ERIE, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University women's basketball team lost a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division game to Mercyhurst University, 79-54, Tuesday night at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center in Erie, Pennsylvania.
 
The loss snapped Slippery Rock's four-game winning streak and dropped its record to 7-6 overall and 4-3 in PSAC West competition. Mercyhurst won its seventh consecutive game to improve to 12-1 overall and 7-0 in league games.
 
Slippery Rock played even with the Lakers in the first, third and fourth quarters, but was unable to overcome a disastrous second quarter in which Mercyhurst outscored The Rock 26-8 to open up a 19-point halftime lead that SRU could never overcome.
 
Lexi Carpenter scored a team-high 15 points while also passing out five assists and grabbing five rebounds. Reigning PSAC West Freshman of the Week Brooke Hinderliter added 10 points and one block as well in the loss.
 
Morgan Henderson scored six points to go with a team-best 10 rebounds and two steals. LeeAnn Gibson rounded out The Rock's leading scorers with seven points. The seven-point output matched Gibson's third highest scoring total of the season.
 
C.C. Dixon and Krista Pietropola recorded six and five rebounds, respectively, with Pietropola also scoring five points.
 
Slippery Rock shot 32.8 percent (19-of-58) from the field overall, 16.7 percent (3-of-18) from 3-point range and 65 percent (13-of-20) at the free throw line against the Lakers. SRU made over 40 percent of its field goal attempts in every quarter but the second when it went just 2-of-18 (11.1 percent). SRU did hold a 28-20 edge in points in the paint.
 
The Lakers were led by the senior duo of Angela Heintz and Natalie Piaggesi. Heintz registered a triple-double of 20 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds. Piaggesi added a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
 
Mercyhurst was 28-of-63 (44.4 percent) from the field, 11-of-35 (31.4 percent) from 3-point range and 12-of-19 (63.2 percent) from the free throw line. The Lakers also held a commanding 48-31 edge in rebounds, including 20 on the offensive glass, over The Rock.
 
Slippery Rock will look to return to its winning ways when it hosts Indiana (Pa.) 5 p.m. Friday at Morrow Field House.