Broadcast | Live Stats | Complete Game Notes | SRU Stats | Cal. Stats | PSAC Standings
 
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - The Slippery Rock University women's basketball team will look to clinch its first berth into the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament since the 2005-06 season with when it hosts No. 18 California (Pa.) at 6 p.m. on Wednesday at Morrow Field House.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
The Slippery Rock athletic communication office will provide a live broadcast and live in-game statistics of Wednesday's game at the above links. Updates will also be available on Twitter (@Rock_Athletics)
 
PLAYOFF PICTURE
• Slippery Rock enters its regular season finale having won four of its last six games and in a great position to earn a berth into the PSAC Tournament, which features the top six teams in the final regular season standings from the PSAC-West and PSAC-East. Slippery Rock is currently tied for sixth place in the PSAC-West with Pitt-Johnstown.
 
• If Slippery Rock beats California it clinches a spot in the PSAC Tournament regardless of what Pitt-Johnstown does when it plays at Edinboro on Wednesday.
 
• Slippery Rock also gains entry into the conference tournament as long as it finishes with the same record as Pitt-Johnstown due to holding the tiebreaker over the Mountain Cats.
 
• The only way Slippery Rock can be eliminated from tournament contention is a Rock loss combined with a UPJ win.
 
• Slippery Rock could potentially climb to as high as fifth in the league standings with a win combined with a Seton Hill loss at Gannon University on Wednesday.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Slippery Rock overcame a sluggish start to force overtime and eventually finished off its comeback attempt with a 77-71 road victory at Clarion University on Feb. 22 in PSAC-West play.
 
Trailing Clarion 43-34 at halftime, Slippery Rock used a 20-7 second half run over the first nine minutes of the period to establish a 54-50 lead. The game proceeded to go back-and-forth for the remainder of regulation, leading to a 66-66 tie through 40 minutes. Slippery Rock's defense dominated overtime en route to the 77-71 victory.
 
Senior forward D'Asia Chambers and junior forward Megan Hardiman both tallied double-doubles to lead The Rock. Chambers went for 27 points and 11 rebounds to go with two blocks, two steals and two assists while Hardiman added 11 points and 10 rebounds. Junior forward Sorriyah Ranger came off the bench for one of her top games this season with seven rebounds, four blocks and three steals.
 
REMARKABLE IMPROVEMENT
The 2014-15 Slippery Rock team has consistently demonstrated all year that the program is moving out its "dark days". The latest example of the program's turnaround was picking up its 11th win of the year with a victory against Clarion. SRU, which has averaged just 4.8 wins per season over the last five years, has only won more than 11 games in a season twice since 2002-03.
 
Slippery Rock has shown drastic improvement in rebounding and taking care of the basketball
 
Slippery Rock currently averages 40.3 rebounds a game, which would be the third most by SRU since 1999-00 if the season ended today. Additionally, it would mark the first time since 2006-07 that SRU would finish the year with a positive rebounding margin if The Rock can maintain their current +1.4 ratio.
 
SRU's 17.0 turnovers per game are also the lowest by a Rock team since the 2000-01 squad averaged 15.9 turnovers per game.
 
ROCK LEADERS
As a team, Slippery Rock is ranked among the top half of the PSAC in a variety of statistical categories. Through 25 games, SRU is second in the league in free throw percentage (.738), third in defensive rebounds (27.9), sixth in blocked shots (3.4), seventh in rebounding margin (+1.4), eighth in rebounds per game (rpg) (40.3) and ninth in steals per game (spg) (7.9).
 
Slippery Rock is averaging 75.8 points per game (ppg) over its last six games, up 9.9 ppg from its season average.
 
Chambers is the PSAC's second leading scorer at 17.0 ppg and the league's third ranked rebounder with 9.8 rpg. Her .498 field goal percentage is also the eighth highest in the league.  Additionally, Chambers' 42 steals are also a team-high.
 
Junior guard Taylor Siggers is Slippery Rock's second leading scorer at 11.5 ppg. She has averaged 15.8 ppg over the last six contests.
 
Junior guard Erica Aiello ranks sixth in the PSAC in assists per game (3.6) in addition to having made a team-best 30 three-pointers. She has already set career-highs in steals (35) and rebounds (57) and is on the verge of setting personal-bests in field goal percentage and points scored.
 
Hardiman is The Rock's second leading rebounder with 4.8 rpg. Senior forward Danielle Garroutte has made the most of her final year with career-highs in points (100), blocks (19) and rebounds (81).
 
NO. 2 IN THE NATION
Sophomore guard Audrey Stapleton is one of just two players in the entirety of NCAA Division II who has taken at least 94 field goal attempts and 40 free throw attempts to compile shooting percentages of 46.8 percent (44-for-94) from the field and 92.5 percent (37-for-40) from the foul line.
 
