SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Five Sophia Hook 3-pointers and a double-double from Alyssa Gillin powered the Slippery Rock University women's basketball team to a 60-57 comeback win over Lake Erie College Saturday at Morrow Field House.
 
The Rock improve to 7-8 overall, picking up their fourth win at home in eight games this season. Slippery Rock's rally handed a fourth consecutive loss to the Storm, who fall to 3-9 on the year.
 
SRU trailed by as many as 10 points in the first half but outscored LEC in the third quarter, 20-6, to power ahead by nine. The Rock were then able to fend off a late surge from the Storm, who trailed by as little as one point in the final 20 seconds. Brooklyn Jones made a game-winning steal and fastbreak layup with 12 seconds left to clinch SRU's win.
 
Hook led The Rock with 17 points, additionally reeling in a career-high eight rebounds. On top of 5-of-8 shooting from 3-point range, Hook stepped up defensively with a team-high and personal-best three steals. Gillin's double-double was comprised of 11 points and 11 rebounds.
 
Regan Atkins rounded out a trio of double-digit scorers for Slippery Rock with 10 points and seven rebounds. Kayley Joseph-Bernard matched Gillin's game-high 11 rebounds while contributing seven points, three assists and two steals. Tahmala Thorpe tallied nine points, while Jones added six. Mairan Haggerty recorded two rebounds.
 
Slippery Rock only made one field goal through the opening 6:20 of the game but took a 7-4 lead on Hook's first triple of the game. Hook accounted for eight of SRU's first 12 points, shooting her way to grant Slippery Rock a 12-11 edge after 10 minutes.
 
Lake Erie's offense came to life in the second quarter, shooting 47.4 percent (9-of-19) to outscore SRU, 22-16. A 14-3 run to begin the period pushed LEC out to as much as a 10-point advantage, its largest of the game. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Gillin aided Slippery Rock in its efforts to chip away at the deficit. The Rock went into halftime trailing 33-28.
 
The Rock scored the only four points in the first half of the third quarter, but after allowing a Lake Erie layup with 5:01 remaining in the period, went on a 16-4 run to retake the lead. Three of Hook's five 3-pointers came within the final 3:46 of the third quarter with her first of those serving as the go-ahead basket.
 
The Rock entered the fourth quarter with a 48-39 lead and held Lake Erie without a field goal for the first 4:08 of the frame. Six made free throws were enough for the Storm to keep SRU within striking distance, however, making up two-thirds of a 9-0 run that shrunk the difference to 51-48.
 
That 9-0 stint turned into a 14-1 run that gave Lake Erie a 53-52 lead with 2:20 remaining in the game. Jones knocked down the next four points of the contest with four made foul shots. That effort at the stripe combined with The Rock holding Lake Erie to four straight missed field goal attempts granted SRU a 56-53 lead with just 26 seconds left in the game.
 
Lake Erie cut Slippery Rock's tilt to one point with 17 seconds left but committed a foul on an SRU inbound that sent Gillin to the line. She made both free throws to increase Slippery Rock's lead to 58-55.
 
The Storm took a timeout to draw up a tying play but found themselves turning the ball over to Jones, who converted a steal into two points on a fastbreak layup to seal the deal. Lake Erie knocked down an inconsequential basket with two seconds left but Slippery Rock escaped with its second straight win in games which SRU trailed at the half.
 
Slippery Rock shot 31.7 percent from the floor (19-of-60) and made 34.6 percent from the 3-point arc (9-of-26). SRU went 13-of-18 (72.2 percent) at the free throw line and came out of the victory with a +10 rebounding margin (48-38) – its largest in eight games – and a -2 turnover deficit (12-10).
 
Lake Erie went 34.4 percent overall (22-of-64) and 22.7 percent from the perimeter (5-of-22). The Storm made 8-of-14 free throws (57.1 percent). Kennadi Harris accounted for four of LEC's five threes with 14 points, while Lilee Carlson joined her with a team-high 14 points while leading the Storm with eight rebounds.
 
Slippery Rock will head back into Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division play for the remainder of the regular season beginning with a two-game road trip. SRU next plays at Gannon University 5:30 p.m. Jan. 15. The Golden Knights were most recently ranked ninth nationally.





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