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JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – D'Asia Chambers scored 24 points, Taylor Siggers had 17 and Breanna Gross added 16 to lead the Slippery Rock University women's basketball team to an 88-78 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division victory against Pitt-Johnstown Saturday at the Sports Center in Johnstown, Pa.
 
Slippery Rock (8-12, 4-12 PSAC-West) kept the game close in the first half, trailing Pitt-Johnstown (9-11, 6-10 PSAC-West) by only five points at the break, before exploding for 53 points in the second period to run away with the 10-point triumph. The 53 points were most socred in a half by The Rock this year.
 
SRU earned the win by playing one of its best all-around games of the season. Offensively, Slippery Rock went 32-for-68 (47.1 percent) from the floor, its highest percentage since making 49.1 percent of its attempts in a win at Mansfield on Jan. 3. Additionally, SRU's 88 points were the second most scored this season. Defensively, Slippery Rock forced UPJ into 24 turnovers and limited the Mountain Cats to only five successful three-pointers. Pitt-Johnstown entered the game leading the PSAC in made three-pointers at 9.4 per game.
 
Chambers, who went 8-for-17 from the field and added eight more points via free throws, added 15 rebounds to her performance to record her 11^th double-double of the season.  Siggers' 17-point game was spearheaded by an efficient 8-for-17 shooting effort as well. After committing 21 turnovers in the last three games, Siggers also did a terrific job protecting the ball with just two turnovers in 29 minutes played.
 
Gross provided The Rock some much-needed toughness inside as she grabbed seven rebounds and scored 12 of her 16 points in the paint.
 
Megan Hardiman chipped in nine points while the reserve duo of Shannon Jack and Audrey Stapleton combined to score a crucial 15 points. The offensive production of Gross, Jack, Stapleton and Mallory Heinle (three points) gave SRU a 34-32 edge in the in bench scoring. Erica Aiello rounded out SRU's top performers with team-highs of four steals and four assists.
 
Free throws were another important aspect in a game in which there were a total of 49 fouls called. Slippery Rock delivered by shooting 70 percent (21-for-23). Chambers converted 8-of-12 foul shots while Stapleton (2-for-2) and Hardiman (4-for-4) were both once again perfect from the line. Stapleton extended her consecutive free throw streak to 19 with Hardiman close behind at 15.
 
The opening period was a back-and-forth contest that featured five ties and seven lead changes. Pitt-Johnstown managed to take a 42-35 advantage into the break after closing the period on a 12-7 run thanks in part to a pair of three-pointers by Kelsey Sleighter. Slippery Rock's defense did a great job limiting UPJ to just three successful three-pointers in 11 attempts in the first half.
 
Pitt-Johnstown carried over its momentum from the end of the first half and seemed poised to run away with the game after opening up a game-high 13-point lead (50-37) through the first three minutes of the second period. However, Slippery Rock fought through the adversity and responded by going on a 35-22 run over the following 11 minutes to tie the game at 72-72 with 5:42 left in regulation.
 
Slippery Rock took the lead for a final time and put the game out of reach with a 6-0 run thanks to a Siggers layup, a mid-range jumper by Stapleton and two Hardiman free throws. Pitt-Johnstown was then unable to stop The Rock's offense down the stretch as SRU held on to the win by going 4-for-4 from the field and 2-for-4 from the foul line in the game's closing moments.
 
The win snapped UPJ's six-game winning streak against Slippery Rock that dated back to the 2008-09 season.
 
For the game, Slippery Rock also held advantages over Pitt-Johnstown in steals (9-7), rebounds (44-41), field goal percentage (47.1 – 39.1), points in the paint (50-36) and points off turnovers (29-12).
 
Jasmine Harper came off the bench to go for 27 points and 12 rebounds for Pitt-Johnstown in the loss.
 
Slippery Rock will look to continue its winning ways when it returns to Morrow Field House to host Mercyhurst on Wednesday at 6 p.m. in a game that will have a great impact on The Rock's postseason hopes.