KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University women's basketball team rebounded from its first loss of the season with an impressive 72-65 victory at Kutztown University Sunday afternoon in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference competition.
 
The win improves The Rock's record to 3-1 overall and 1-1 in the PSAC. Slippery Rock has now started the season 3-1 in each of the last two seasons. The last time Slippery Rock started 3-1 in consecutive years was 2004-05 / 2005-06. Kutztown drops to 1-3 overall and 0-2 in league games with the loss.
 
Slippery Rock had 57 rebounds Sunday, the most by a Rock team in a single game since SRU pulled down 59 rebounds against Lock Haven on Feb. 13, 2013 (89 games). The impressive work on the glass resulted in a +22 rebounding margin over the Golden Bears. Slippery Rock's defense held Kutztown to just a 30.1 field goal percentage (22-of-73).
 
Offensively, The Rock shot 42.9 percent from the field overall (27-of-63), 37.5 percent (6-of-16) from 3-point range and 63.2 percent (12-of-19) from the free throw line. Slippery Rock made 21 of its final 44 field goal attempts (47.7 percent). For the game, Slippery Rock held edges over Kutztown in points in the paint (34-16), second chance points (16-8) and bench scoring (17-10).
 
Lexi Carpenter was a factor in every facet of the game Sunday. She finished just shy of a triple-double with 22 points, nine rebounds and nine assists while also adding four blocks and two steals over 34 minutes.
 
Mallory Heinle turned in the first double-double of her collegiate career by scoring 14 points and grabbing a career-high 12 rebounds. Heinle was 4-for-7 from the field overall, including a 3-for-4 showing from 3-point range while also converting 3-of-4 free throw attempts.
 
Morgan Henderson was SRU's third player to finish in double figures with 12 points in addition to pulling in six rebounds.
 
Reigning PSAC West Freshman of the Week Brooke Hinderliter scored seven points and tallied seven rebounds, six of which came on the offensive glass. Fellow freshman LeeAnn Gibson had the best game of her young career with nine points and six rebounds.
 
Krista Pietropola rounded out The Rock's top performers against Kutztown after coming off the bench to give SRU five points and five rebounds. 

The Golden Bears jumped out to a six-point lead midway through the first quarter before SRU closed the opening quarter on a 7-2 run to cut Kutztown's lead down to one point, 14-13, through 10 minutes of play. Heinle sparked the run with five points.
 
SRU carried over its momentum from the end of the first quarter into the second, building its lead to as many as nine points before settling for a 34-29 halftime lead.
 
Kutztown was the aggressor coming out of the locker rooms as it outscored The Rock 21-13 in the third quarter to take a 50-47 lead into the fourth quarter. However, Slippery Rock chipped away at its deficit and eventually took a one-point lead, 54-53, on a Carpenter jumper with 8:21 remaining in regulation.
 
The Golden Bears briefly retook the lead two minutes later, but SRU answered back with a 6-0 run to pull ahead 60-55 with 5:22 left to play. KU would keep the pressure on SRU through the remainder of the game, but Slippery Rock closed out the victory thanks in part to clutch free throw shooting that saw The Rock go 9-for-10 from the line down the stretch en route to the win.
 
Jenna Altomare made seven 3-pointers on the way to a game-high 23 points to lead Kutztown. SRU limited PSAC East Player of the Week Alex Heck to just seven points on 2-of-15 shooting.
 
Slippery Rock will play an exhibition game at the University of Pittsburgh on Wednesday at 2 p.m. before heading to Ashland, Ohio for weekend games against Ashland University and Hillsdale College at the Ashland Thanksgiving Classic.