SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University women's basketball team plays their first pair of Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference crossover road games this weekend, first at Shepherd University Friday followed by a trip to Shippensburg University Saturday.
Tip-off for both games is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
LIVE COVERAGE
Live video and in-game statistics are being provided by the Shepherd University and Shippensburg University Sports Information departments at the links below.
GAME 7 DETAILS
Opponent: Shepherd University
Date: Friday – 5:30 p.m.
Location: Butcher Athletic Center – Shepherdstown, West Virginia
Live Video: Link
Live Stats: Link
In-game Updates: Twitter (
@Rock_Athletics)
All-Time Series: Rams lead 2-1
Last Played: Dec. 7, 2019 (Shepherd won 89-86)
ALL-TIME SERIES vs SHEPHERD
The Rock and the Rams have met just three times dating back to their first meeting in 2004. Shepherd holds a 2-1 lead over Slippery Rock in the all-time series in addition to being on a two-game winning streak against SRU.
LAST MEETING
After trailing the Rams for the majority of the contest,
Daeja Quick hit a jumper with nine seconds remaining in regulation to give the Slippery Rock a one-point lead, but Shepherd made four straight free throws in the game's final seconds to earn an 89-86 win on Dec. 7, 2019.
GAME 8 DETAILS
Opponent: Shippensburg University
Date: Saturday – 5:30 p.m.
Location: Heiges Field House – Shippensburg, Pennsylvania
Live Video: Link
Live Stats: Link
In-game Updates: Twitter (
@Rock_Athletics)
All-Time Series: Raiders lead 40-17
Last Played: Nov. 23, 2019 (Shippensburg won 74-60)
ALL-TIME SERIES vs SHIPPENSBURG
The Raiders hold a solid 40-17 lead over The Rock in the all-time series. SRU has defeated Shippensburg just seven times when traveling to Heiges Field House. Slippery Rock's last road win over the Raiders was on Jan. 4, 2009 when it defeated a No. 15 Shippensburg team 70-61.
LAST MEETING
The Rock lost at home to Shippensburg, 74-60, as the Raiders claimed a second-quarter lead that it would never relinquish. The duo of Brooke Hindelriter and Madison Johnson paced SRU's offensive efforts by combining to score 35 points.
SLIPPERY ROCK PRIMER
Roster: Link
Stats: Link
Overall Record: 5-1
PSAC West Record: 0-0
PSAC West Standings: Third
Home Record: 2-0
Away Record: 2-0
Neutral Record: 1-1
Last Five Games: 5-0
Streak: W5
Acting Head Coach: Chenara Wilson | First year at SRU (5-1)
QUICK HITS
• Slippery Rock earned its fifth consecutive win in an 86-82 defeat of Fairmont State University Nov. 27 at Morrow Field House.
• SRU is perfect when traveling to its competition this year as it holds a 2-0 record in true road contests. The Rock has suffered just one loss this season in a neutral site meeting on the campus of Indiana University (Pa.) against Lincoln University in their season opener.
• As a team, Slippery Rock enters the week shooting 40.8 percent from the floor, 33.6 percent from long range and 67.8 percent from the foul line while averaging 72.3 points, 38.5 rebounds, 12.8 assists and 7.5 steals per game.
THE ROCK'S WINNING WAYS
Slippery Rock's current five-game winning streak is tied for the eight-best in program history with the 1999-00 team claiming the best winning streak of 12 games. If SRU were to go undefeated over the weekend it would tie for the third best at SRU.
ON THE NATIONAL STAGE
Kennedy Middleton has posted a strong senior campaign over six starts this season. Middleton averages 14.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game. She has now recorded five consecutive double-doubles this year which ranks her tied for second in all of Division II. Additionally, the team's leading rebounder averages 8.2 defensive rebounds per game ranking her 12th in all DII and third in the Atlantic Region.
D2 Double-Double Leaders
1: Jami Tham (Tusculum): 7
t2: Kennedy Middleton (SRU): 5
t2: Emilee Weakley (Frostburg State): 5
t2: Lytoya Baker (Le Moyne): 5
t2: Samantha Bowman (Central Washington): 5
PACING THE PSAC
Isabellah Middleton tallies a team-high 20.0 ppg to go along with 8.0 rpg, 2.0 apg and 1.8 spg. She has now claimed new career-highs in points three times this season with her most current being a 24-point showing against Fairmont State University.
Middleton's impressive scoring average ranks her second in the PSAC overall and first in the division.
RACKING UP THE POINTS
Joining the Middleton as SRU's leading scorers is senior
Deleah Gibson, who averages 18.2 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.8 apg and 1.8 steals per game while shooting team-highs of 47 percent from the floor overall and 83.3 percent from the foul line.
Gibson and
Isabellah Middleton have combined for 52.7 percent (229-of-434) of its scoring.
CRUSHING THE CROSSOVER
Slippery Rock has shown is strength when playing the PSAC crossover portion of its schedule. Since the 2014-15 season SRU has gone 22-16 (57.9) against Eastern Division teams. If The Rock were to go a perfect 2-0 over the weekend, it would mark the fourth time since 2014-15 that they have won their first pair of crossover contests.
SUCCESSFUL START
SRU's 5-1 start to the year is just the second of such for the program in more than 20 years dating back to the 1999-00 season. An undefeated weekend for The Rock would mark their first 7-1 start to the season since the same 1999-00 team that went 13-1 over their first 14 games.
SURGE IN THE FIRST
The Rock exhibits their strongest performances in the first half of play. In the final 20 minutes of action, SRU and its opponents have played even (227-227). However, Slippery Rock has been a different team in the first half with a +12 (207-195) margin overall and +18 (106-91) margin in the first quarter alone.
