EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. – A hot start from East Stroudsburg University was too much for the Slippery Rock University women's basketball team to overcome in a 60-45 loss on the road Saturday at Koehler Fieldhouse.
 
East Stroudsburg shot 51.5 percent from the floor through the first half (17-of-33) to take a 15-point lead into half after holding The Rock to just eight points in the first quarter. The Rock got the deficit to as low as 10 points with 11:26 left in the game but could not catch up to ESU through the remainder of the contest.
 
The Rock fall to 5-6 overall and 3-3 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, wrapping up PSAC crossover play for the season in the loss. The Warriors improve to 4-6 with the win, which is their first conference victory of the season. ESU's PSAC record improves to 1-4 as a result.
 
Regan Atkins led The Rock with 15 points, shooting 5-of-9 from the floor (55.6 percent). Atkins also contributed two rebounds, two assists and a steal. Brooklyn Jones tallied 12 points and four rebounds for Slippery Rock off the bench.
 
Kayley Joseph-Bernard was Slippery Rock's top rebounder with 10 boards, all 10 of which came off the defensive glass. Joseph-Bernard added four points while leading The Rock with both three assists and two blocks.
 
Alyssa Gillin (4 points, 4 rebounds), Deryn Moye (3 points, 5 rebounds), Anye Washington (3 points), Mairan Haggerty (2 points) and Rebecca Goetz (2 points, 1 rebound) rounded out Slippery Rock's group of eight scorers.
 
Slippery Rock was able to tie the game five minutes into play at 6-6, but East Stroudsburg wrapped up the first quarter on an 11-2 run to command a 17-8 lead. While The Rock's highest-scoring quarter of the game came in the second with 17 points, ESU paced play with 23 points of its own to head into halftime with a 40-25 advantage.
 
The Rock held the Warriors to just nine points in the third quarter but could only muster 11 points themselves. SRU did not allow a single ESU point from the 6:31 mark in the third until there was 1:03 left in the period. In the meantime, Slippery Rock got within 10 points, 46-36, with Atkins lending seven points to an 8-0 run.
 
ESU began the fourth quarter with a 49-36 lead but quickly grew that difference to a 22-point buffer, starting with a 9-0 run to take a 58-36 tilt. Slippery Rock accounted for nine of the game's last 11 points to bring the final score to 60-45.
 
Slippery Rock made a third of its field goal attempts (15-of-45), shooting 26.3 percent from the 3-point arc (5-of-19) and 76.9 percent at the foul line (10-of-13). SRU's rebounding margin was -12 (42-30), losing the turnover battle, 18-13 (-5).
 
Despite a strong first half of shooting, the Warriors shot just 25.0 percent (8-of-32) in the second half, going 38.5 percent (25-of-65) through the entire game. ESU also made 26.7 percent of its 3-point chances (4-of-15) and 66.7 percent of its free throws (6-of-9). Emily Chmiel led the Warriors with a double-double on 21 points and 11 rebounds.
 
The Rock will waste no time when the calendar changes to 2025, ringing in the new year with their PSAC West opener 5 p.m. Jan. 3 against Seton Hill University at Morrow Field House.





To stay up to date with all that happens at The Rock, follow our official athletic communication accounts on 'X' (formerly Twitter, @Rock_Athletics), Facebook (RockAthletics) and Instagram (RockAthletics).