JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University women's basketball team lost on the road in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division competition Saturday at Pitt-Johnstown, 77-67.
 
Slippery Rock (4-13, 2-9 PSAC) led by 12 points early on, but was unable to hold off Pitt-Johnstown (10-7, 5-6 PSAC) from rallying back to pick up its third consecutive victory.
 
All five Slippery Rock starters finished in double figures Saturday while forwards LeeAnn Gibson and Karington Ketterer both recorded double-doubles in the loss.
 
Gibson tied for the team-lead in points with 14 all the while providing Slippery Rock with 10 rebounds. Ketterer, who transferred to The Rock from Pitt-Johnstown prior to last season, had arguably the best game of her SRU career with career-highs of 11 points and 11 rebounds to go with one steal.
 
Brooke Hinderliter and Madison Johnson posted nearly identical stat lines against the Mountain Cats as both players tallied 14 points, five rebounds and two assists with the only difference coming in steals where Hinderliter registered three to Johnson's two.
 
Point guard Daeja Quick continued to provide Slippery Rock with a little bit of everything statistically in the form of an 11-point, five-assist, five-rebound, three-steal showing.
 
Anyah Curd and Brittany Andrews rounded out The Rock's top performers off the bench. Curd scored three points and Andrews pulled down a pair of rebounds and came away with one steal.
 
Slippery Rock dominated the majority of the first quarter as The Rock jumped out to a 16-4 lead over the game's opening seven minutes behind eight points from Quick and a great defensive effort from SRU which held UPJ to a .182 (2-for-11) field goal percentage early on.
 
However, any thoughts of a Slippery Rock blowout were promptly put to rest as Pitt-Johnstown closed the opening quarter on a 16-3 run of its own, capped off by a half court buzzer-beater by Olivia Fasick, that sent the Mountain Cats into the second quarter leading by one point at 20-19.
 
The Rock and Mountain Cats traded runs throughout the second quarter, as neither team was able to gain a lasting advantage over the other before Ketterer connected on a deep jumper from the corner with 27 seconds remaining in the period to send SRU into the halftime break leading 35-34.
 
The third quarter was a near replica of the second quarter as The Rock and Mountain Cats continued to trade baskets.
 
With SRU trailing by five points late in the quarter, Curd and Gibson hit back-to-back 3-pointers to push The Rock back in front of Pitt-Johnstown, 48-47, but the Mountain Cats closed the quarter by scoring four straight points to give UPJ a 51-48 lead along with the momentum heading into the final 10 minutes.
 
Slippery Rock could never quite overcome the deficit over the final quarter. Pitt-Johnstown built its lead up to eight points through the first five minutes of the fourth quarter and never looked back on the way to its 10-point victory.
 
SRU concluded the game shooting 34.4 percent (21-of-61) from the field overall, 35.3 percent (6-of-17) from 3-point range and 70.4 percent (19-of-27) at the free throw line. The Rock held advantages over the Mountain Cats in offensive rebounds (14-11), steals (10-6) and second chance points (13-8).
 
Slippery Rock committed just 14 turnovers Saturday and has now averaged only 9.0 turnovers per game over its last three contests.
 
Pitt-Johnstown countered by making 41.4 percent (24-of-58) of its field goals, 28.6 percent (6-of-21) of its 3-point attempts and 79.3 percent (23-of-29) of its foul shots while enjoying edges over SRU in total rebounds (41-39), blocks (3-0) and points off turnovers (18-12).
 
Gabrielle Smith, who scored 20 points and grabbed six rebounds, led the Mountain Cats.
 
Slippery Rock remains on the road for another key PSAC West game at Mercyhurst University 5:30 p.m. Jan. 22.
 

 
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