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SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University women's basketball team concludes its season-opening eight-game road trip Wednesday at 6 p.m. against Malone University in non-conference competition. Slippery Rock will look to snap its two-game losing streak while the Pioneers will be aiming for their first win of the season.
 
GAME SEVEN DETAILS
Opponent: Malone University
Date: Nov. 30, 2016 – 6 p.m.
Location: Canton, Ohio – Osborne Hall
Video: Link
Live Stats: Link
In-game Updates: Twitter (@Rock_Athletics)
All-Time Series: Slippery Rock leads 3-2
Last Played: Nov. 30, 1987 (Slippery Rock won 75-68 at SRU)
 
SERIES HISTORY
Slippery Rock holds a 3-2 lead over Malone in the all-time series, but all five previous games between The Rock and Pioneers were played well before any current player on either team was even born.
 
SLIPPERY ROCK PRIMER
Record: 3-3
PSAC West Record: 1-1
PSAC West Standings: Tied for sixth place
Streak: Lost two
Home Record: 0-0
Away Record: 2-2
Neutral Site Record: 1-1
Head Coach: Bobby McGraw | Third season at SRU (27-34)
 
SCOUTING THE ROCK
• Last time out: Slippery Rock dropped a narrow decision to Hillsdale College, 68-63, on Nov. 27 at the Ashland Thanksgiving Classic.
 
• Slippery Rock has played one of the most difficult schedules in the PSAC this season. Through the opening three weeks of the 2016-17 season Slippery Rock's opponents have combined for a record of 22-13 record, which translates into a 62.9 winning percentage. No team in the PSAC West has a greater opponent winning percentage and only Shippensburg (70.9 percent) and Millersville (63.8 percent) in the Eastern Division have higher opponent winning percentages. 
 
• A win over the Pioneers would give Slippery Rock its fourth win of the season away from Morrow Field House. Slippery Rock has won more than four away / neutral site games just two times in the last eight years (2013-14 and 2015-16).
 
• A key to a victory against Malone for Slippery Rock will be regaining its rebounding edge. Prior to losses against Ashland and Hillsdale SRU averaged 46.5 rebounds per game and had a rebounding margin of +4.5 However, against Ashland and Hillsdale SRU recorded just 29.5 rebounds per game and a -20.5 rebounding margin.
 
• Slippery Rock has done a much better job taking care of the basketball as of late. After compiling 51 turnovers in its first two contests, SRU has settled down to average just 14.5 turnovers per game in its last four matchups.  
 
• A staple of any team coached by Bobby McGraw over the last three years has been success at the foul line. SRU has ranked no lower than fourth in the league in free throw shooting percentage in each of his first two seasons in charge of the program and 2016-17 is shaping up to be no different. Through six games, Slippery Rock is shooting 73.1 percent (87-of-119) from the foul line, the highest percentage in the PSAC West and fourth best total in the entire league. 
 
• Lexi Carpenter enters the Malone contest with one of the top all-around per game stat lines of any player in the PSAC at 16.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.2 blocks. No other player in the region averages over 16 points, four assists and one block per game.
 
• Morgan Henderson ranks second on the team in both scoring (9.7 ppg) and rebounding (6.2 per game). Mallory Heinle is The Rock's tops rebounder with 6.2 boards per game and the team's fourth leading scorer at 8.3 ppg.
 
• LeeAnn Gibson, who is shooting 57.1 percent (12-of-21) from the field this year, made her first collegiate start against Ashland where she produced season-highs of 10 points and three steals. Gibson has given SRU quality minutes in her first season with per game averages of 7.2 points and 4.0 rebounds.
 
• Brooke Hinderliter earned her second PSAC West Freshman of the Week honor after averaging 10.5 points, 2.5 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.0 rebound per game while shooting an efficient 50 percent (7-of-14) from the field and 75 percent (6-of-8) from the free throw line against Ashland and Hillsdale. On the year, Hinderliter has started all six Rock games and is averaging 8.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game while shooting a near team-high 48.7 percent from the field.
 
• Krista Pietropola continues to provide The Rock with a spark off the bench. She has appeared in all six games this season and has played the sixth most minutes of any Rock player while averaging 5.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game.
 
• C.C. Dixon just missed out on what would have been the third double-double by a Rock player this season when she went for season-bests of 11 points and eight rebounds at Ashland.
 
• Another key to a Rock win against Malone will be bucking the trend of slow starts. Slippery Rock has led following the first quarter in just two games this season, wins against Johnson C. Smith and Fayetteville State.
 
MALONE PRIMER
Record: 0-3
G-MAC Record: 0-0
G-MAC Standings: Seventh place
Streak: Lost three
Home Record: 0-2
Away Record: 0-1
Neutral Site Record: 0-0
Head Coach: Rick Tice | First season at Malone (0-3)
 
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
• Last time out: Malone lost to Findlay in overtime, 75-74, Nov. 23 when Findlay's Christa Puthoff made a buzzer-beating layup.
 
• Two of Malone's losses this season have come off of baskets in the final seconds of regulation and overtime.
 
• Malone is led by senior forward, and Miami of Ohio transfer, Hannah McCue. McCue averages a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds per game in addition to tallying 3.0 assists, 2.3 steals and 2.0 blocks per game.
 
• Junior forward Baylen Dyrlund is the Pioneers leading scorer with 16.7 points per game on an efficient 48.0 field goal percentage. Dyrlund, who also averages 7.0 rebounds per game, came to Malone after spending two seasons at West Liberty. Dyrlund scored five points over four minutes in last season's game between The Rock and West Liberty.
 
• Malone averages 65.7 points a contest while allowing 69.0 ppg. Opponents are shooting 41 percent (75-of-183) from the field against the Pioneers.
 
UP NEXT
Slippery Rock will finally make its home debut Saturday at 1 p.m. when it hosts West Chester University in PSAC crossover competition at Morrow Field House. SRU will also host Cheyney University Sunday at 1 p.m.