The Slippery Rock women’s basketball team (6-19, 3-12 PSAC-West) played their final road game of the season and completed the season sweep with a win against the Griffins of Seton Hill (12-13, 4-11 PSAC West) Saturday afternoon, 62-60.
SRU’s first victory against the Griffins came on Jan. 22, exactly one month prior to Saturday’s contest.
The six wins this season for SRU tie the highest under head coach Tanya Longo’s command. Her team went 6-20 during the 2011-12 season.
SRU’s defense had a season best performance in the win, allowing a season low 60 points and holding the Griffins to 35 percent (20 of 57) shooting from the field, Seton Hill’s second worst of the season.
“Defense is always a focus for us,” Longo said. “We executed our defensive game plan well Saturday.”
Mark Katarski is in his first season as head coach at Seton Hill after six seasons as head coach at Division III Chatham University and two seasons as an assistant coach at Division I Niagara University.
As well as being Katarski’s first season at the helm, this is also the first season of PSAC-West play for the Griffins following the disbandment of the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC).
“The depth of the division and the depth on each team has been eye opening,” Katarski said. “We have definitely learned what we will need to be successful in the future.”
The Rock compiled their fifth best shooting performance of the season hitting 50 percent (25 of 50) of their shots from the field and 40 percent (6 of 15) from behind the arc. SRU also made 50 percent (6 of 12) from the free throw line.
On a night where ‘50 percent’ seemed to be the name of the game, junior D’Asia Chambers took notice.
Chambers scored 31 of the Rock’s 62 points on Saturday night, a career best. She now sits atop the PSAC-West in points per conference game, averaging 21.2.
“D’Asia is a talented player and has been the go-to on our team most of the season,” coach Longo said. “Saturday was no different.”
Along with her career high in points, Chambers shot a career best 87 percent (13 of 15) from the field. Chambers also brought down nine rebounds.
Senior Jazmyne Frost finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds, her sixth double-double of the season for SRU.
With her sixth, Frost sits tied for sixth in the PSAC-West in most double-doubles this season.
Katie Gattuso of Seton Hill has 15, junior Hannah Heeter of Clarion with 13, sophomore Aignee Freeman of Edinboro has 12, Chambers of SRU has nine, junior Nettie Blake of Gannon has seven and sophomore Jasmine Harper of UPJ also has six.
Gattuso and senior Tiara Stossel, who each had 16 points, led Seton Hill. Senior Paige Alvaini added another 15 points in the losing effort.
“Give Slippery Rock credit for a solid game plan,” Griffins coach Mark Katarski said. “We had trouble moving freely and they had a lot to do with that.”
With a one-point lead at half, SRU claimed their seventh lead at the half of the entire season. Only one of the first six ended in a victory for the Rock.
With seven minutes remaining in the second half SRU jumped to a ten-point lead, only to see the lead dwindle to a one-point game in the final minute of competition.
Chambers put the lead to two-points and brought down the final rebound of the game to guarantee the lead for SRU.
Slippery Rock will tip off at 6 p.m. Wednesday night against the Indiana University of Pa. Crimson Hawks (16-9, 7-8 PSAC-West) in both teams final game of the 2013-14 regular season.
