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SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University women's basketball team will start the second leg of its Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division schedule 1 p.m. Saturday on the road at No. 14 California University (Pa.).

WATCH ON YOUR TV
• Fans can watch the game live and on-demand on the PSAC Digital Network, with the broadcast being produced by Clarion.
• Search for "PSAC" in the app stores on Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV (4th generation), Roku and Android TV devices.
• Saturday's game will also be available live across the state of Pennsylvania on The Pennsylvania Cable Network (check local listings here).
 

Slippery Rock (10-9, 8-6) vs. California (17-3, 12-2)
Date and Time	Saturday, Jan. 27 - 1 p.m.
Location	California, Pa. – Convocation Center
Video	Link
Live Stats	Link
In-Game Updates	Twitter (@Rock_Athletics)
All-Time Series	California leads 54-25
Last Played	1/6/18 (Cal. won 71-62 at SRU)

SERIES HISTORY vs. CALIFORNIA
The Vulcans hold a 54-25 lead over Slippery Rock in the all-time series. California has won 32 straight games in the series dating back to the 2001-02 season. The Vulcans earned a close 71-62 win against SRU at Morrow Field House earlier in the season on Jan. 6, 2018.
 
SLIPPERY ROCK PRIMER
Overall Record: 10-9
PSAC West Record: 8-6
PSAC West Standings: Sixth
Home Record: 5-4
Away Record: 5-4
Neutral Court Record: 0-1
Streak: Lost two
Last Five Games: 3-2
Head Coach: Bobby McGraw | Fourth season at SRU (43-59)
 
SCOUTING THE ROCK
• LAST TIME OUT – Slippery Rock lost to Gannon in the game's final moments, 70-68, after the Lady Knights made two foul shots with 2.8 seconds remaining in regulation to escape Morrow Field House with a two-point victory (Box Score).
 
• With eight games left in the regular season Slippery Rock is slotted sixth in the PSAC West standings, a half game in back of fifth-place Gannon and two-games behind fourth-place Seton Hill. SRU does hold a two and a half game cushion over seventh-place Mercyhurst. The top six teams in the PSAC West and PSAC East Standings at the end of the season earn bids to the conference tournament. SRU is on pace to qualify for the PSAC Tournament for the first time since the 2014-15 season and just the second time in the last 12 years.
 
• The first meeting between The Rock and Vulcans this season was the closest game in the series in the last six seasons. Slippery Rock led California at various points in the game and tied the game at 56-56 with 3:58 to play in regulation, before the Vulcans ended the game on a 15-6 run to earn a 71-62 victory.
 
• Morgan Henderson scored a team-high 15 points to lead The Rock in the close loss to the Vulcans while Brooke Hinderliter recorded a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds.
 
• The next three contests will arguably be the hardest string of games for The Rock this season. California (17-3), Indiana (17-1) and Seton Hill (15-5) are all having outstanding seasons, combining for a 49-9 record. While no game in the PSAC West is easy, SRU's schedule does relent slightly to close the year as three of The Rock's final five opponents currently have losing records.
 
• Slippery Rock ranks third in the PSAC in field goal percentage defense (.368). No team in program history has finished the season holding its opponents to a field goal percentage of under .370.
 
• Teams are shooting foul shots against Slippery Rock at a near record rate. Through 19 games, Rock opponents have already shot a PSAC-high 483 free throws and are on pace to take 686 free throws for the entire season, which would be the third most foul shots against SRU in program history and the highest total since 1988-89 (767).
 
• Slippery Rock enters Saturday's game ranked third in the PSAC in rebounding (40.6), fourth in total blocks (78) and sixth in scoring (69.6). The 78 rejections is already the ninth highest single-season total in school history.
 
• SRU is a perfect 8-0 this season when leading at halftime.
 
