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SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University women's basketball team will begin the second half of its PSAC West round-robin schedule 1 p.m. Saturday when it hosts No. 10 California University (Pa.) at Morrow Field House in a rematch of a game that came down to wire three weeks ago on the Vulcans' home floor.
 
 WATCH ON YOUR TV - "ROCK ATHLETICS DIGITAL NETWORK" APPS
• Fans can watch the games live and on-demand for free on the Rock Athletics Digital Network, created and operated by the SRU athletic communication office.
• Search for Rock Athletics Digital Network in the app stores on Amazon Fire TV, Apple RV, Roku and Android TV devices. The streaming web player linked above will also integrate with Chrome Cast devices to allow viewers to cast the game to those devices.
 
GAME 20 DETAILS
• Opponent: California University of Pennsylvania
• Date: Saturday, Feb. 2 – 1 p.m.
• Location: Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania – Morrow Field House
• Video: LINK
• Live Stats: LINK
• All-Time Series: California leads 57-26
• Last Played: Jan. 9, 2019 (Vulcans won 78-72 at Cal.)
 
SERIES HISTORY vs. CALIFORNIA
The Vulcans have won the last 35 games against SRU to extend their lead all-time to 57-26. The Rock's last win against California came during the 2001-02 season in the form of a 70-60 home victory. Slippery Rock is 13-25 against the Vulcans at Morrow Field House dating back to the 1979-80 season.
 
LAST MEETING vs. CALIFORNIA
Slippery Rock led by 11 points with seven minutes to play in regulation, but No. 16 California was able to rally late and escape with a 78-72 home victory on Jan. 19. Brooke Hinderliter led three Rock players in double figures with 29 points. Ciara Patterson added 14 points and LeeAnn Gibson produced 12 points as well in the loss.
 
WHO WANTS IN?
With eight league games left in the regular season there is still much to be decided in the PSAC West. While California (12-1), Indiana (12-1) and Edinboro (9-4) are all seemingly on their way to securing PSAC Tournament berths, the battle for the final three bids out of the division is wide open.
 
Entering Saturday's slate of games Slippery Rock finds itself in a four-way tie for fourth place in the PSAC West standings along with Seton Hill, Pitt-Johnstown and Gannon with matching 6-7 league marks. Not far behind is Mercyhurst, which sits just one game in back of the quartet via a 5-8 PSAC West record.
 
The logjam will be broken up slightly this weekend as Gannon and Pitt-Johnstown will play in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
 
If Slippery Rock were to qualify for the PSAC Tournament it would mark the third time in head coach Bobby McGraw's tenure that SRU has made the postseason.
 
SLIPPERY ROCK PRIMER
• Overall Record: 9-10
• PSAC West Record: 6-7
• PSAC West Standings: Tied for fourth
• Home Record: 4-4
• Away Record: 2-6
• Neutral Site Record: 2-1
• Streak: L3
• Last Five Games: 2-3
• Head Coach: Bobby McGraw | Fifth season (53-77)
 
LAST TIME OUT
Slippery Rock erased a 14-point deficit to force a tie with Gannon with 1:36 to play, but the Golden Knights was able to hold on for a 75-69 victory. on Jan 30.
 
QUICK HITS
• Slippery Rock is scoring at a pace not seen at SRU in a long time. Through 19 games, The Rock has averaged 68.8 points per game. SRU has not averaged that many points for a season in the last 17 years since the 2001-02 team finished the season averaging 70.5 points per game.
 
• Saturday's game will mark the fourth contest this season for Slippery Rock against a team ranked in the WBCA Top-25. SRU's previous games against top-25 teams included No. 2 Ashland (Nov. 25), No. 12 California (Jan. 9) and No. 1 Indiana (Jan. 12).
 
• Ciara Patterson and Brooke Hinderliter have combined to average 27.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game over nine games against California over their careers.
 
• Slippery Rock ranks 27th out of 307 NCAA Division II teams in turnovers per game at just 13.6.
 
SCOUTING THE ROCK
• Slippery Rock is led by Brooke Hinderliter, who averages 18.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 45.2 percent from the field. She is the seventh leading scorer in the PSAC.
 
• Ciara Patterson is The Rock's second leading scorer at 13.1 points per game. Patterson's 49 3-pointers made, 12 of which have come over The Rock's last three games, are the fifth most in the PSAC this season.
 
• Morgan Henderson leads Slippery Rock in total blocks (13) and rebounding (8.8 per game) while ranking third in scoring with 8.5 points per game. Her five double-doubles this season are a team-high.
 
• Slippery Rock's primary ball distributor, Daeja Quick, leads the team in assists per game (2.9) while adding 8.1 points and 1.0 steals a contest as well.
 
