SLIPPERY ROCK Pa. – The Slippery Rock University women's basketball team will play its first pair of regular season games of the 2022-23 season when it travels to Indiana, Pennsylvania to compete in the PSAC/MEC/CIAA Challenge.
 
PSAC/MEC/CIAA CHALLENGE SCHEDULE
Friday
5 p.m. – Slippery Rock vs. Lincoln
7 p.m. – Indiana vs. Davis & Elkins
Saturday
5 p.m. – Slippery Rock vs. Davis & Elkins
7 p.m. – Indiana vs. Lincoln
 
LIVE COVERAGE
Live video and in-game statistics will be provided by the Indiana University (Pa.) Athletic Communication Department at the links below.
 
GAME 1 DETAILS
Opponent: Lincoln University
Date: Friday – 5 p.m.
Location: Kovalchick Convention & Athletic Complex – Indiana, Pennsylvania
Live Video: Link
Live Stats: Link
In-game Updates: Twitter (@Rock_Athletics)
All-time Series: Lincoln leads 1-0
Last Played: Nov. 11, 2017 (Lions won 78-72)
 
ALL-TIME SERIES vs. LINCOLN
The Lions hold a 1-0 lead over Slippery Rock in the all-time series. This season's meeting will mark the second time that The Rock and Lions have met for a neutral-site competition. SRU fell 78-72 to Lincoln Nov. 11, 2017 during the PSAC-CIAA Challenge in Richmond Virginia in the first game between the two schools.
 
The Rock were led by Brooke Hinderliter and Ciara Patterson with 18 and 15 points, respectively.
 
GAME 2 DETAILS
Opponent: Davis & Elkins
Date: Saturday – 5 p.m.
Location: Kovalchick Convention & Athletic Complex – Indiana, Pennsylvania
Live Video: Link
Live Stats: Link
In-game Updates: Twitter (@Rock_Athletics)
All-time Series: SRU leads 3-0
Last Played: Nov. 17, 2007 (Rock won 63-53)
 
ALL-TIME SERIES vs. DAVIS & ELKINS
Slippery Rock holds a perfect 3-0 lead over Davis & Elkins in the all-time series dating back to 1990. Over three contests, SRU has defeated D&E by +31.3 points per game while holding the Senators under 50 points in two of the three meetings.
 
LAST MEETING
SRU defeated Davis & Elkins 63-53 Nov. 17, 2007 on the second day of the Clarion Classic. Four players tallied double-digit points in KellyAnn Staudinger (12), Amanda Nero (11), Chere' Marshall (10) and Nijha McNeely (10).
 
SLIPPERY ROCK PRIMER
Roster: Link
2021-22 Stats: Link
2021-22 Overall Record: 12-16
2021-22 PSAC West Record: 7-15
2021-22 PSAC West Finish: Seventh
2022-23 Preseason Poll: Eighth
Acting Head Coach: Chenara Wilson | First year as acting head coach at SRU (0-0)
 
QUICK HITS
• Slippery Rock will look to go 2-0 through its first two games as it has not opened the year with a pair of wins since the 2016-17 season when it defeated Johnson C. Smith University and Fayetteville State University.
 
• Slippery Rock returns 10 players from the 2021-22 roster while welcoming six newcomers. In a predominantly young roster, The Rock will look heavily to their 13 underclassmen to step in and fill key roles early in their careers.
 
• Following the two road games in Indiana, Slippery Rock will follow up with two additional road contests at Notre Dame College (Nov. 16) and Ursuline College (Nov. 19) before its home-opener against Malone University (Nov. 23).
 
• Slippery Rock's 2022-23 team will be led by Acting Head Coach Chenara Wilson, who took over the program in July following the death of former Head Coach Bobby McGraw. No stranger to the program, Wilson was an assistant at The Rock under McGraw for the previous five seasons.
 
LEADING THE WAY
The senior duo of Deleah Gibson and Kennedy Middleton return to lead The Rock's offense after posting solid junior campaigns. The pair will also serve as SRU's captains for the 2022-23 season.
 
Gibson ended her debut season at The Rock starting all 24 contests she played in while tallying 8.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steals per game. Additionally, Gibson claimed the roll of SRU's long-ball threat leading the team in total 3-pointers made with 39.
 
Middleton, in her first full season at SRU, started 27 of the 28 games she appeared in while averaging 9.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game in addition to shooting 71 percent from the free throw line. Middleton proved to be one of the most versatile members of the 2021-22 roster ranking among the top three on the team in each of the five major categories.
 
ROUNDING OUT THE RETURNERS
Remaining returners for SRU include forward Bella Long, forward Jordan Kauffman, center Kelley McKnight, twin guards Emily and Kaylin Venick.
 
Long, a trusted reserve a season ago, appeared in 27 games with two starts while averaging 2.9 points and 1.1 rebounds per game. She led the team from 3-point range sinking 44 percent (23-of-52) of her attempts. Long showed flashes of great potential over her rookie campaign as evidence by an 11-point showing against Edinboro (Jan. 22) where she went 3-for-3 from long range.
 
McKnight, The Rock's backup to Johnson last year, made 26 appearances with one start in her first season. She averaged 1.8 points and 1.5 rebounds per game while collecting six steals and making two assists. McKnight also showed poise from the free throw line shooting 79 percent (15-of-19).
 
Emily Venick saw time as a reserve point guard to former starting point Daeja Quick, appearing in 21 games. She ended the season totaling 13 points, four rebounds and four assists. With Quick no longer on the roster, Emily Venick will compete for an extended playing time.
 
