ASHLAND, Ohio – The Slippery Rock University women's basketball team lost to No. 3 Ashland University, 99-67, Saturday afternoon at the Ashland Thanksgiving Classic.
 
The loss drops The Rock's record to 3-2 on the season. The Eagles improve to 5-0 with the win.
 
Ashland scored the game's first nine points and led by as many as 12 in the first quarter before a 5-4 Rock run to end the first cut SRU's deficit to 11 points at 27-16. Slippery Rock played virtually even with Ashland in the second quarter, as the Eagles were only able to add four more points to its lead to take a 45-30 advantage into halftime.
 
However, Ashland put the game away with a 17-5 run over the first five minutes of the third quarter to open up a 27-point lead (62-35) on the way to its eventual 99-67 win.
 
Lexi Carpenter scored a team-high 13 points for The Rock while adding three rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block. C.C. Dixon came off the bench to and finished just shy her first double-double at Slippery Rock with 11 points and eight rebounds. Dixon was 5-of-10 from the field overall and was 1-for-1 from 3-point range.
 
LeeAnn Gibson made her first collegiate start Saturday and concluded the contest with 10 points, three rebounds and three steals. Gibson went 3-for-4 from the field and was a perfect 4-for-4 at the foul line.
 
Morgan Henderson, who was saddled with foul trouble for much of the game, had nine points and four rebounds over 18 minutes. Brooke Hinderliter scored eight points while Krista Pietropola chipped in five points and four rebounds off the bench for SRU.
 
As a team, Slippery Rock shot 38.6 percent (27-of-70) from the field overall, 23.5 percent (4-of-17) from 3-point territory and 75 percent (9-of-12) at the foul line. SRU forced the nationally ranked Eagles into 20 turnovers, but was out rebounded for just the second time this season (46-29).
 
Ashland shot 58.5 percent (38-of-65) from the field, 37.5 percent (17-of-23) from 3-point range and 73.9 percent (17-of-23) from the free throw line. Defensively, Ashland turned 17 Rock turnovers into 27 points. Laina Snyder led the Eagles with game-highs of 19 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks.
 
Slippery Rock will look to end its time at the Thanksgiving Classic on a high note with a win against Hillsdale College on Sunday. Tipoff from Ashland, Ohio is scheduled for 1 p.m.