GREENSBURG, PA -- La Roche fell to 6-8 overall and 4-3 in conference after dropping an AMCC road game on Wednesday night. Pitt-Greensburg held on for the 62-48 upset victory.
The Redhawks were the superior team in the first half but Pitt-Greensburg lifted their game in the second half.
Both teams struggled offensively in the early minutes, but both thrived on defense. Pitt-Greensburg held a slim 11-9 lead after the first quarter but hit just 23% of their shots. The Redhawks fared slightly better but committed an uncharacteristic seven turnovers.
Both teams began to find their shooting stroke in the second quarter. Jenna Cole was the first to strike, giving the Redhawks their first lead of the game with a three-pointer 11 seconds into the second. Pitt-Greensburg stole back the lead, sparking a back and forth quarter that resulted in seven lead changes.
It looked like the pendulum was swinging in Pitt-Greensburg's favor late in the half. They scored on three straight layups and built a 21-16 lead at the 3:50 mark.
The Redhawks silenced the crowd, closing the half on an 11-3 run and with a 27-24 lead. Darrian Johnson provided 5 points and Stephanie Thomas hit a shot at the buzzer.
Pitt-Greensburg hit as many field goals in the third quarter as it had in the entire first half. They shot 50% and took advantage of La Roche's shooting woes. The Redhawks shot just 19% and entered the fourth quarter trailing 46-38.
La Roche cut it to seven with 9:27 left in regulation. Pitt-Greensburg responded with an 8-0 run and hung on for the victory.
Darrian Johnson (14 points) and Jenna Cole (13 points) reached double figures. Dalesza Regan and Stephanie Thomas controlled the boards with 7 rebounds each.
La Roche will travel to D'Youville on Saturday for an important conference matchup. They currently rank third and fourth in the AMCC.