SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University women's basketball team concluded its 2022-23 season with a 78-69 home loss to Pitt-Johnstown Saturday at Morrow Field House on Senior Day.
 
The Rock ends the year with a 15-13 overall record and 10-12 mark in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. Pitt-Johnstown will now advance to the PSAC Tournament as the fifth seed with a 16-12 overall record and 13-9 league mark. 
 
Saturday's contest was a back-and-forth game for nearly 30 minutes as The Rock and Mountain Cats traded the lead nine times in addition to the contest being tied on 12 occasions.
 
A pair of made free throws by Kelley McKnight sent Slippery Rock into halftime trailing Pitt-Johnstown just 35-33 after each team tallied a matching 14 points over the second quarter.
 
Coming out of the break, the evenly matched squads continued to trade baskets and possessions over the third quarter. The Rock were able to outscore the Mountain Cats 19-15 over the third en route to a two-point SRU advantage, 52-50, heading into the final quarter.
 
Isabellah Middleton scored The Rock's first points of the fourth quarter at 9:38 before Pitt-Johnstown would deny Slippery Rock of any made field goals over the next seven minutes in a stretch of time that ultimately decided the game.
 
During SRU's scoreless period, UPJ extended its lead to as many as 12 points before securing a 78-69 victory.
 
Six Rock players compiled the team's scoring for the night in McKnight, Deleah Gibson, Alyssa Gillin, Jordan Kauffman, Isabellah Middleton and Jada Ward.
 
Middleton led the pack with 19 points, four rebounds, two steals, one assist and one block while shooting 42. 8 percent (6-of-14) from the floor and 70 percent (7-of-10) from the foul line.
 
Gibson ended the game with 18 points, five rebounds, four assists and a steal while connecting on two 3-pointers to round out her time at SRU 11th in program history in career 3-poiinters with 95.
 
McKnight came off the bench to score a career-high 11 points to go along with seven rebounds while shooting a perfect 4-of-4 at the charity stripe.
 
Ward, who made her first career start for SRU, had a solid showing as the freshman registered a team-high, and career-best, eight rebounds in addition to having seven points, one assist and one steal.
 
Gillin totaled eight points, four rebounds and one steal while Kauffman chipped in six points and one rebound.
 
The Rock closed the game shooting 36.5 percent (23-of-63) from the field, 23.8 percent (5-of-21) from 3-point range and 72 percent (18-of-25) from the foul line. Slippery Rock committed just 11 turnovers while forcing Pitt-Johnstown into 17 miscues of its own.
 
Ashley Norling just missed out on a triple-double after going for 22 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds to pace the UPJ attack. As a team, the Mountain Cats shot 50.9 percent (27-of-53) from the floor, 20 percent (3-of-15) from long range and 100 percent (21-of-21) from the charity stripe. Pitt-Johnstown out rebounded SRU 36-34 over the win.
 
Prior to the game, The Rock honored its two-member senior class of Gibson and Kennedy Middleton for their contributions to the program over their careers.
 
Gibson transferred to The Rock as a junior from Youngstown State University and has started all but 3 of the 48 games she has appeared in at SRU. She leaves The Rock having made her mark in program history as she is 1tth in career 3-pointers made in addition to being named to this year's CSC Academic All-District Team.
 
Middleton has started 53 of 54 games played at Slippery Rock since joining the program as a transfer from Millersville University following her freshman season. She finishes her career at The Rock well decorated as she is 4th in double-doubles, 17th in defensive rebounds, 24th in steals and 25th in offensive rebounds.
 
Slippery Rock's 15-13 overall record to end the year marks its first season securing a victorious overall mark to conclude a season since 2001-02.
 
 




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