Boxscore
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. -- Junior wing player Julie Molloy (pictured above) scored a season-high 21 points, senior post player Sasha Sales added 14 points and 11 rebounds and junior guard Nikki Presto chipped in 14 points Sunday afternoon to lead The Rock attack in an 89-74 loss to West Chester in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference "crossover" action in Morrow Field House.
The loss was SRU's second in as many days and dropped the Green and White's season record to 5-8.
West Chester improved its season record to 8-5.
The Rock returns to action Wednesday, when they will open the PSAC-Western Division schedule with a 5:30 p.m. game at Mercyhurst College in Erie.
The Green and White are home next Saturday for a 1 p.m. game against division rival Edinboro. That will be part of the annual "Take A Kid to the Game" event at Morrow Field House.
Sunday, West Chester scored eight unanswered points in the span of two minutes early in the first half to take a 12-4 lead and never looked back.
The Golden Rams held a 21-point, 45-24, lead with 2:15 left in the first half before SRU scored the final five points of the period to trim the margin to 16, 45-29, at the intermission.
SRU trailed by 20 points, 64-44, with 10:45 left in the game but then outscored the guests by a 26-13 margin inthe next seven minutes to trim the gap to seven points (77-70) with three minutes left. That was as close as the hosts would come, though.
The visitors made 51.6% (16 of 31) of their shots from the field in the first 20 minutes of action, compared to SRU's 39.4% (13 of 33).
The Rock finished the game with a 43.3% (29 of 67) efficiency from the floor, while West Chester shot 54.1% (33 of 61) from the field.
SRU, after hitting only three of seven (42.9%) of its 3-point shots in the first half, finished with a 50% (8 of 16) efficiency from beyond the arc. WCU hit three of five trey attempts in the first half and finished with a 35.7% (5 of 14) efficiency.
From the foul line, The Rock, after missing all four of their first-half attempts, finished the game eight of 16 (50%). West Chester hit 10 of 11 (90.9%) of its charity tosses in the first half and finished the game with a 72% (18 of 25) effiency.
NOTES:
Molloy's point total Sunday was two points shy of her career-high total of 23 vs. Cheyney last winter ... Molloy has now scored 10 or more points in seven of the 11 games in which she has played this winter. She had nine points in two other games ... The Rock finished this year's PSAC "crossover" series with a 1-3 record vs. PSAC-Eastern Division teams.
