SLIPPERY ROCK — It took Bobby McGraw just seven games to notch his first signature win as Slippery Rock University women's basketball coach.

Led by a game-high 27 points and 11 rebounds from senior guard/forward D'Asia Chambers, The Rock stunned perennial PSAC-West power Edinboro 66-57 Wednesday night at Morrow Field House.

The Fighting Scots (3-3, 1-2) entered the week ranked No. 11 in the country.

“This win moves the program forward,” said McGraw, a Mars High School graduate. “We talk about this being a new era for Slippery Rock women's basketball and this was the next step for us.”

The Rock men later defeated Edinboro 69-65 in the second game of the doubleheader.

SRU's women (5-2, 1-2) led the entire second half, but saw their edge shrink to 54-50 with 3:24 to play. Chambers drained a 3-pointer at 2:59, then added a pair of free throws with 1:41 remaining for a 61-52 cushion.

Chambers, who entered the game as The Rock's leading scorer with 14.7 points per game, added a pair of blocks and a steal in the victory.

“She's the best player in the conference, bar none,” McGraw said.

Though the game remained in doubt until late in the second half, SRU set the tone for the duration of the contest by closing the first half on an inspired 17-2 run, turning a 19-13 deficit into a 30-21 halftime lead.

The spurt began with Mallory Heinle's 3-pointer with 5:10 left in the first half, but also featured the Fighting Scots being forced into six turnovers and a 1-of-7 effort from the floor.

“We guarded our brains out,” McGraw said of the lopsided final five-plus minutes before halftime. “Defense won this game tonight.”

Edinboro coach Stan Swank had little to say regarding his team's defeat, but did allow, “I don't think we did anything well tonight.”

It was the fourth win in a row for The Rock, which recently defeated three straight Penn State branch campus teams (Greater Allegheny, Fayette and Beaver).

“There were some non-believers because of the branch schools we played,” said McGraw. “But we play in the toughest women's conference in the country. We don't need to go outside the conference to prove ourselves.”

Taylor Siggers and Erica Aiello both scored 12 points for SRU.

Men: SRU 69, Edinboro 65

Aside from the final score, the numbers SRU coach Kevin Reynolds was most pleased with were 56-41. That was the margin by which his team out-rebounded the Fighting Scots (3-3, 1-2).

“We shot a terrible percentage (32.4, 22-of-68),” Reynolds said, “but that rebounding advantage was huge. That included 26 offensive rebounds.”

Fighting Scots' coach Pat Cleary saw his team's inability to possess crucial boards as a lack of effort.

“Slippery Rock went after the ball harder than we did,” he said. “They had the mentality you need to play with to win games.”

A key point came early in the second half when The Rock's Frank Holloway left the game after picking up his third personal foul with his team leading 37-34. He led all scorers at the time with 13 points and by the time he returned to the floor over four minutes later, SRU's lead had swelled to 49-40.

“The key was, while Frank was out, we stopped them (Scots) a few times and made some shots at our end, including some stick-backs. We grinded this win out, but we need to get better.”

Holloway, a senior forward, was the only SRU player to reach double digits in points with 19. Cornelius Brown pulled down a game-high nine rebounds.

The win moved SRU's record to 5-2 overall and 2-1 in conference play.