SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Lexi Carpenter scored a career-high 35 points and the Slippery Rock University women's basketball team never trailed in a 69-58 victory against Edinboro University Saturday afternoon at Morrow Field House.
 
Edinboro (16-3, 12-1 PSAC West), which received votes in the most recent Women's Basketball Coaches Association top 25 poll, entered the contest on a 16-game winning streak and undefeated in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division competition.
 
The victory improves The Rock's record to 9-10 on the season overall and 6-7 in league games.
 
As has been the case for the last four games, Carpenter was once again virtually unstoppable. The senior guard went 13-for-16 from the field overall, 3-for-3 from 3-point range and 6-of-7 from the free throw line while also recording five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Carpenter, the PSAC's leading scorer and reigning Athlete of the Week, has now scored at least 32 points in four consecutive games. No other player in NCAA Division II has scored 30 or more points in four consecutive games this season.
 
Carpenter's 35-point game gives her 841 points in just under two years at The Rock, the 19th highest total in program history.
 
Slippery Rock stunned Edinboro early on by jumping out to a quick 8-0 lead thanks in part to six points from Carpenter and two more by C.C. Dixon. Carpenter would go on to score eight more points in the quarter with LeeAnn Gibson, Brooke Hinderliter and Morgan Henderson all adding baskets as well to give The Rock a commanding 14-point advantage of 22-8 heading into the second quarter.
 
Edinboro rallied back to cut The Rock's lead down to seven points with three minutes to play in the first half, but Carpenter scored five of the final eight points of the half to give Slippery Rock a 33-24 lead at the break.
 
SRU maintained its nine-point advantage over the Fighting Scots throughout the third quarter before Edinboro cut The Rock's lead down to seven points with 6:34 remaining in regulation.
 
However, any thoughts Edinboro had at avoiding the upset were put to rest with a 14-7 Rock run over the following five minutes to give SRU a comfortable 66-52 lead with one minute to play in regulation. Edinboro cut Slippery Rock's lead down to nine points in the final stages of the game, but never seriously threatened The Rock's lead as SRU closed out the victory. Carpenter and Hinderliter combined to score 14 of SRU's 19 fourth-quarter points.
 
In what was one of its finest defensive efforts of the season, Slippery Rock held Edinboro to a 31.6 field goal percentage (18-of-57) and just three successful 3-pointers in 18 attempts (16.7 percent). Slippery Rock also held a 47-30 edge in rebounds. Edinboro's 58 points was its lowest scoring output of the year.

Leadings The Rock's dominance on the glass was Henderson, who hauled in a team-high 10 rebounds. The trio of Dixon, Hinderliter and Krista Pietropola had six rebounds apiece while Mallory Heinle and Carpenter registered five rebounds each.
 
Dixon and Hinderliter rounded out The Rock's top scorers Saturday with 11 and eight points, respectively.
 
Slippery Rock shot 43.9 percent (25-of-57) from the field overall and 68.2 percent (15-of-22) from the free throw line.
 
Ciara Rosten scored 16 points and had six rebounds for Edinboro in the loss.
 
SRU will look to carry over its momentum from Saturday's win when it plays at Gannon University Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.