SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa.- The West Chester University women's basketball team (4-6, 0-3 PSAC) continued its grueling start to the year on Saturday afternoon on the road against Slippery Rock (4-4, 2-0 PSAC). West Chester had its opportunities to the tie or win the game in regulation but strong Slippery Rock defense was too much, which allowed the Rock to earn the 72-69 victory.
The Basics:
Final Score: Slippery Rock 72 West Chester 69
The Records: West Chester (4-6, 0-3 PSAC) Slippery Rock (4-4, 2-0 PSAC)
Location: Morrow Field House-Slippery Rock, Pa.
How it Happened:
- After trading baskets for the entirety of the first half, West Chester saw itself down by just six points (34-28) heading to the halftime break.
- In the third quarter, West Chester opened the half on a 9-3 run to even the score at 37-37 with just over six minutes to play in the third. After trading buckets for the next three minutes, West Chester went on another 10-6 run to end the third quarter with a narrow 54-52 advantage heading to the fourth.
- In the fourth quarter, West Chester scored the first four points of the quarter in the midst of a 9-7 run, which gave West Chester a 63-59 lead with 5:31 left to play. West Chester took its final lead of the game with 3:11 to play leading 66-65 before Brooke Hinderliter drilled a three to give Slippery Rock the 68-66 lead that it would never relinquish.
- West Chester went to the line three times in the final 40 seconds with the opportunity to tie the game, however, the Golden Rams shot just 50 % (3-of-6) from the stripe down the stretch, which proved costly in the 72-69 loss.
Golden Ram Rundown:
- Destiny Jefferson (Scranton, Pa./West Scranton) led all scorers as she scored a game-high 22 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the field and a team-best 4-of-6 from deep. Jefferson also pulled down two rebounds while also registering two assists in the loss. Gabrielle Troisi (Norristown, Pa./Pope John Paul II), Katherine Fisher (Rutledge, Pa./Strath Haven), and Zhane Snow (Wilmington, Del./Concord) also found their way into double-figures as Troisi scored 11 while Fisher and Snow scored 10 points each.
- Madison Torresin (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) narrowly missed a double-double as she pulled down a team-high and season-high 10 rebounds while also scoring nine points thanks to a nearly perfect 7-of-8 (87.5 %) from the line.
- For the first time since November 14th, West Chester lost the rebounding battle as the Golden Rams pulled down 35 rebounds while the Rock registered 38 rebounds of its own.
- As a team, West Chester shot 35.1 % (20-of-57) from the field while also shooting 34.8 % (8-of-23) from beyond the arc. West Chester also shot its best percentage (75.0 %) from the line since 11/25 when the team shot 76.2 % from the line in a comeback win vs Holy Family.
- West Chester also ended the game with a 24-20 advantage in points off turnovers and an 11-6 advantage in second-chance points.
For the Rock:
- Hinderliter was Slippery Rocks leading scorer as she was one of three Slippery Rock players in double-figures with 20 points while Ciara Patterson scored 18 points and Daeja Quick scored 12 in the victory.
- As a team, Slippery Rock shot 44.1 % (26-of-59) from field goal range while shooting just 28.0 % (7-of-25) from beyond the arc. The Rock was also impressive from the line shooting 81.3 % (13-of-16) from the line.
- The Rock also ended the game with a 13-7 edge in points off the bench and a slim 28-22 advantage in points in the paint.
Up Next:
West Chester will be back in action on December 18
th when the Golden Rams travel to Indiana (Pa.) to take on IUP with that game scheduled to tip at 5:30 p.m.