• Sierra Fordham's career-high 20-point, six-assist performance against Gannon was just the latest in what has been a recent offensive outburst for the senior guard. Fordham has scored at least 15 points in three of SRU's last four games and is averaging 13.3 ppg over the stretch on a highly-efficient 51.3 field goal percentage (20-for-39). Just as important as her scoring exploits have been the fact that Fordham has committed just 1.5 turnovers per game over The Rock's last four games.
 
• LeeAnn Gibson went 6-for-8 from the field on the way to scoring a career-high 13 points in addition to a personal-best matching seven rebounds against Gannon. Gibson has reached double figures in each of The Rock's last two games and is shooting 64.3 percent (18-for-28) since Jan. 8 (six games). On the year, Gibson has produced 5.6 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.
 
• One of the most versatile players in the PSAC, Hinderliter does a little bit of everything for The Rock. She leads the team in scoring (14.8 ppg), rebounding (6.6 rpg) and assists (3.1 apg) while ranking second in steals (1.1 spg) and field goal percentage (.445). She is one of just three players in the PSAC with per game averages of at least 14.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game.
 
• After scoring a combined nine points over The Rock's previous two games, Henderson bounced back against Gannon to record 11 points, three rebounds and two blocks. To go with a team-high 50.0 percent shooting mark from the field, Henderson has also posted 8.4 points, 4.9 rebounds per game and 15 blocks while also converting a career-high nine 3-pointers.  
    
• In her first season with The Rock, Madison Johnson is second on the team in scoring at 10.1 points per game to go with 4.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.
 
• Skyla O'Connor leads Slippery Rock in steals this season with 24. Since the 2000-01 season, only seven Rock players have had 25 or more steals during their rookie years. 
 
• Krista Pietropola is The Rock's second leading rebounder this season at 5.7 boards per game. She has registered 7.1 rebounds a contest in SRU's last eight games, 2.8 of which have come on the offensive glass.
 
• With eight games, plus potential postseason play, remaining in her collegiate career, Mallory Heinle is beginning to climb up several of Slippery Rock's career leaderboards. She already ranks seventh in SRU history in offensive rebounds (139), 11th in defensive rebounds (290), 11th in minutes played (1,989), 13th in blocks (42) and 20th in 3-pointers made (55). As a senior in 2017-18, Heinle leads SRU in blocks (18) to go with 4.7 rebounds and 5.2 points per game.
 
NEXT FIVE GAMES
Jan. 31 (5:30 p.m.) vs. No. 6 Indiana (Pa.)
Feb. 3 (1 p.m.) vs. Seton Hill
Feb. 7 (5:30 p.m.) at Mercyhurst
Feb. 10 (1 p.m.) vs. Clarion
Feb. 14 (5:30 p.m.) at No. 15 Edinboro
 
CALIFORNIA (PA) PRIMER
Overall Record: 17-3
WBCA Top-25: 14th
PSAC West Record: 12-2
PSAC West Standings: Second
Home Record: 10-0
Away Record: 6-3
Neutral Court Record: 1-0
Streak: Won one
Last Five Games: 3-2
Head Coach: Jess Strom | Seventh season at Cal. (158-42) 
 
SCOUTING THE VULCANS
• California was ranked 14th in the latest Women's Basketball Coaches Association's NCAA Division II Top-25 poll.
 
• Since the 2014-15 season, California is 56-4 in games played at home.
 
• The Vulcans begin the weekend leading the conference in steals per game (13.9) turnover margin (+7.60) and turnovers forced per game (24.4) as well as ranking second in the PSAC in points allowed per game (56.6), seventh in scoring (69.3) and third in field goal percentage (.431).
 
• Shatara Parsons is the PSAC's leading scorer at 21.5 points per game. She also averages 7.8 rebounds, 2.8 blocks and 3.0 steals per game. Parsons had 30 points, nine rebounds and two blocks against Slippery Rock earlier in the season.
 
• Mia Cushon is California's second leading scorer with 15.2 points per game and its top rebounder at 8.3 rpg.
 
UP NEXT
Slippery Rock begins a two-game homestand when it hosts No. 6 Indiana (Pa.) on "White Out Night" at Morrow Field House.
 
 
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