SLIPPERY ROCK — Slippery Rock University’s men’s basketball team got off to a sizzling start Sunday afternoon at Morrow Field House.

The Rock jumped on Mansfield for a 25-6 lead in the game’s first 11 minutes.

But it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. SRU looked pretty good that way, too, using three critical possessions in the final four minutes to put away a 72-65 victory.

“We had to extend our possessions down the stretch because we weren’t stopping them ... I didn’t know if we could stop them,” SRU coach Kevin Reynolds said.

Mansfield (8-4) cut the deficit to nine by halftime, only to fall behind by 17 early in the second half. A furious Mountaineer rally trimmed the deficit to 60-58 with 4:05 to play.

Jabril Bailey completed a three-point play at the other end for the Rock, however, before Jon Valeriano buried a trey just before the 35-second clock expired on SRU’s next possession.

The Rock extended its next possession as well, capping it with a Maron Brown layup off an assist by Rashiid Coleman before the shot clock ran out. That gave the hosts a 68-60 lead with 1:04 to play.

A steal and layup by Valeriano seconds later sealed the win.

“Those three consecutive possessions were probably the difference in this game,” Reynolds said.

SRU (10-4) has won 10 of its last 12 games and moves into PSAC West play Wednesday night, hosting Clarion.

The Rock defeated Bloomsburg, 75-58, Saturday, getting 24 points and 12 rebounds from Brown. The 6-foot-5 senior forward produced 16 points and 11 boards in 23 minutes of action Sunday.

Brown has compiled 11 double-doubles this season and has 36 in his three-year career.

“My job is to bang around in there, grab the ball and get putbacks,” Brown said. “That’s my role and that’s what I do.

“My goal is to get a double-double every game. I feel like I can do that.”

Brown needs 21 points to become the 20th SRU playert to reach 1,000. He needs 10 rebounds to become the 13th Rock player to snare 700 in a career.

“Maron is one of the best kept secrets in all of Division II basketball,” Reynolds said. “He’s averaging a point and a rebound every two minutes. Not many players at the Division I or II level have that kind of production.”

New Castle graduate Devin Taylor had 20 points and nine boards for SRU while Bailey had 15 points and seven boards, Valeriano 10 points and six assists.

Mansfield made its second-half run shortly after Taylor went to the bench with three fouls. He returned to the game in the final four minutes.

“We’ve waited patiently for Devin to develop as a player. He’s very important to this team,” Reynolds said.

Tony Fannick paced Mansfield with 27 points.

SRU is 26-7 at home during Reynolds’ tenure as coach. He needs five wins to break Mel Hankinson’s Rock record of 50 victories in a coach’s first three years at the helm..

SRU (women) 59, Mansfield 43 — The Rock (2-10) snapped a four-game losing streak and held the Mountaineers to a season-low point total.Point guard Shannon Lee scored 20 points, grabbed eight rebounds and had five assists. She scored 10 of SRU’s final 12 points, going 6-for-6 from the foul line in the final 41 seconds.“Everything starts with your point guard,” SRU coach Tanya Longo said. “Shannon had a tremendous game. Anytime you win, it’s just what the doctor ordered.”The Rock survived a stretch of eight minutes, 36 seconds in the first half during which it scored no points, missed 12 shots and turned the ball over six times. Mansfield turned an 18-8 deficit into a 19-18 lead during that time.A steal and fastbreak bucket by Grace Palucis ended the drought and started an 8-0 Rock run to end the half. SRU never trailed in the second half.“I don’t feel like I’m coaching a 1-10 team,” Longo said. “We started off behind the eight-ball a little bit, the players learning a new system and myself learning the players.“It’s still a work in progress, but we’re executing our system better now.”Sherita Stanley had 17 points and eight rebounds with Danielle Smith contributing 12 points and five assists. Mallory Moore had 16 points for Mansfield (5-7), which dropped its fifth straight.SRU dropped a 75-46 decision to Bloomsburg Saturday as the Huskies drained 15 3-pointers. Smith paced The Rock with 12 points and eight rebounds, but SRU had 25 turnovers.