Postgame Interview

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - A dominant second-half effort by the Slippery Rock University women's basketball team led to a 77-66 victory over Lock Haven University at Morrow Field House on Tuesday.
 
The victory improved The Rock's record to 5-4 on the season overall and a perfect 3-0 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. The loss drops Lock Haven's record to 7-2 overall and 3-1 in league games. LHU came into the game ranked ninth in the D2SIDA Atlantic Region poll. 
 
With the game tied 40-40 at halftime, Slippery Rock came out of the break to outscore Lock Haven 37-26 over the third and fourth quarters on the way to its largest victory of the season.
 
Lock Haven led early in the third quarter, but a successful jumper by junior guard Brooke Hinderliter gave SRU a 44-43 lead two minutes into the second half that it would never relinquish.
 
While the Bald Eagles were able to keep the game within two possessions for much of the second half, SRU always came up with an answer when it appeared that Lock Haven was poised to take the lead. A 5-0 Rock run late in the fourth quarter extended SRU's lead to a comfortable eight-point margin, 70-62, with just 1:59 left in regulation.
 
Slippery Rock sealed the win by going 5-for-5 from the foul line in the game's final moments as redshirt sophomore guard Kasch Harris converted three attempts with redshirt senior guard Ciara Patterson also making a pair of foul shots.
 
A large portion of the credit for Tuesday's win can go to a Rock defensive effort that limited Lock Haven to just 29.0 percent (9-of-31) shooting from the field. SRU also held Rileigh Devine, Lock Haven's leading scorer, to just three points in the second half thanks largely to the perimeter defensive performances from Patterson, redshirt junior guard Madison Johnson and sophomore guard Skyla O'Connor.
 
Hinderliter finished with a game-high 26 points on 12-of-21 shooting from the field and a 2-for-2 mark from the foul line to go with three rebounds, two assists and two steals. Hinderliter has now scored at least 21 points in four of the last five games.
 
Sophomore guard Daeja Quick added 14 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals. The shifty guard was 5-for-9 from the field overall, including one 3-pointer and a trio of foul shots.
 
Senior forward Morgan Henderson posted her first double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Junior forward LeeAnn Gibson added seven points and five rebounds while the group of Patterson, Johnson and Harris scored six points apiece with Patterson also grabbing five rebounds and blocking one shot.
 
For the game, Slippery Rock shot a healthy 48.2 percent (27-for-56) from the field overall and 62.5 percent (20-for-32) at the foul line. SRU pulled down a season-high 42 rebounds in addition to committing a season-low 10 turnovers.  The Rock also held advantages over Lock Haven in points in the paint (32-24), bench scoring (13-6) and fast break points (6-0).
 
Lock Haven finished the game shooting 37.5 percent (24-for-64) from the field overall, 33.3 percent (10-for-30) from long range and 44.4 percent (8-for-18) at the free throw line. Despite being held in check in the second half, Devine still finished the game with 20 points thanks mostly to a 6-for-13 night from 3-point territory.
 
Tuesday's win was also the 50th in the career of head coach Bobby McGraw. Slippery Rock won just 56 games in the eight seasons prior to McGraw's arrival.  
 
Slippery Rock will look to remain perfect in PSAC competition while extending its winning streak to four games with a victory 5:30 p.m. Wednesday against Bloomsburg University. A win against the Huskies would give Slippery Rock its first 4-0 start to PSAC play since the 1995-96 season (23 years).
 
 
 
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