SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. –  The Slippery Rock University women's basketball team came up short after 50 minutes of hard-fought basketball, dropping a 62-59 decision to Millersville University in double overtime Saturday at Morrow Field House.
 
The Rock, who played in their first double overtime game since a 71-68 loss Feb. 14, 2022 at Indiana University (Pa.), fall to 3-3 on the year and 1-1 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. The Marauders improve to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in PSAC competition after defeating California (Pa.) in another overtime thriller less than 24 hours ago.
 
Alyssa Gillin made a layup with 48 seconds left in the fourth quarter to force overtime, but Millersville's Rhyan Mitchell hit a layup of her own as time expired in the first overtime period to prolong the contest. The Rock led by five with 2:51 left in double overtime but an 8-0 Marauders run ended the game and handed SRU its first conference loss of the year.
 
Sophia Hook led Slippery Rock with 13 points with Tahmala Thorpe adding 12 to the team's tally. Regan Atkins (5 points) and Kayley Joseph-Bernard (8 points) both pulled in a squad-best 13 rebounds.
 
Gillin, Mairan Haggerty and Brooklyn Jones all aided The Rock with seven points. Rebecca Goetz recorded four rebounds with Kaylin Venick adding a board as well. Venick was one of five different players with a steal, joining Deryn Moye in that club. Joseph-Bernard dished out a team-leading three assists.
 
In what was a defensive battle from the outset, Slippery Rock earned a 10-7 lead after the first quarter. Thorpe put Slippery Rock ahead with a 7-0 surge that included a layup, a 3-pointer and two made free throws all from the grad transfer.
 
The Marauders outscored SRU 10-8 through the next 10 minutes to send The Rock into halftime with a slim 18-17 lead. Four of SRU's eight points came courtesy of Haggerty, whose quarter was highlighted with an impressive fastbreak layup following a steal from Moye.
 
Seven of the game's 15 lead changes occurred in the third quarter, a period that saw teams trade buckets with Millersville finding a 30-29 edge going into the fourth.
 
The Marauders led 42-36 with 2:54 left in regulation but layups from Atkins, Hook and Gillin knotted the game up at 42-42. Joseph-Bernard picked up a defensive rebound with 18 seconds left but Atkins was unable to hit her buzzer-beater jumper, signaling overtime.
 
The two sides swapped leads four more times in the first overtime period, a five-minute session that saw The Rock jump out to a 52-50 lead when Hook converted two free throws with two seconds left. A layup as the buzzers sounded by Mitchell kept Millersville in the game, calling for five more minutes of competition.
 
SRU looked strong to start the second overtime period. The Rock took a pair of three-point leads when Jones splashed in a triple and answered Millersville free throws with two more of her own. Joseph-Bernard made a layup with 2:51 left that increased SRU's lead to five.
 
Millersville hit a 3-pointer, a jump shot and three free throws from there to go on a game-winning 8-0 run. The Rock got the ball back with eight seconds left but couldn't come up with a game-tying play, falling in the three-point loss.
 
SRU shot 30.2 percent overall (19-of-63) with a 23.1 percent clip from 3-point range (6-of-26). The Rock fared well from the charity stripe, going 15-for-18 (83.3 percent). Slippery Rock was narrowly outrebounded, 47-46, while winning the turnover battle, 21-20.
 
Millersville shot slightly better from the hardwood, going for 20-of-61 (32.8 percent). The Marauders saw three of their 13 3-point attempts (23.1 percent) go in, while 67.9 percent of Millersville's free throws were good (19-of-28). Bryn Zentner led the Marauders by racking up 18 points and 10 rebounds for the game's lone double-double.
 
Slippery Rock will next play the third leg of its four-game homestand, welcoming the Great Midwest Athletic Conference's Tiffin University to Morrow Field House 6 p.m. Nov. 26.





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