland missed the front end of a one-and-one, SRU's Kyle Camper sank a free throw and Denell Stephens added two from the line, giving SRUa 99-92 lead with 25 seconds left and sealing the deal.

"To win on the road, you have to step up and hit your free throws, step out and defend the outside shot,"Ashland coach Roger Lyons said. "We didn't do either.

"That No. 24 (Evans) was on his shot tonight and we couldn't get to him. He doesn't need much space to get it off."

Evans had plenty of help Tuesday night. Camper had 21 assists, Stephens had 31 points and 17 rebounds, and Maron Brown had 11 points and 16 boards.

The Rock had a 44-38 edge on the boards against the taller visitors.

"Stephens and Brown are ball-getters,"Reynolds said. "When the ball's coming off the rim, they're going to be there to go up and get it.

"That team had a lot of big guys and we wanted to force them to run the floor," he added.

The game resembled a track meet for the full 40 minutes.

"Our 1-3-1 (defense) only works if we play with high energy and that wasn't there tonight,"Lyons said.

Evans managed a smile when asked about playing the fast-paced style.

"I love it," he said. "Even when my shot is off, the guys tell me to keep shooting. It's a relaxed atmosphere to play in.

"Kyle Camper is the type of point guard who rewards you if you run the floor, so we're all doing it.

"I had to be with my family over the weekend, but this team is my second family. They were there for me tonight. I'll remember this,"Evans added.

ASHLAND94Cory Thomasson 3-6 1-2 7, Bret Wackerly 10-18 4-4 29, Blake Saunders 2-8 0-2 4, Tyler Rosenberger 0-6 0-0 0, Kale Richardson 9-17 0-1 20, Darius Brents 2-3 2-2 6, Dan Owens 0-1 0-0 0, Bylynn Hatcher 8-12 4-7 20, Alek Mrozik 4-7 0-0 8, Gabe Garcia 0-0 0-0 0, Cole Moore 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 38-78 11-18 94

SLIPPERY ROCK 101Kyle Camper 3-6 2-4 9, Jamar Scales 4-8 0-0 9, Michael Evans Jr. 13-21 3-3 37, Maron Brown 4-10 3-4 11, Denell Stephens 13-21 3-5 31, Maurice Douglas 1-3 1-2 4, Bryen Spriggs 0-0 0-0 0, Tommy Kelly 0-4 0-0 0, Jade Burka 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 38-73 12-18 101

Halftime score: SRU 45-42.

3-point goals: Wackerly 5, Richardson 2; Camper, Scales, Evans Jr. 8, Stephens 2, Douglas

Tuesday: Penn State-Fayette at SRU