Kaylin Venick settled into a hybrid guard and small forward position a season ago averaging 1.5 points and 1.3 rebounds over 26 games in addition to recording nine steals and six assists. Kaylin Venick proves to be a versatile player who can fill in where needed when on the court.
 
Kauffman appeared in 12 games a season ago tallying nine points on the year. The sophomore will look to compete for an expanded role in the upcoming season on an underclassmen-heavy SRU roster.
 
NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS
A season ago, The Rock concluded their non-conference portion of the schedule with a solid 5-1 mark. As a team, SRU outscored its non-PSAC opponents by an average of 8.0 ppg, outrebound them by a +10 margin and shot .459 from the field while holding those competitors to just a .379 field goal percentage over those six contests.
 
Key returners that had a hand in the non-conference success include Gibson, Anyah Curd, Kennedy Middleton and Isabellah Middleton.
 
Kennedy Middleton averaged 10.5 ppg and 6.0 rpg per game while totaling 14 steals, 14 assists, and two blocks over six games played and five starts.
 
In five games and three starts, Isabellah Middleton averaged 9.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per game in addition to tallying eight assists and steals each.
 
Curd recorded 8.4 ppg and 5.8 rpg while also making five blocks, six assists and two steals in five starts.
 
Rounding out the returning leaders was Gibson with 8.2 ppg and 4.8 rpg in addition to nine assists, seven 3-pointers and five steals in the five non-conference games she started.
 
DYNAMIC DUOS
SRU welcomes two pairs of high school teammates to the 2022-23 roster in Aneesa Parker and Jada Ward as well as Tori Johnson and Arianna Mitchell.
 
The point guard and center duo of Ward and Parker graduated from Warrensville Heights High School where they helped the team to a pair of district championships in 2020-21 and 2021-22.
 
Similarly, the guard and forward pair of Johnson and Mitchell both high school teammates as well with Mitchell being named the 2019-20 co-player of the year for Erie High School.
 
JOHNSON'S NEW ROLE
Slippery Rock will look to find a spark in the paint with all-region center Jamiyah Johnson moving from the court to the coach's box this season with her new role of the team's graduate assistant.
 
PLAY MAKER POSITION OPEN
SRU finds itself tasked with filling big shoes following the graduation of three-year starting point guard Daeja Quick. Over her career, Quick started all but six of the games she appeared in as The Rock's primary play maker.
 
A strong contender to fill the role is Ward, a freshman, who is no stranger to the task after playing point guard at Warrensville Heights High School in Cleveland. If Ward does earn the job, she will be the first true freshman starting point guard since Nikki Presto in 2006-07.
 
SISTER ACT II
Slippery Rock welcomes back its two sets of sisters this season in Emily / Kaylin Venick and Isabellah / Kennedy Middleton. A year ago, the Venick's and Middleton's became the first sisters to play for The Rock in the same season since Alissa and Jess Schake did so for four seasons (2005-08).
 
WEEKEND SEASON OPENERS
This weekend's games mark the seventh consecutive season in which Slippery Rock has opened with a pair of non-conference games in back-to-back days dating back to the 2015-16 season. The Rock are 7-5 against opponents in the last six years of season opening tournaments.
 
Virginia State (Nov. 13, 2015) - W, 68-59
Chowan (Nov. 14, 2015) - W, 64-62
Johnson C. Smith (Nov. 11, 2016) - W, 80-79
Fayetteville State (Nov. 12, 2016) - W, 67-58
Virginia State (Nov. 10, 2017) - L, 82-55
Lincoln (Nov. 11, 2017) - L, 78-72
Johnson C. Smith (Nov. 10, 2018) - W, 71-60
Elizabeth City (Nov. 11, 2018) - L, 80-79
Johnson C. Smith (Nov. 8, 2019) - L, 76-52
Elizabeth City (Nov. 9, 2019) - W, 76-75
Notre Dame (Nov. 13, 2021) - W, 84-66
West Virginia State (Nov. 14, 2021) - L, 84-71
 
LINCOLN PRIMER
Roster: Link
2021-22 Stats: Link
2021-22 Overall Record: 22-8
2021-22 CIAA Record: 12-4
2021-22 CIAA Finish: First
2022-23 Preseason Poll: First
Head Coach: Janice Washington | Second year at LU (22-8)
 
SCOUTING THE LIONS
Senior guard Kania Pollock and sophomore guard Ciani Montgomery return for Lincoln after helping the 2021-22 team to 71.8 ppg as well as a 12-4 top mark in the CIAA North and CIAA Tournament victory.
 
Montgomery averaged 6.7 ppg, 1.6 rpg and 1.4 apg while shooting 71 percent from the free throw line. Pollock tallied 6.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg and 1.0 apg in addition to making 52 percent of her foul shots.
 
DAVIS & ELKINS PRIMER
Roster: Link
2021-22 Stats: Link
2021-22 Overall Record: 8-20
2021-22 MEC Record: 5-17
2021-22 MEC Finish: 10th
2022-23 Preseason Poll: 12th
Head Coach: Donna Carr | First year at D&E (0-0)
 
SCOUTING THE SENATORS
Coming off an 8-20 season in which D&E averaged 62.4 ppg, senior guard Peyton Adams and junior forward Marissa Berlin return as last season's scoring leaders. Adams concluded the year averaging 13.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 3.5 apg and 1.2 spg while shooting 76 percent from the charity stripe. In 28 games, Berlin tallied a team-high 10.8 rpg while also averaging 13.1 ppg and 1.5 bpg.
 
UP NEXT
Slippery Rock continues non-conference competition with a road game against Notre Dame College 5:30 p.m. Nov. 16 in South Euclid, Ohio.
 
 








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