CINCINNATI – The Slippery Rock University women's basketball team lost an exhibition game at the University of Cincinnati Monday night, 85-52.
 
While the game did not count for The Rock, it did serve as the official home-opener for the Bearcats which improved its record to 1-1 on the season with the win.
 
Ciara Patterson was dominant for SRU on Monday. The junior guard scored 24 points after going 7-for-14 from 3-point range and 3-for-4 from the free throw line in addition to making one steal defensively. While Monday's stats do not count, Patterson has unofficially made 13 3-pointers in three games this season.
 
Sophomore guard Brooke Hinderliter also finished in double figures with 13 points to go along with five rebounds and two assists. Junior forward Morgan Henderson pulled down a team-best 11 rebounds while blocking one shot as well.
 
Sophomore guard Madison Johnson scored just two points and senior forward Mallory Heinle was held scoreless by Cincinnati, but both players found other ways to contribute as Johnson dished out four assists and Heinle recorded five rebounds. Senior guard Krista Pietropola rounded out The Rock's top performers with five points and three rebounds.
 
Slippery Rock stayed close with the Bearcats, an NCAA Division I school that competes in the American Athletic Conference, for the first half as it trailed by just eight points after the first quarter (21-13) and 10 at the halftime break (39-29). However, Cincinnati nearly doubled The Rock's scoring total in the third quarter to break the game open on the way to its 33-point victory.
 
For the game, Slippery Rock shot 25 percent (17-for-68) from the field overall, 30.6 percent (11-for-36) from deep and 87.5 percent (7-for-8) from the free throw line while collecting 39 rebounds.
 
The Bearcats shot 48.5 percent (32-for-66) from the field, 40 percent (8-for-20) from 3-point range and 59.1 percent (13-for-22) from the foul line to go with 48 rebounds. Nikira Goings led Cincy with 24 points and four assists.
 
Slippery Rock will return to regular season competition 1 p.m. Saturday when it hosts Shippensburg University at Morrow Field House in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference crossover contest.
 

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