SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. – Senior guard Tyrone Roach (Capitol Heights, MD/Montgomery-Germantown) scored a game-high 35 points for the Rams, but Slippery Rock held off Shepherd University for an 87-84 win in men’s basketball action at the Butcher Center on Monday night.

Jabril Brown had 23 points and 10 rebounds and Maron Brown added 22 points and eight boards to lead Slippery Rock (8-0).

Mike Evans Jr. added 15 points, Maurice Douglas had 12, and Cecil Brown tossed in 10 as all five starters were in double figures for The Rock. Cecil Brown also dished out a game-high nine assists.

Roach was 12-of-24 from the floor with a 5-of-11 effort from three point range. He was a perfect 6-of-6 from the foul line. His 35 points set a new career-high.

Freshman forward Chad Moore (Winchester, VA/John Handley) added 12 points and 10 rebounds, while junior forward Dave Karlson (Cameroon, Africa/Montgomery-Germantown) had 12 points and eight rebounds. 

Senior guard Derek Gallagher (Moon Township, PA/Moon Area) contributed nine points and 10 boards, while freshman guard Aeron Spencer (Fredericksburg, VA/Stafford) added eight points, five assists, and five rebounds.

Shepherd  (1-6) had a 41-35 advantage at the break behind 19 first half points from Roach.

The Rams rallied to within two points at 84-82 with 27 seconds left on a trey from Roach. The Rock hit 3-of-4 free throws down the stretch to seal the win.

Slippery Rock hit on 43.1 percent (31-72) of its field goal attempts, while hit Shepherd shot at a 42.5 percent (31-73) clip. Shepherd had a 46-42 edge in rebounds.

The Rams are idle until  Jan. 7 when they travel to Charleston for an 8 p.m. game.