SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. –Katy Darnell scored a career-high 31 points but the Fairmont State women's basketball team (4-1) fell in its first game of the season to Slippery Rock (5-1) on Sunday afternoon at Morrow Field House in Slippery Rock, Pa.
 
Slippery Rock led by as many as 13 points in the fourth quarter. The Fighting Falcons rallied but could not close the gap to fewer than three points in the final minute of play. Both teams combined for 75 free throw attempts, with Fairmont State going 30-of-41 from the charity stripe. 15 of Darnell's 31 points were scored from the free throw line and Darnell led all scorers with 31 points. The Falcons outrebounded Slippery Rock 47-43 and grabbed 16 boards from the offensive end.
 
The Rock opened the game on a six-point scoring run. Alyssa DeAngelo stopped the Slippery Rock run with a triple at 7:29 in the first quarter. The Rock would lead by as many as seven points in the first quarter. The Falcons quieted SRU's momentum and tied the game at 13 when Aaliyah Brunny converted the Falcons' second three-pointer in the first quarter. Fairmont State outrebounded Slippery Rock by 11 boards in the first frame. The Rock led by one point after 10 minutes of play.
 
Leslie Huffman sank a pair of free throws to give the Falcons their first lead of the game with 8:06 remaining in the first half. The Rock held Fairmont State scoreless for over four minutes and netted nine-straight points. Leslie Huffman's layup ended the scoring drought for the Falcons and trimmed the deficit to six points. DeAngelo finessed an SRU defender and made a layup that brought Fairmont State to within five points after one half of play.
 
Two Isabellah Middleton layups in 39 seconds pushed the Slippery Rock lead back to nine points in the third quarter. DeAngelo swished a three-pointer and drove for a layup that cut into the SRU lead. The Falcons trailed by six points at the end of the third quarter. The Rock fired off seven-straight points in 1:24 to kick off the fourth quarter. The Falcons responded with a 6-0 run and cut the SRU lead to seven points at the final media timeout. 
 
Slippery Rock's Kristina Donza penciled in her first two points of the contest with 3:23 left in the fourth quarter to increase SRU's lead to nine points. Madeline Huffman converted a pair of free throws that made the score 80-76 in favor of the home team with 1:15 remaining. Darnell, who scored 25 points in the fourth quarter, drained four free throws in the final minute of play and made a layup that brought the Falcons within three points with 13 seconds left. Slippery Rock won the battle 86-82.
 
Up Next
Fairmont State returns to Joe Retton Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 30, when it will square off versus Charleston at 5:30 p.m.