SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University women's basketball team fell victim to a Shepherd University buzzer-beater after a back-and-forth slugfest that ended in a 60-58 defeat Monday at Morrow Field House.
 
The Rock dropped to 0-6 on the year, now 0-3 within Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference play. The Rams picked up their second consecutive victory, improving to 3-5 overall and 1-2 within the conference.
 
Regan Atkins took full advantage of her shooting opportunities, converting 8-of-12 from the floor en route to an 18-point performance that included five rebounds and a career-best four steals.
 
Kristina Donza followed up with 13 points and three rebounds, while Endya Robinson registered a career-best of her own with 12 points. Shooting 60 percent (6-of-10) from the floor, Robinson led the team with nine rebounds, all of which were defensive.
 
Robinson was joined by Kaylin Venick in accumulating three steals each, helping Slippery Rock force a season-high 21 turnovers. Venick also pulled in six rebounds and added six points. Her sister, Emily Venick, led the team in assists with four, a season high for the junior.
 
Atkins scored SRU's first five points of the night, despite falling behind 11-5. Kelley McKnight contributed her first points of the season to help cut the early deficit down, but Shepherd was able to maintain a 17-13 lead after the opening quarter.
 
A 3-pointer by Donza with 6:33 to play in the second quarter evened the game at 21-21, kickstarting a 9-0 Slippery Rock run to give The Rock a six-point advantage. The Rams charged back, though, ending the first half on a 7-0 run of their own to create a 35-29 halftime tilt.
 
A quick 8-2 surge in favor of The Rock to start the third quarter knotted things up at 37-37. Despite equalizing two other times in the period, Slippery Rock would not retake the lead until 6:57 into the third quarter, when Robinson and Deryn Moye added to SRU's 20 total fast break points. The effort gave The Rock a slim 47-44 lead at the end of the frame.
 
With its first second half lead of the season, Slippery Rock managed to grow its advantage to a game-high eight-points with 5:24 to play, up 54-46. However, a 12-4 run for Shepherd brought things back to square one in a 58-58 tie with 45 seconds to play.
 
The Rock tried to wind down as much of the shot clock as they could, ultimately missing a 3-pointer with 24 seconds remaining. Shepherd's Peyton Grant secured the rebound, and likewise, the Rams chewed up time, granting Kara Wehner the go-ahead layup at the buzzer to pull off the victory over SRU.
 
Shepherd was led throughout the game by Carmaya Bowman, who came off the bench to record a double-double that consisted of 14 points and 11 rebounds. Wehner's buzzer-beater capped off her night at 12 points, also checking in with a squad-high four assists and three steals.
 
Slippery Rock shot a season-best 41.8 percent (23-of-55) on the evening, matched by Shepherd's 43.1 field goal percentage (25-of-58). The Rams found a strength in the 3-point game, making 6-of-14 (42.9 percent) from beyond the arc compared to SRU's 4-of-20 (20 percent).
 
The Rock made 72.7 percent of their free throws (8-of-11), over Shepherd's 4-of-6 showing at the charity stripe (66.7 percent). The Rams were able to outrebound The Rock by a 37-30 difference, while SRU forced more turnovers, 21-17.
 
SRU returns to action to conclude its season-long three-game homestand 5:30 p.m. Tuesday when it hosts Shippensburg University at Morrow Field House. Slippery Rock fell last year to the Raiders on the road, 92-70.




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