Box Scores
SLIPPERY ROCK - Junior forward
Jessica Martin had 14 points and 12 rebounds, three Warriors set or tied their career-highs in scoring, and freshman forward
Allison Howard blocked the tying layup at the buzzer as East Stroudsburg University outlasted Slippery Rock for a 70-68 (2OT) win in non-conference women's basketball on Tuesday night at Morrow Field House.
ESU (5-4) overcame a five-point deficit, tied for its largest of the game, by blanking Slippery Rock (1-8) over the final 3:07. The Rock's 68-63 lead came after neither team led by more than one possession over the final 10 minutes of regulation, plus all five minutes of the first overtime.
The Warriors scored the game's final seven points to steal a road win after Slippery Rock had a chance to win it at the end of the first OT. Martin fouled out with ESU leading 61-60 with 2.9 seconds left, and Jazmyne Frost (14 points) made the first but missed the second to force another extra session.
Frost scored all seven SRU points in the second OT but was the third Rock player to foul out with 2:48 left.
Junior forward
Kelsey Murray made two free throws to get the Warriors within 68-65, then sophomore guard
Melissa Poderis knocked down a baseline jumper to make it 68-67 with 1:19 to play.
After a Slippery Rock turnover, their 27th of the game, Murray scored on the block on an assist from Poderis to put the Warriors ahead 69-68 with 37.1 seconds left.
SRU's Kara Houppert missed a three-pointer on the other end and freshman forward
Rachel Falkowski secured the defensive rebound for the Warriors. Junior guard
Ryann Fiascki made one-of-two at the foul line with 8.4 seconds left, and the Rock got an open driving lane for Aidan Geise in the closing seconds but Howard knocked it away to secure the victory.
Murray (10 points), sophomore guard
Tyeca Reviere (10 points) and freshman guard
Audrey Stapleton (8 points) all had career-highs for the Warriors.
Martin had her fourth double-double of the season and 14th of her career, Howard had nine points and six rebounds, Fiascki scored eight points and Poderis added six points and four assists for ESU.
Geise led Slippery Rock with 17 points, Frost had 14 points and 14 rebounds, Megan Hardiman scored 14 points and D'Asia Chamber had 10. Frost, Chambers and Erica Aiello all fouled out for SRU.
ESU led by as many as eight points (12-4) in the first half but trailed 25-21 going into the locker room. The Warriors rallied to take a 45-42 lead with 6:36 left, capping a 9-2 run, before both teams struggled offensively down the stretch.
Stapleton gave ESU a 54-52 lead with 1:33 left, then Geise knocked down the go-ahead three-pointer for a 55-54 advantage with 1:06 to play for the Rock. Reviere drove to the basket, was fouled and made one-of-two free throws to tie it with 29.7 seconds left and Slippery Rock wasn't able to generate a good shot to send the game to overtime.
ESU scored all six points in the first OT from the foul line, taking a 61-58 lead on two free throws by Howard with 1:43 left. Geise answered with two free throws for Slippery Rock, and Frost tied it with 1-of-2 with 2.9 seconds left.
The Warriors travel to Edinboro (4-2) for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off on Wednesday night. The Fighting Scots are coming off an 84-71 loss to Bloomsburg on Tuesday.
GAME NOTES
* The win is the Warriors' second 2-OT triumph in the last three years. They won 56-52 at Kutztown on February 4, 2012.