Annie Armstrong of Drury University, who shoots 52.6 percent (113-for-215) from the field and 96.1 percent (74-for-77) at the foul line, is the only other player in NCAA Division II to meet the above criteria.
 
BENCH HELP
Since Slippery Rock played Indiana on Jan. 17, The Rock's bench has outscored its counterpart in eight of nine games, 174-143 (+31). For the year, Slippery Rock holds a 475-423 (+52) advantage in bench scoring.
 
Leading the way during the stretch has been the reserve contingent of Stapleton (75 points), freshman guard Shannon Jack (48) and junior forward Breanna Gross (43 points).
 
EXCLUSIVE COMPANY
Chambers is the only player in the PSAC-West to rank in the top 25 in the league in scoring (second), rebounding (third), field goal percentage (eighth), steals (19th) and blocks (23rd)
 
Chambers, who ranks second the PSAC with 12 double-doubles this season, is also elevating her name to elite company in SRU women's basketball history. As she ends  her college career, Chambers ranks fifth in Slippery Rock history in rebounds (711), 10th in points (1,285), second in defensive rebounds (570), ninth in made field goals (509), 10th in blocks (56) and 11th in steals (124).
 
SUCCESS AT THE FOUL LINE
Slippery Rock is making its free throws at a historic rate. At its current free throw percentage of .738, this year's team would rank second in Rock history behind the 2001-02 (.748) squad.
 
Helping SRU to one of its top free throw shooting seasons in school history is a collection of six players shooting at least .680 from the charity stripe in Stapleton (.925 / 37-for-410), Hardiman (.816 / 62-for-76), Jack (.806 / 29-for-36), Chambers (.721 / 88-for-122), Aiello (.700 / 42-for-60) and Siggers (.680 / 51-for-75).
 
Hardiman (42-for-48) and Stapleton (35-for-37) have combined to make 90.6 percent (77-for-85) of their last 85 free throw attempts. Hardiman is coming off of a 9-for-10 effort at Clarion.
 
Slippery Rock is the only team in the PSAC to have six shooters, with at least 36 free throw attempts on the season, shoot .680 percent and is one of just two teams, along with Bloomsburg to have five players shooting at least .700 percent.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• 4 - Number of blocks against Clarion by Ranger, which were the most by a Rock player this season and the second most in a single-game in Rock history.
 
• 5 - Number of points needed by Chambers to pass Jodi Kest (1980-84 / 1,289 points) for ninth place in SRU history for career scoring.
 
• 11.5 - Siggers' ppg total, the most by a Rock guard in their first year with the program since former SRU All-America honoree Becky Siembak scored 15.5 ppg as a freshman in 1999-00.
 
SCOUTING CALIFORNIA
One of the top teams in the region at 22-4 overall and 18-3 in league play, California was ranked second in the Atlantic Region in the first regional ranking poll released last week. The Vulcans recently had their eight-game winning streak snapped in a close 69-63 loss in overtime against Gannon last week.
 
One of the main reasons the Vulcans have had yet another outstanding season has been their PSAC-high +8.9 turnover margin. California commits just 14.3 turnovers per game while forcing 23.2 opponent miscues.
 
The Vulcans' leading scorer is Miki Glenn at 15.3 ppg. Glenn ranks fifth in the league in scoring and second in steals with 2.9 per game. Emma Mahady is Cal's second leading scorer at 14.6 ppg.
 
THE COACHES
Leading the resurgence of Slippery Rock women's basketball is first-year head coach Bobby McGraw. McGraw, a former assistant men's basketball coach at La Roche College and volunteer assistant with the SRU men's basketball team, was named as assistant coach of the SRU women's basketball team Oct. 22, 2013. In May of 2014, McGraw was promoted to acting head coach of the SRU women's program for the 2014-15 season, replacing Tanya Longo. McGraw needed just one season in charge of the SRU program to match the most wins in a single-season for the program in the last nine years.
 
A former four-year starter at Penn State, Jess Strom enters her fourth season as head coach and ninth overall as a member of the Cal U coaching staff. Strom has led the Vulcans to a 76-29 overall record while the head coach. During her time with the program, Cal U has made six NCAA Tournament appearances, boasted a pair of WBCA All-Americans and featured three PSAC West Athletes of the Year.
 
SERIES HISTORY
California leads Slippery Rock in the all-time series 47-23. The Vulcans have won the last 26 games in the series including a 74-63 win at California earlier in the year. Slippery Rock's last win against the Vulcans came during the 2001-02 season when The Rock recorded a 70-60 triumph.
 
In seven career games against the Vulcans, Chambers has averaged 13.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game.
 
UP NEXT
If it qualifies for the PSAC Tournament, Slippery Rock will play on the road in the first round on Feb. 28 in a true away game at either the No. 3 or No. 4 seed depending on where The Rock is seeded.