Through six contests, Slippery Rock has trailed its opponents at the halftime break on only two occasions.
SHORT BENCH
Through six games, SRU has just six players who have made an appearance in each contest including starters Gibson,
Isabellah Middleton,
Kennedy Middleton,
Kelley McKnight and
Emily Venick as well as freshman reserve
Jada Ward.
Ward has earned her spot as the trusted back-up point guard to Venick and averages 14.2 minutes, 2.7 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.
ADDED DEPTH
Five additional players on Slippery Rock's roster have seen time in at least half of its contests in
Kristina Donza (5 games),
Kaylin Venick (5 games),
Jordan Kauffman (4 games),
Alyssa Gillin (4 games) and
Arianna Mitchell (3 games).
ROUNDING OUT THE ROCK ROTATION
Additional players helping in Slippery Rock's strong efforts this season include
Emily Venick who in six starts has just a 2.0 (14-to-7) assist to turnover ratio. Navy transfer Donza who tallied a career-high five rebounds in SRU's win over Fairmont State. Kauffman, who in just eight minutes in The Rock's most recent contest scored five points and grabbed three rebounds. Mitchell, who in a career-high 16 minutes against FSU grabbed a career-high six rebounds.
A LOOK AROUND THE PSAC
As a team, SRU enters the weekend ranking among the top 10 in the PSAC in seven categories while individually three players rank in the top 10 in at least one category as well.
PSAC Team Rankings
•
Opponent 3-Point Percentage: 4th (25.7)
•
3-point Percentage: 6th (33.6)
•
3-pointers Per Game: 7th (7.0)
•
Field Goal Percentage: 8th (40.8)
•
Points Per Game: 8th (72.3)
•
Defensive Rebounds Per Game: 8th (27.3)
•
Rebounds Per Game: 9th (38.5)
PSAC Individual Rankings
•
Points Per Game: Isabellah Middleton – 2nd (20.0)
•
Rebounds Per Game: Kennedy Middleton – 4th (9.8)
•
Points Per Game:
Deleah Gibson – 6th (18.2)
•
Rebounds Per Game: Isabellah Middleton – 9th (8.0)
•
3-Point Percentage: Isabellah Middleton – 9th (35.3%)
SRU PROGRAM HISTORY
Isabellah Middleton has tallied four 20-point performances over The Rock's six games. She is currently tied for 14th since 2002-03 in career 20-point games at SRU. If Middleton were to have two 20-point showings over the weekend she would move into a tie with her former point guard
Daeja Quick for 10th with six 20-point games.
Kennedy Middleton has tallied five double-double performances this season ranking her tied for 10th for The Rock since the 2002-03 season. She is now just two double-doubles from advancing into a five-way tie for sixth with Erin Frankovich, LeeAnne Gibson, Sasha Sales and Danielle Smith.
SHEPHERD PRIMER
Roster: Link
Stats: Link
Overall Record: 0-5
PSAC East Record: 0-0
PSAC East Standings: Ninth
Home Record: 0-1
Away Record: 0-3
Neutral Record: 0-1
Last Five Games: 0-5
Streak: L5
Head Coach: Julie Kaufman | First year at Shepherd (0-5)
SCOUTING THE RAMS
Last time out: Shepherd suffered a 69-49 loss to Virginia Union University on the road Nov. 27.
As a team, Shepherd averages 58.2 ppg and 34.2 rpg while shooting 36.9 from the floor overall, 36.4 percent from long range and 64.2 percent from the charity stripe.
Leading the Rams offense is Meghan Shipley who averages 10.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg and 1.4 apg. Pacing the Shepherd rebounding efforts is Sydney Bolles with 6.8 rpg to go along with 9.4 ppg and 2.6 apg.
SHIPPENSBURG PRIMER
Roster: Link
Stats: Link
Overall Record: 4-1
PSAC East Record: 0-0
PSAC East Standings: Tied for first
Home Record: 3-0
Away Record: 1-1
Last Five Games: 4-1
Streak: W2
Head Coach: Kristy Trn | 23rd year at Shippensburg (382-252)
SCOUTING THE RAIDERS
Last time out: Shippensburg battled Bowie State University to a 63-56 overtime win on the road Nov. 27.
Over five games, the Raiders have shot 38.3 percent from the floor, 29.1 percent from long range and 58.3 percent from the foul line while scoring 65.8 ppg and making 43.2 rpg.
Shippensburg's scoring efforts feature a trio of players who average double-digit points in Ariel Jones (19.6), Lauren Pettis (12.0) and Treasure George (11.4). Defensively, Pettis leads the team averaging 9.6 rpg followed by Jones with 6.6.
All three players saw time in SRU and Shippensburg's most recent meeting on Nov. 23, 2019. Jones ended the contest with a game-high 30 points to go along with four rebounds, two assists and one steal. Pettis tallied four points three rebounds and one steal while George had two points, three rebounds, one block and one steal.
Through the PSAC, the Raiders as a team rank second in opponent 3-point percentage (23.7) and third in opponent field goal percentage (33.4) while Jones is third in points per game.
UP NEXT
Slippery Rock continues PSAC crossover competition when its hosts Mansfield University (1 p.m. Dec. 18) and Bloomsburg University (1 p.m. Dec. 19) at Morrow Field House.
To stay up to date with all that happens at The Rock, follow our official athletic communication accounts on Twitter (@Rock_Athletics), Facebook (RockAthletics) and Instagram (RockAthletics).
