CLARI0N, Pa. -- The Rock gave nationally ranked Pitt-Johnstown all it could handle Friday afternoon before it dropped a 61-57 season-opening decision in the first game of the Clarion Classic.

The score was tied at 53-53 with five minutes left to play before UPJ, which received votes in the USA TODAY ESPN Division II Coaches preseason poll, outscored SRU by an 8-4 margin down the stretch.

Amanda Nero paced The Rock attack with 20 points, while Nijha McNeely chipped in 11 points and six rebounds in a substitute role. KellyAnn Staudinger added 10 points and a team-high nine rebounds for the Green and White, while Chere' Marshall and Kara Spagnola each handed out four assists.

The Rock will go in search of its first win of the season when it takes on Davis & Elkins at 4 p.m. Saturday in the third of four games in the Classic.

SRU then turns its attention to Tuesday's 6 p.m. home opener against Fairmont State (W. Va.), which also received votes in the national preseason poll.

The Rock stayed with UPJ for most of the opening half Friday before the Lady Cats put together an 11-4 run to take a nine-point, 37-28, advantage into intermission.

SRU battled back to tie the score at 43-43 on a layup by Nikki Presto with 13 minutes left to play.

A 5-0 Rock run (three by McNeely, two by Staudinger) gave SRU its largest lead of the game, 53-49, with just less than six minutes left but the Green and White could not maintain the momentum. UPJ scored 12 of the final 16 points in the game.

The Rock didn't go down without a fight, though. Marshall scored a pair of baskets in the span of seven seconds to trim the deficit to two points, 59-57, with 11 seconds left before the Lady Cats took advantage of The Rock's need to foul to get the ball back and sank two free throws to account for the final margin.