EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. – Lexi Carpenter scored a career-high 34 points to lead the Slippery Rock University women's basketball team to a 70-66 win against East Stroudsburg University Saturday afternoon at Koehler Fieldhouse in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.
 
Carpenter's 34 points Saturday were the eighth most scored in a game in program history and the most by any player in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference this season. Carpenter, who scored 32 points against Clarion University on Jan. 11, has now scored 66 points in two games and has recorded two of the top three single-game point totals in the PSAC this season.

In just 43 games at SRU, Carpenter has already scored 774 points, which ranks 25th in Slippery Rock history.
 
The PSAC crossover victory improved The Rock's record to 8-9 overall and 5-6 in league play. The victory was The Rock's sixth away from home this season, which is tied with the 2008-09 team for the most road/neutral site victories in a year by SRU in the last 11 seasons. East Stroudsburg drops to 9-6 overall and 5-6 in conference games with the loss.
 
Saturday's game featured eight lead changes and six ties. Neither team led by more than eight points in what was a tight contest throughout the duration of the game.
 
East Stroudsburg led by two points (34-32) at halftime before extending its advantage out to a game-high eight points (49-41) with 3:47 remaining in the third quarter. However, The Rock answered back by going on a 15-5 run over the final minutes of the period to take a 56-54 lead over the Warriors into the fourth quarter.
 
Carpenter accounted for nine points over the spurt with Brooke Hinderliter adding five points and C.C. Dixon chipping in a successful free throw as well.
 
Slippery Rock did a great job at holding off the Warriors over the entirety of the fourth quarter to seal the victory. SRU was never able to completely pull away in the final quarter, but every time East Stroudsburg seemed poised to retake the lead The Rock was able to answer with a timely basket. Morgan Henderson scored four points in the fourth quarter, including a jumper when ESU trailed by just one point with five minutes to play.
 
Hinderliter supplemented Carpenter's 34-point game with 13 points of her own to go with game-highs of nine rebounds and three steals as she just missed out on her second consecutive double-double. Six of Hinderliter's rebounds came on the offensive glass. She has 11 offensive rebounds in the last two games.
 
The trio of Dixon, Henderson and Krista Pietropola scored six points each while Mallory Heinle rounded out The Rock's scorers with five points. Dixon also added seven rebounds and three assists. Pietropola had six rebounds as well with Heinle, Carpenter and Henderson grabbing five rebounds apiece.
 
Slippery Rock, the PSAC's leader in foul shooting percentage, did an exceptional job at getting to the free throw line where it made 72.7 percent (24-of-33) of its attempts. SRU also held advantages over ESU in rebounds (46-39), offensive rebounds (14-6), second chance points (12-5) and turnovers forced (17-12). The Rock made the most of the Warriors' 17 miscues with 18 points off turnovers.
 
The Warriors stayed in the game thanks to 11 made 3-pointers. For the game, ESU shot 42.1 percent (24-of-57) from the field overall and 34.4 percent (11-of-32) from 3-point range. However, East Stroudsburg struggled from the free throw line, converting just seven of its 17 attempts. Imani Brown made seven 3-pointers for the Warriors and finished the game with 28 points.
 
Slippery Rock returns to PSAC Western Division competition at 5 p.m. on Jan. 18 when it hosts Pitt-Johnstown at Morrow Field House.