The Senators Women's Basketball team fell 79-75 to Slippery Rock on Saturday (November 12th) in day two of the PSAC/MEC/CIAA Challenge hosted by Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
The game got off to a slow start offensively for D&E as they went 0-6 from three point range while Slippery Rock was hot from deep, shooting 71% and draining 5 in the first quarter. They also shot 5-6 from the free throw line. The Senators didn't shoot a free throw in the quarter. The shooting disparities were reflective in the first quarter score, with D&E trailing the Rock by ten early, 24-14.
Fortunately the Slippery Rock team shooting cooled off considerably in the next quarter and the Senators were able to gain some ground despite only shooting 33% from the field in the quarter. The Senators trailed by as many as 11, but quality minutes off the bench from Karlie Denham kept them close, scoring 5 of her 8 points this quarter. A layup from Peyton Adams cut the Rock lead to 4, but D&E trailed by 6 going into the half.
D&E came out in the third quarter and shot much better, 53% and 40% from 3 point range. The Senators were also able to get to the line to make 3-5 free throws this quarter. Trailing by as many as 14, Taylor Smith came alive and scored 8 of her 20 points during a 2-minute span late in the quarter. Denham drained a timely three-pointer to cut the Slippery Rock lead to 3 while Adams made 2 of 2 free throws late to keep it a close game, 53-50 after 3 quarters.
The final quarter saw the Senators going toe to toe with The Rock, trading baskets to keep the score within two points until about 4 minutes to play in the game. Slippery Rock went on a 9-0 run to make it a 75-64 lead before Jaela Reid was able to get to the free throw line for D&E. Madison Butler drained a few late threes but the Senators ran out of time to complete the comeback, falling 79-75.
Turnovers and free throws seemed to be the difference in the game, as D&E coughed it up 25 times allowing 18 points for the opponents while only shooting 13 free throws in the contest to Slippery Rock's 35.
Four Senators scored in double-digits, led by sophomore guard Taylor Smith who made large contributions on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. She shot 64% from the field, scoring 20 points to go along with 4 steals and 4 rebounds. Peyton Adams dropped 11 points, with 3 assists and and 4 rebounds. Coming off the bench and making an impact were Madison Butler with 12 points and a steal in only 8 minutes of court time, and freshman Ellie Wilkerson who had 10 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals and a block.
Original source can be found here.
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