SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - LeeAnn Gibson made a foul shot with 0.5 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to give the Slippery Rock University women's basketball team a 64-63 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division victory against Seton Hill University Saturday at Morrow Field House.
The win, which was Slippery Rock's third in its last four games, improves SRU's record to 8-17 overall and 6-13 in PSAC contests while Seton Hill drops to 13-11 overall and 7-11 league play.
Saturday's win was huge for SRU as it kept The Rock within striking distance of sixth place in the PSAC West standings. The top six teams in the division standings at the end of the regular season qualify for the PSAC Tournament.
With three games remaining in the regular season, Slippery Rock sits eighth in the PSAC West standings, but just 1.5 games out of sixth place, which is currently occupied by both Seton Hill and Mercyhurst with matching 7-11 conference marks.
Slippery Rock appeared poised to run away with Saturday's game as it led Seton Hill by as many as 14 points with 3:44 to play in the third quarter. However, the Griffins stormed back by rattling off a 32-16 run over the following 12:36 to take a 63-61 lead with 1:08 remaining in regulation.
However,
Brooke Hinderliter responded for SRU by driving the paint and connecting on a jumper to even the game at 63-63. On Seton Hill's ensuing possession, Cheyenne Trest missed a layup, but got her own rebound only to then be called for an offensive foul later in the possession when Gibson took a charge to give SRU the ball with 29 seconds left.
SRU went on to hold for a final shot when
Daeja Quick found Gibson just outside the paint. Gibson proceeded to drive to the basket and draw a foul to send herself to the foul line with 0.5 seconds left to play. Following a Seton Hill timeout, Gibson calmly knocked down the go-ahead free throw before intentionally missing the second shot as time expired.
Gibson's late-game heroics capped off a 12-point, 14-rebound showing for the senior forward. Saturday marked the fourth consecutive double-double effort of the year for Gibson, who now ranks third in the PSAC in rebounding. Gibson is one of just three SRU players over the last 18 years to have recorded double-doubles in four straight games.
Hinderliter and
Madison Johnson produced near identical stat lines as Johnson went for 16 points, nine rebounds, one assist and one block while Hinderliter produced 16 points, eight rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal.
Quick added 11 points and five assists while only committing one turnover and
Karington Ketterer contributed six points, eight rebounds and a pair of blocks.
Off the bench,
Brittany Andrews scored three points and grabbed three rebounds and
Carol Weber chipped in two rebounds and a steal to round out The Rock's leaders.
Slippery Rock finished the game shooting 32.4 percent (23-of-71) from the field overall and 70 percent (14-of-20) at the free throw line. SRU overcame its rough shooting night by holding Seton Hill to a 28.8 field goal percentage (19-of-66) and more importantly a 5-of-31 (16.1 percent) showing from 3-point range. Seton Hill entered the game as the PSAC's top scoring team and the conference leader in 3-pointers made.
The Rock also held a 52-49 advantage over the Griffins in rebounding. SRU has now recorded at least 50 rebounds in back-to-back games.
Seton Hill kept itself in the game by making the most of its trips to the free throw line where the Griffins connected on 20-of-25 attempts while also scoring 17 points off of 12 Rock turnovers all the while committing just 10 miscues of its own. Trest paced SHU with a 25-point, six-rebound, four-steal effort.
Slippery Rock will now take to the road for its final two away games of the regular season starting with a trip to Gannon 1 p.m. Feb. 22 followed by a contest at Edinboro 5:30 p.m. Feb. 26.
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