INDIANA, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University women's basketball team lost a road game to Indiana (Pa.), 105-73, Saturday night in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division competition at the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex in Indiana, Pennsylvania.
 
Slippery Rock (9-14, 6-11 PSAC West) played even with the Crimson Hawks (16-5, 14-3 PSAC West) throughout the first half and even led Indiana briefly in the third quarter, but a decisive 16-0 run by IUP over a three-minute stretch late in the third proved too much for The Rock to overcome.
 
Slippery Rock was led by duo of C.C. Dixon and Sierra Fordham. Dixon scored a career-high 24 points and grabbed six rebounds while Fordham came off the bench to record personal-bests of 14 points and six assists.
 
Saturday's contest was the latest in five-game stretch of great play by Dixon, who is averaging 14.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game while shooting 53.6 percent (30-of-56) from the field over her impressive run.
 
Mallory Heinle added nine points while the freshmen combination of Brooke Hinderliter and LeeAnn Gibson chipped in seven points each. Hinderliter also passed out four assists with Gibson pulling in five rebounds. Krista Pietropola and Cassidy Wright rounded out SRU's scorers with six points each.
 
Indiana appeared poised to run away with the game early after jumping out to a 10-0 run over the opening four minutes, but Slippery Rock methodically chipped away at the deficit and eventually narrowed the margin to just one point at 45-44 heading into halftime thanks to a 9-0 run over the final 2:30 of the second quarter.
 
Gibson made three foul shots over the spurt while Hinderliter and Dixon each contributed layups.
 
SRU carried over its momentum into the third quarter and took its first lead of the night when Fordham connected on a layup at the 8:28 mark of the period. SRU and IUP went on to trade baskets over the next two minutes before Indiana put the game away with 16 unanswered points. Slippery Rock went just 7-of-27 from the field over the final 16 minutes of the game while IUP was 19-of-24.
 
For the game, Slippery Rock shot 35.3 percent (24-of-68) from the field, 27.3 percent (6-of-22) from the 3-point range and 76 percent (19-of-25) from the free throw line. Both The Rock and Crimson Hawks recorded 35 rebounds apiece. SRU registered 18 offensive rebounds, which it turned into 19 second chance points.
 
Indiana went 35-of-57 (61.4 percent) from the field, 14-of-21 (66.7 percent) from 3-point range and 21-of-25 (84 percent) at the free throw line. Lauren Wolosik, who made five 3-pointers on the way to a 29-point showing, led the Crimson Hawks.
 
Slippery Rock returns home to Morrow Field House to host Mercyhurst University Feb. 8 at 5:30 p.m. The game will be a will be a "Black Out." The first 500 SRU students to show their ID at the gate will receive a free t-shirt, courtesy of Adidas and the Erie Sports Store. Non-students will also have a chance to purchase a limited supply of the Adidas shirts at the game, while supplies last. Look for more details regarding both events next week when the students return to campus.