PITTSBURGH — Painted faces and painted signs.

Loud cheers with every basket, every assist and every rebound.

And even a standing ovation.

The uniform was different for Jence Rhoads — Vanderbilt University black and gold instead of Slippery Rock High red and gray — but the reaction from her fans was the same as when she starred on the basketball court for the Rockets’ girls basketball team.

Rhoads shook off a slow start to score 12 points to go along with eight rebounds and five assists as Vanderbilt (7-3) made the senior’s homecoming a successful one with an 80-59 win over Duquesne University at the A.J. Palumbo Center Sunday afternoon.

“I’ve been excited about it all year,” said Rhoads of her first game in Western Pennsylvania since she graduated from Slippery Rock in 2007. “It was really cool seeing everyone who used to watch me in high school come and see me play in college. That really meant a lot to me.”

Some fans wore Slippery Rock T-shirts, others donned Vanderbilt black and gold. Some had their faces painted and others displayed signs wishing Rhoads luck in her return.

Slippery Rock High chartered two fan busses to bring Rhoads’ backers to the game at Duquesne and they all were in full throat as she came out for pre-game warmups and when she was introduced to start the game.

Rhoads, though, tried to block out the fandom as much as she could. She was focused on getting Vandy a big win on the road against a Duquesne (8-2) team that came into the game with eight straight victories.

When Rhoads did allow herself to glance up into the stands, she said she was a bit overwhelmed.

“My mom said they sold 300 tickets at (Slippery Rock) alone,” Rhoads said. “It was bigger than I thought. I heard from a lot of people who said they were coming, but I wasn’t really sure whether or not they would show up.”

They saw Rhoads, who is still battling a hamstring strain, start slowly and play sparringly in the first half because of foul trouble.

Rhoads had just two points and three fouls in 11 minutes on the floor in the first half.

But she got into rhythm in the second half and finished with the strong numbers that has put the senior on the Preseason All-SEC Team as well as on the Naismith Watch List as the best women’s basketball player in the country.

“I don’t know if I was trying to do too much,” Rhoads said. “Once I figured it out, I was feeling more comfortable.”

Vanderbilt coach Melanie Balcomb said she offered Rhoads very few words of advice before the game.

“I said one thing to her, and it was about focusing on the team and being a great leader to them,” Balcolm said.

Being a leader is one role Rhoads has embraced this season.

Balcomb recruited freshman point guard Jasmine Lister, a 5-foot-4 speedy spark plug who scored a game-high 21 points for the Commodores in the win Sunday.

Lister’s arrival has meant more time playing off the ball for Rhoads.

“Jence basically leads by example, and she is the best example (Lister) can have,” Balcolm said. “Jence is willing to do whatever it takes. She puts the team and winning first. I think that’s the example she sets.”

Homecomings haven’t been kind to the Vandy seniors until Sunday.

The Commodores were upset by the University of Denver in senior Hannah Tuomi’s return to her home state of Colorado earlier this month.

“I just didn’t want her to be disappointed like Hannah was,” Lister said of Rhoads’ homecoming game. “The team, I think, did it for Jence.”