SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa.- The Slippery Rock University women's basketball team cut a 13-point deficit to just five points in a span of 23 seconds in the final minute of regulation, but it wasn't enough as Edinboro University came away with a 78-70 win in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division action Wednesday night at Morrow Field House.
 
With the loss, SRU drops to 11-11 overall and 7-9 in the PSAC. Edinboro improves to 16-7 overall and 11-6 in conference action.
 
Edinboro shot just 33.3 percent from the field, but was awarded 44 foul shots, connecting on 36 of the attempts, which proved to be the difference in the game, as SRU shot just 21 times from the line.  
 
Ciara Patterson drilled four 3-pointers and was a perfect 5-for-5 from the foul line to lead The Rock with 19 points. Lexi Carpenter came up with 15 points and Megan Hardiman made all six of her free throws en route to 11 points. Morgan Henderson was The Rock's fourth player in double-figures with a career-high 10 points, her second Carpenter also had a team-high four assists.
 
The Fighting Scots scored the first five points of the game and held a 16-11 lead over The Rock at the end of the first quarter. Slippery Rock hung with Edinboro in the second quarter and cut its deficit to five points on seven occasions.  Aignee' Freeland hit a jumper for Edinboro in the final seconds of the quarter to give the visitors a 32-25 edge at halftime.
 
Carpenter and Henderson evenly split 12 points at the half to pace The Rock, while Hardiman pulled down five of her team-high seven rebounds in the first half.
 
SRU cut the Edinboro lead down to 33-30 early in the third quarter, but the Fighting Scots went on an 11-2 run over the next few minutes to take a 44-32 lead with 5:41 to play in the quarter. The Rock fought back to trim Edinboro's lead to just six points, 49-43, at the end of the third. Krista Pietropola led The Rock during their 11-5 run with five points.
 
Edinboro quickly jumped out to a 10-point lead in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter before Patterson connected on a 3-pointer to pull The Rock within seven, 55-48. Edinboro slowly pulled away from The Rock over the next few minutes and took a 13-point lead, 71-58, with 1:08 to play in the game.
 
SRU did not go away quietly though, as the hosts strategically extended the game by using subs off the bench to foul and send Edinboro to the foul line and subbing its starters back in on offense. SRU went on a 9-1 run over the next 23 seconds to cut it to five points, 72-67, thanks in part to two 3-pointers by Patterson, but the Fighting Scots connected on all six free throws in the final 45 seconds to seal the win.
 
For the game, SRU shot 40.4 percent (23-for-57) from the field overall as well as 43.8 percent (7-for-16) from 3-point range and 81 percent (17-for-21) from the foul line. Edinboro made 33.3 percent (19-for-57) of its field goals and 25 percent (4-for-16) of its 3-pointers, while hitting 81.8 percent (36-for-44) of its foul shots.
 
Edinboro held a 47-32 advantage over The Rock in rebounding, but committed more turnovers (20-17).
 
Michelle Jahn paced Edinboro with 21 points. Katie Fischer and Freeland had 17 points apiece with Freeland also pulling down 11 rebounds.
 
Additionally, the game marked Erica Aiello's 100th career game for The Rock.
 
The Rock heads to Seton Hill Saturday for a PSAC West matchup at 1 p.m.