Weekend College Top 10: Slippery Rock deals No. 3 IUP 1st loss

Every Monday, the Tribune-Review will highlight 10 top area college performances from the weekend:

1. Slippery Rock men knock off No. 3 IUP

Micah Till finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds, and The Rock held the previously unbeaten Crimson Hawks to a season-worst shooting percentage in a 74-69 PSAC victory Saturday. Slippery Rock (10-5, 7-1) won its eighth straight and pulled ahead of IUP (14-1, 7-1) in the West Division. The Rock led by as many as 16 early in the second half and limited the Crimson Hawks to 34.8 percent shooting. Vinny Lasley had a personal-high 16 points to go with five rebounds and three blocks for Slippery Rock. Jacobo Diaz led IUP with 29 points and 14 rebounds, and Malik Miller added 17 points.

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2. Appleby, No. 1 IUP women keep rolling

Carolyn Appleby (Greensburg Central Catholic) set a season high with 24 points, Natalie Myers (Burrell) set season highs with 16 points and 12 rebounds and the Crimson Hawks eased past Slippery Rock, 90-54, on Saturday. Myers also had three of the team’s 15 blocks, which tied the program record. IUP moved to 13-0 overall and 8-0 in the PSAC, and The Rock slipped to 6-8, 4-4.

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3. No. 1 Penn State wrestling downs two ranked teams

The Nittany Lions improved to 6-0 after winning their first two Big Ten duals, drubbing No. 11 Northwestern, 33-8, on Friday and downing No. 19 Wisconsin, 24-13, on Sunday. In Friday’s match, top-ranked Jason Nolf (Kittanning) defeated No. 3 Ryan Deakin, 19-7, at 157 pounds for his 100th career win. Top-ranked Bo Nickal (197 pounds) recorded his 51st career pin. On Sunday, Penn State rallied from a 13-9 deficit. Fourth-ranked Anthony Cassar defeated ninth-ranked Trent Hillger, 24-13, in the heavyweight match.

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4. W&J women extend winning streak to 8

Alie Seto had 20 points and 11 rebounds, boosting the Presidents to a 71-49 rout against Bethany in a PAC game Saturday. W&J (10-5, 6-1) built a 25-8 lead after one quarter. Bethany dropped to 9-7, 4-3.

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5. Carnegie Mellon men push streak to 6

Seth Henry’s 22 points led four Tartans in double figures as CMU defeated New York University, 81-67, in a University Athletic Association game Sunday. Junior Zach Howarth contributed 18 points and seven rebounds for Carnegie Mellon (8-6, 3-0). NYU dropped to 6-8, 0-3.

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6. Unbeaten Pitt wrestling sweeps weekend

No. 18 Pitt defeated No. 23 North Dakota State, 22-11, on Saturday and shut out South Dakota State, 34-0, on Sunday. The Panthers (8-0) trailed 11-9 against North Dakota State before winning the final four matches. Fifth-ranked Micky Phillippi (Derry) and 13th-ranked Nino Bonaccorsi (Bethel Park) each won both their matches. The Panthers host No. 3 Oklahoma State on Saturday.

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7. Walton sparks Edinboro women’s comeback

Jontay Walton scored a personal-high 38 points, including 22 straight in the fourth quarter, leading the Fighting Scots to a 68-63 victory over Pitt-Johnstown in the PSAC. Walton also added a career-best eight steals for Edinboro (10-3, 6-2), which trailed 34-26 at halftime. Gabrielle Smith (Quigley Catholic) had 20 points, eight rebounds and three blocks for Pitt-Johnstown (8-7, 4-4).

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8. Kromka paces Saint Vincent men

Tom Kromka (Gateway) totaled 25 points and 14 rebounds as the Bearcats remained unbeaten in the PAC with an 83-69 victory over Geneva on Saturday. David Stephen added 15 points for Saint Vincent (14-2, 7-0). Reserve Danny Torok led Geneva (6-9, 3-4) with 14 points.

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9. Weir’s huge game lifts Point Park women

Sam Weir (Riverside) finished with 30 points, 17 rebounds and five blocks as the Pioneers upended Ohio Christian, 76-65, in a River States Conference game Saturday. Kaitlyn Smith (Quigley Catholic) added 15 points, four rebounds and four assists for Point Park (7-12, 3-5). Ohio Christian dropped to 1-15, 0-7.

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10. La Roche women remain in 1st place

The Redhawks topped Pitt-Bradford, 76-59, on Saturday for their fourth straight Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference victory. Jenna Cole (Norwin) had 21 points and 10 rebounds for La Roche (9-6, 8-1), and Nia Thomas (Highlands) added 15 points, six rebounds and five assists.

Jeff Vella is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jeff at jvella@tribweb.com or via Twitter @JeffVella_Trib.