PITTSBURGH, PA – The La Roche women's basketball team dropped a 69-65 against Pitt-Greensburg on Wednesday night. The Redhawks can clinch an AMCC Tournament berth with a victory over D'Youville on Saturday.
La Roche struggled to hit shots early. Their hustle on the boards and in the open court kept things close in the first quarter.
Darrian Johnson started to heat up towards the end of the quarter. She scored four straight points and the Redhawks climbed within a basket with 3:01 left. Pitt-Greensburg stretched the lead back to six and entered the first intermission ahead 19-13.
The Bobcats extended their lead to eight in the second quarter. Sidney Farmer followed with a jumper and three-pointer to get it back to a one score game. Both teams traded baskets with Johnson and Jenna Cole providing points for La Roche.
Pitt-Greensburg climbed ahead by six and entered halftime with a 34-31 lead. La Roche hit 54% of their shots and Cole scored 9 points.
The Redhawks opened the second half with four straight points and Pitt-Greensburg was forced to burned a timeout. La Roche was excellent on defense, holding the Bobcats to just one field goal over the quarter's first eight minutes.
Johnson hit a tear drop and jumper as the Redhawks jumped ahead 42-40 with 1:20 left. Pitt-Greensburg ended the drought with a three pointer but Stephanie Thomas answered with a jumper and a 44-43 lead at the end of three.
The Bobcats opened the fourth quarter on a 7-2 run and Coach Salih was forced to take a time out. Pitt-Greensburg maintained a slim lead throughout until a Butler layup and Cole pick and roll cut it to 62-59 with 57 seconds left.
The Redhawks tried to string the game out but Pitt-Greensburg was excellent from the free throw line.
Cole led La Roche with 21 points and Johnson added 20 points. Stephanie Thomas had 9 rebounds.
The Redhawks return to action on Saturday against D'Youville. Darrian Johnson will be honored for senior day.