Box Score Salem University cut a late nine-point deficit down to a single point, but Slippery Rock University held on to defeat the Tigers 72-69 in NCAA Division II men's basketball Sunday at Slippery Rock, Pa. Jordan Forbes notched his second straight double-double with 23 points and a season-high 14 rebounds, while Ralph Diaz also tallied a double-double with 10 points and 13 boards.
 
Salem (4-6) trailed 68-59 with 4:12 left to play, but the Tigers held Slippery Rock without a field the rest of the way to get back into the game. Aleksa Dobrijevic and Diaz each hit a three-pointer and Malique Ross drew a foul underneath and converted a pair of free throws with 1:56 remaining to pull the Tigers within 70-69.
 
The Tigers made stops on Slippery Rock's next two possessions, but were unable to score the go-ahead basket on the offensive end. Salem made another defensive stop and the Tigers called timeout with 11 seconds left after bringing the ball across halfcourt. But The Rock's Will Robinson, Jr., stole a pass and hit both free throws with six seconds left. A Tiger three-point attempt in traffic from the left wing was off target as the horn sounded.
 
In the first half, Salem trailed by as many as seven points before Marko Tutunovic's dunk and a Shawn Christian layup pulled the Tigers within 23-20 with 6:55 left before halftime. The margin never grew beyond two possessions and Fonz Hale's jumper with 25 seconds remaining drew Salem within 34-31 at the break.
 
Forbes (14 points) and Hale (nine points) combined for 23 of the Tigers' 31 first-half points.
 
Salem opened the second half with a 5-0 run as Tutunovic's putback and Christian's three-pointer gave the Tigers their first lead since 4-3. But Slippery Rock (5-4) came back with 10 unanswered points and led the remainder of the contest.
 
Hale finished with 12 points for Salem. The Tigers hit 6-of-14 three-pointers in the second half after going 0-for-10 from long range in the first half. Salem outrebounded Slippery Rock 45-40 for the game, including a 27-18 advantage in the second half.
 
Robinson, Jr., led Slippery Rock with 22 points to go with a game-high 17 rebounds. Micah Till had three blocked shots for the Rock, including a key block in the final minute.
 
Salem returns to action Thursday as the Tigers travel to Glenville, W.Va., to take on Glenville State College. Tip-off is 1 p.m. After Thursday's contest, the Tigers will be idle until December 31.