SLIPPERY ROCK - Through 11 games this season, Slippery Rock University senior forward Erin Frankovich's numbers were OK.

SRU women's basketball coach Laurel Heilman expected better than OK.

So despite the absence of leading scorer and rebounder Stacey Green and The Rock taking a six-game losing streak into Saturday's game against Cheyney, Heilman did not start her second-leading scorer.

"I wasn't happy with what I was getting out of her," Heilman said. "We need more. We expect more. I guess I was trying to light a fire under her."

It worked.

Frankovich came off the bench to score 16 points, grab nine rebounds and lead The Rock to a 67-52 victory at Morrow Field House.

The win snapped SRU's longest losing streak since 1997.

"It was weird, not starting," Frankovich said. "But it was a good opportunity for Megann Powell (her replacement). I was excited for her.

"Still, I knew I had to come in and spark the team when I got the chance."

She got the chance five minutes into the game, after Cheyney's Ranisha Childress stole the ball and drove the other way for a lay-up, cutting The Rock's lead to 9-7.

The Wolves (2-9) entered the game with a seven-game losing streak.

Frankovich immediately sank a jumper to give SRU (5-8) a four-point lead. She hit a short jumper, stuck back an offensive rebound, hit another eight-footer - all in the span of three minutes.

By halftime, Frankovich had 12 points, The Rock had a 37-18 lead and Cheyney was out of the game.

"That's the Erin Frankovich we know and love," Heilman said. "Sixteen points and nine rebounds … I like those numbers."

Frankovich entered the game averaging 9.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.

Green is recovering from an illness and missed her second straight game. She played Sunday against Millersville and scored 10 points in a 51-49 defeat.

"That was 13 points and nine rebounds we weren't gonna have today (Saturday)," Frankovich said of Green. "I knew I had to make up for that and have a good game."

Freshman KellyAnn Staudinger came off the bench to score nine points for The Rock. Grove City graduate Amber McFeely added seven assists.

McFeely has 81 assists this season and 331 in her career. The junior point guard is well on her way to breaking Kathy Lisman's career assist record of 422 at SRU, set in 1982.

Childress had 11 points to pace three Cheyney players in double figures.

SRU begins PSAC West play Tuesday at California (Pa.), which is ranked No. 10 in NCAA Division II. The Vulcans will be the fourth Top 25 team The Rock has seen this year.

"We're still not clicking on all cylinders and we need to get to that point," Heilman said. "When we fall behind by 10 points in a game, we haven't been able to come back. We have the type of personnel offensively that we should be able to do that.

"We're not expected to beat Cal, though we're certainly going down there to win. We've got to beat the other teams in the league."

Saturday

CHEYNEY (52)

Ngozi Utti 4-7 2-6 10, Latoya Showell 4-9 0-0 10, Ashley Green 2-12 0-0 4, Ranisha Childress 4-13 0-0 11, Fanta Sissoko 4-13 1-4 9, Ebonee Thompson 0-0 0-0 0, Latifah Griffin 2-4 0-0 4, Maria Ruffin 1-5 0-0 2, Ashley Blake 1-2 0-0 2. Totals: 22-65 3-10 52

SLIPPERY ROCK (67)

Amber McFeely 2-4 0-0 4, Angela Greaser 1-3 0-0 3, Amanda Chojnacki 2-5 2-2 6, Kristen Bonner 3-9 0-0 7, Megann Powell 0-0 0-0 0, Sarah Cybulski 0-1 0-0 0, Jess Caso 2-4 2-2 6, Dana Stewart 1-2 2-2 4, Amanda Kaufman 3-7 2-4 9, Cathy Lee Peffer 1-2 0-0 3, KellyAnn Staudinger 4-4 1-4 9, Erin Frankovich 8-11 0-2 16. Totals: 27-52 9-16 67

Halftime - SRU, 37-18. 3-point goals - Cheyney 5-16 (Showell 2-3, Childress 3-9, Griffin 0-1, Ruffin 0-3), SRU 4-9 (McFeely 0-1, Greaser 1-2, Bonner 1-4, Kaufman 1-1, Peffer 1-1). Rebounds - Cheyney 41 (Sissoko 7), SRU 41 (Frankovich 9). Assists - Cheyney 12 (Green, Griffin 3), SRU 22 (McFeeley 7). Total fouls - Cheyney 11, SRU 14. Fouled out - None (SRU); Technical fouls - none.

Sunday

MILLERSVILLE (51)

Jayeneca Bailey 1-2 2-2 4, Branden Lippy 1-9 1-2 4, Kristy Garner 0-2 0-0 0, Danielle Marshall 5-16 1-3 13, D. Parker-Stewart 9-15 1-3 19, Carolyn Franchetti 1-4 0-0 2, Bianca Brown 1-3 0-0 2, NaTasha Howard 3-6 0-0 7, MacKenzie Neal 0-1 0-0 0, Mary Kate Pawlowski 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 21-58 5-10 51.

SLIPPERY ROCK (49)

Amber McFeely 1-4 0-0 2, Angela Greaser 0-2 0-0 0, Amanda Chojnacki 1-2 0-0 2, Kristen Bonner 4-12 0-0 10, Megann Powell 0-0 0-0 0, Stacey Green 3-9 5-6 10, Jess Caso 0-0 0-0 0, Dana Stewart 5-5 2-2 12, Amanda Kaufman 0-1 1-2 1, KellyAnn Staudinger 0-1 0-0 0, Erin Frankovich 5-10 1-2 11. Totals: 19-46 9-12 49.

Halftime - MU, 30-16. 3-point goals - MU 4-19 (Marshall 2-7, Howard 1-2, Lippy 1-8, Franchetti 0-1, Neal 0-1), SRU 2-11 (Bonner 2-9, Greaser 0-1, Green 0-1). Rebounds - MU 30 (Parker-Stewart 7), SRU 36 (Green 10). Assists - MU 12 (Bailey 3), SRU 13 (McFeely 5). Total fouls - MU 14, SRU 16. Fouled out - none; Technical fouls - none.