• LeeAnn Gibson gets to her season average of 7.2 points per game on a very efficient 54.1 field goal percentage to go with 4.5 rebounds and nearly one steal per game.
 
• One of Slippery Rock's top penetrators, Madison Johnson averages 7.2 points per game in addition to 3.6 rebounds a night as well.
 
• Three of Karington Ketterer's 11 blocks this season have come over The Rock's last three games.
 
• Rounding out The Rock's normal rotation is backup guard Kasch Harris, (13.1 minutes per game), Skyla O'Connor (8.5 mpg) and Brittany Andrews (7.8 mpg).
 
STRENGTH vs. STRENGTH
Saturday's game will feature contrasting strengths of The Rock and Vulcans. As mentioned already, Slippery Rock is great at not committing turnovers, meanwhile California ranks third in the nation with 24.7 forced turnovers per game.
 
Over its last four games, SRU has given up the ball just 9.5 times per game. During that same stretch, the Vulcans have forced 23.5 turnovers per game.
 
SCORING BIG OFF THE BENCH
Madison Johnson has thrived as of late on offense while serving as The Rock's top sub. She has averaged 13.3 points per game over her last three games played while shooting an impressive 55.2 percent (16-for-29) from the field over that stretch.
 
HENDERSON REMAINS PSAC TOP REBOUNDER
Morgan Henderson is in her third consecutive week as the PSAC's leading rebounder with a per game average of 8.8. Henderson is on pace to be just the second Rock player in the last 15 years to average at least 8.8 rebounds per game.
 
She has been at rebounding best against PSAC West teams. In nine games against The Rock's divisional counterparts, Henderson has pulled in 11 rebounds per game, up from 6.9 rpg against all other opponents.

QUICK'S IMROVED BALL CONTROL
After committing 13 turnovers while passing out just five assists over a three-game stretch Jan. 5-12, Daeja Quick has bounced back with 18 assists and just eight turnovers over SRU's last five games. Quick also goes for 8.1 points per game.
 
A RECORD PACE FOR TURNOVERS IN A SEASON
Few teams in the Atlantic Region protect the basketball at the rate in which Slippery Rock does. Through, 19 games, SRU has committed just 13.6 turnovers per game, the third lowest average amongst all teams from the PSAC, Mountain East Conference and Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association. The school record for turnovers per game in a season is 13.5 set in 2015-16.
 
IMPORTANCE OF A HALFTIME LEAD
Good things have happened when Slippery Rock has been able to head into halftime with a lead as SRU is 7-1 when ahead or tied after 20 minutes of play.
 
KEEP IT UNDER 70
70 has become a magic number for The Rock this season, as they are 8-0 when allowing under 70 points and 0-9 when allowing at least 70 points. 
 
In eight wins this season, Slippery Rock is allowing 61.9 points per game, with opponents shooting 36.2 percent from the floor and 29.8 percent from 3-point range. However, in 10 losses this season, SRU is allowing 84.7 points per game, with opponents shooting 44.7 percent from the floor and 34.9 percent from 3-point range.
 
HENDERSON CLIMBING ROCK ALL-TIME LISTS
As she winds down her career, Morgan Henderson is already, or is on pace to, finish in the top 10 in several statistical categories at SRU. She currently ranks fourth in offensive rebounds (171), fifth in defensive rebounds (398), eighth in blocks (57), 10th in total rebounds (569), 12th in minutes played (2,392), 18th in games played (103) and 30th in points (713).
 
CALIFORNIA (PA) PRIMER
• Overall Record: 18-1
• PSAC West Record: 12-1
• PSAC West Standings: Tied for first place
• Home Record: 10-0
• Away Record: 8-1
• Neutral Site Record: 0-0
• Streak: W8
• Last Five Games: 5-0
• Head Coach: Jess Strom | Eighth season at Gannon (183-47)
 
CALIFORNIA NOTES
• Seairra Barrett is the odds on favorite to be named the PSAC West Athlete of the Year this season. In 19 games this season, Barrett has averaged 23.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.2 steals and 2.2 assists per game while shooting 52.1 percent from the field.
 
• Gina Vallecorsa is the Vulcans' second leading scorer at 10.5 ppg.
 
• As a team, California leads the league in turnover margin (+10.47). The Vulcans scored 23 points off of 21 Rock turnovers in the two teams' first meeting this season.
 
• Earlier in the season against The Rock, California's starter accounted for 69 of its 78 total points. Vallecorsa went for 20 points with Abbey Sporio (17), Barrett (16) and Jihana Flood Francis (14) rounding out the Vulcans; leading scorers.
 
UP NEXT
Slippery Rock continues to play the best the Atlantic Region has to offer when it heads to Indiana, Pennsylvania for a contest against the fifth-ranked Crimson Hawks Feb. 6 at 5:30 p.m.



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