The SRU women’s basketball team visited the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown Saturday looking to spoil the hosts’ senior day. The Rock had trouble with the Mountain Cats (13-14, 9-11 PSAC), losing 65-61 and making its already small margin for error minuscule.
Behind a trio of threes, all sunken by junior Alli McGrath, the hosts jumped out to an early 9-0 first-quarter lead. The Rock offense was then kickstarted by Ciara Patterson and Brooke Hinderliter who entered the day averaging 18 and 13 points per game, respectively.
By the middle of the second period, The Rock had fully recovered from the early deficit, trading lead changes for the rest of the half. UPJ’s McGrath assured her squad carried the advantage into the break, though, laying the basketball in with a dozen seconds left on the board.
Again it was McGrath in the third stanza, trading blows with Hinderliter. The UPJ forward added ten points to her game total while the Slippery Rock guard scored 14 of her team’s 18 points.
With Slippery Rock committing eleven fouls in the final ten minutes of regulation, Mountain Cat guard Gabrielle Smith connected on all but one of her 14 free throws. In total, Smith shot an impressive 17-of-18 from the stripe.
Coming off of her first start of the season, forward Karrington Ketterer, a junior transfer from UPJ, scored four points and snatched five rebounds against her former team.
In all, Hinderliter (21) and Patterson (16) scored in the double-digits while guard Daeja Quick contributed with eight points. Reserve forward LeeAnn Gibson contributed with seven points and four rebounds. UPJ’s pair of McGrath and Smith combined for 51 points.
Playing in her 110th career game, senior forward Morgan Henderson tied the program record that has been held for 16 years by Melissa McKavish.
For Pitt-Johnstown, the win clinched a spot in the postseason. The Green and White’s defeat was its first this season when allowing less than 70 points, dropping the team’s road record to a dispiriting 2-10.
With two games remaining on its schedule, The Rock will welcome the Tigers of Salem University Wednesday evening. A win will be essential in earning the lone remaining playoff position, which Gannon and Mercyhurst are also jockeying for.
