SLIPPERY ROCK - On the beauty scale, it looked more like a finger painting by a 5-year-old than a Picasso.

But Slippery Rock University women's basketball coach Laurel Heilman doesn't care.

The Rock blew an 18-point lead in the second half against Fairmont State (W.Va.) University Tuesday night at Morrow Field House, but Erin Frankovich's turnaround jumper with 24 seconds left gave The Rock the lead for good and a shaky 58-56 victory.

And it might have given the university another piece of athletic wear to peddle.

"Find a way," Heilman said. "Find a way. We should put that on a T-shirt."

The Rock (3-1) found a way to win two games over the weekend against Shepherd (W.Va.) and Tiffin (Ohio). It almost found a way to lose against the Falcons Tuesday.

"It was frustrating watching the comeback because you feel kind of helpless," Heilman said. "It surprised me a little bit that, with the experience we had on the floor, they didn't change the momentum themselves."

Junior Kristen Bonner found a way to torch Fairmont State (2-1) in the first half, scoring 16 of her game-high 22 points in the first 20 minutes.

Bonner, who can get red hot from beyond the 3-point arc, was 6-for-8 from the floor and 4-for-6 from 3-point range in the first half.

In the second half, Fairmont State put a watchful eye on her.

"We knew Bonner could be a dangerous shooter," Fairmont State coach Steve McDonald said. "In the second half, it was just a matter of our players doing what we tell them to do."

Bonner was fighting a sinus infection and a bum finger on her left hand. Both did little to slow her down.

"She gutted it out tonight," Heilman said. "She has a sinus infection and was in bed most of the day. It was a Michael Jordan performance from her today."

Bonner said the illness and the slight injury to her hand served to make her focus more on the task at hand.

It also helped that she was going head-to-head with an old high school nemesis in Fairmont State's Kristen Gattuso.

"I was like, 'I can't be sick. I have to get out there,'" Bonner said. "They thought they had us by 20 today. We were like, 'No way. We're going on Thanksgiving break and we're going to have a good one.'"

The turkey and all the fixings might go down OK for the players, but not necessarily for Heilman.

The coach was dismayed by how easily her team was rattled after building the big lead and letting it slip away.

"They have the next few days off - I told them not to stew about it," Heilman said. "I'll stew about it, but they need to enjoy themselves."

Stacey Green, who came into the game averaging 17.7 points and 10.3 rebound per contest, pitched 14 points and nine boards for The Rock.

Frankovich, who was shut out in the first half, finished with eight points, including the clincher late in the game. The senior also had 10 rebounds.

"That's what you hope for with senior leadership," Heilman said. "She knows this is it and you could sort of see it in her eyes."

Amber McFeely scored Slippery Rock's first five points, but didn't score again. She did dish out 10 assists, however.

But the night belonged to Bonner, who can change a game when she is shooting like she did Tuesday.

"I don't want to be like, 'Gimme the ball, gimme the ball, gimme the ball,'" Bonner said. "But when I'm open, my teammates know to give me the ball. When I make a few shots, they are flying out at me and that opens things up inside."

Ultimately, Heilman hopes her team can learn from their experience against the Falcons.

"Anytime you can pull a game out like that is a positive," the coach said.

FAIRMONT STATE (56)

Kristen Gattuso 6-19 3-4 18, Sidney Thomas 1-6 2-2 4, Erica Rome 3-10 0-0 7, Autumn Anderson 2-7 4-6 8, Danielle Cornish 0-4 0-0 0, Jenna Eckleberry 0-0 0-0 0, Jenny Campbell 0-0 2-2 2, Jaime Parker 0-1 0-0 0, Lindsay Edwards 5-6 0-1 11, Shannon Wanichko 3-5 0-0 6. Totals: 20-58 11-15 56.

SLIPPERY ROCK (58)

Amber McFeely 2-10 0-0 5, Angela Greaser 1-3 1-3 3, Stacey Green 6-13 2-2 14, Kristen Bonner 8-15 2-2 22, Erin Frankovich 4-11 0-0 8, Amanda Chojnacki 2-4 0-0 4, Jess Caso 0-0 0-0 0, Anett Fekete 1-3 0-0 2. Totals: 24-59 5-7 58

Halftime - SRU, 37-29. 3-point goals - Fairmont State 5-17 (Gattuso 3-10, Rome 1-5, Parker 0-1, Edwards 1-1); SRU 5-15 (McFeely 1-4, Greaser 0-1, Green 0-2, Bonner 4-8). Rebounds - Fairmont State 41 (Thomas 11, Anderson 10), SRU 38 (Frankovich 10, Green 9). Assists - Fairmont State 12 (Gattuso, Rome 3); SRU 19 (McFeely 10). Total fouls - Fairmont State 9, SRU 13. Fouled out - None (SRU); Technical fouls - none.