Box Score
ERIE, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University women's basketball team went on a 7-0 run over the final 1:29 and never trailed in the second half on the way to defeating hosting Mercyhurst College by a 75-67 score in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division action Saturday afternoon in Erie.
The Rock (5-9, 2-8 PSAC) opened the second half with a 7-0 run and led by as much as 14 points before fighting off a late rally from the Lakers (8-6, 6-4 PSAC) to close the game with a 7-0 run and seal the win.
Slippery Rock posted its best shooting performance of the season and put up its second-highest scoring total of the year. The only game in which The Rock managed more points was an 86-point showing against winless Cheyney.
SRU connected on 25-of-46 attempts from the field for a 54.3 percent efficiency, only the second time all season the team has managed a 50 percent shooting effort. Included in that percentage was a season-best 42.1 percent (8-of-19) effort from the 3-point arc, just the second time all season the team had crossed the 40 percent marker from long range. The Rock capped the day by hitting 17-of-25 free throws (68.0 percent), reaching the charity stripe for 25 or more attempts for just the third time this season.
Paris Thomas led the way with an outstanding all-around effort, posting team-highs of 16 points, eight assists and six steals.
Sherita Stanley added 15 points, seven rebounds and four steals and
D'Asia Chambers added 13 points.
Erinne Cunningham knocked down four 3-pointers for 12 points, while
Jasmine Cooper and
Danielle Smith added nine and eight points to cap the balanced scoring attack.
Mercyhurst finished the game shooting 40.7 percent from the field (24-of-59), including 31.8 percent from the 3-point arc (7-of-22) and was 70.6 percent at the free throw line (12-of-17).
The Lakers were led by Lindsay Stamp and Nikki Frederickson, who combined for 45 of the team's 67 points. Stamp finished with a game-high 24 points, while Frederickson added 21. No other Laker managed more than five points.
Saturday's win swings a series-long rubber match in Slippery Rock's favor, as The Rock has now won 11 of 21 meetings against the Lakers in the history of the two programs.
The Rock will look to keep their momentum going when they travel to California (Pa.) Wednesday, Jan. 18, for a 5:30 p.m. PSAC West matchup. SRU returns home next Saturday, Jan. 21, to host No. 5 Edinboro at 1 p.m.
Saturday's game started all Slippery Rock, as the visitors scored the first five points and ran out to a 10-2 lead at the 16:49 mark.
Mercyhurst put together a 6-0 run to take its first lead of the game, 12-11, with 12:31 to play before halftime.
From there, the teams traded scores for three lead changes and four ties before Thomas knocked down a jumper with 30 seconds left to send the game to intermission with The Rock leading 33-31.
SRU opened the second half with a 7-0 run to a cap a 9-0 run overall and take a 40-31 lead with 15:59 to play. The Rock pushed the lead out to as much as 14 points, 54-40, with 11:15 to play and looked in line to record the win.
Mercyhurst battled back, cutting the lead to eight points at 66-55 with 6:07 to play and then put together a 12-2 run, capped by a pair of Frederickson free throws with 1:29 to play that cut it to a one point game, 68-67.
Slippery Rock, which has struggled to score late in games this winter, managed a 7-0 run down the stretch to pull away for the 75-67 win.
