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SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - The Slippery Rock University men's basketball team will play its fifth game in the last 10 days when it travels to Pitt-Johnstown 7:30 p.m. Wednesday for a crucial Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division contest.  
 
LIVE COVERAGE
Live video and in-game statistics are being provided by the Pitt-Johnstown Sports Information Department at the links below.
 
GAME 21 DETAILS
Opponent: Pitt-Johnstown
Date: Feb. 9 – 7:30 p.m.
Location: The Sports Center
Live Video: Link
Live Stats: Link
In-game Updates: Twitter (@Rock_Athletics)
All-Time Series: UPJ leads 38-21
Last Played: Jan. 5, 2022 (UPJ won 91-87)
 
ALL-TIME SERIES vs. UPJ
The Mountain Cats have won four of their last five games against Slippery Rock to improve their record in the all-time series to 38-21. Always a close game between two solid programs, the last four contests between The Rock and Mountain Cats have been decided by an average of just 4.3 points.
 
Overall: UPJ leads 38-21
Current Streak: UPJ W2
Longest SRU Win Streak: 3 games (Three times)
Longest UPJ Win Streak: 7 games (Two times)
At Pitt-Johnstown: UPJ leads 26-3
First Meeting: Dec. 7, 1972 (Slippery Rock won 90-67)
Last Meeting: Jan. 5, 2022 (UPJ won 91-87)
Last 10 Games: UPJ 7-3
Most Points, SRU: 122 - Dec. 5, 1990
Most Points, UPJ: 132 - Feb. 27, 1995
Largest Victory, SRU: 61 (122-61), Dec. 5, 1990
Largest Victory, UPJ: 39 (101-62), Feb. 7, 1998
SRU coach Ian Grady vs. UPJ: 2-4
UPJ coach Bob Rukavina vs. SRU: 26-14

LAST MEETING
Frankie Hughes scored 44 points, the fourth most in SRU single-game history, as part of a close 91-87 loss to Pitt-Johnstown Jan. 5 at Morrow Field House.
 
RECORDS / LAST TIME OUT
Records: Slippery Rock enters Wednesday's game having lost three straight contests to fall to 11-9 overall and 7-6 in the PSAC. Pitt-Johnstown has won eight of its last 10 games since defeating The Rock earlier in the season to improve to 17-5 overall and 13-3 in league games.
 
PSAC West Standings: SRU heads to Johnstown slotted sixth in the PSAC West standings 1.5 games behind Gannon for fifth place, but a comfortable three games in front of seventh-place Clarion. UPJ is a half game in back of Indiana for the top spot in the division standings.
 
Last Time Out: The Rock dropped a road contest at No. 8 Indiana University (Pa.), 72-61, while the Mountain Cats saw their three-game winning streak snapped following a tight 67-66 loss at Gannon University. Both games were played Monday.
 
SLIPPERY ROCK PRIMER
Record: 11-9
PSAC Record: 7-7
PSAC West Standings: 6th
Home Record: 8-5
Away Record: 3-4
Streak: L3
Last Five Games: 1-4
Head Coach: Ian Grady | Fourth year at SRU (45-33)
 
SCOUTING THE ROCK
• Slippery Rock remains one of the top offensive rebounding teams in the nation at 14.6 per game. Across Division II, only UNC Pembroke (16.48), West Chester (15.8), Glenville State (15.0) and Lincoln (15.0) average more offensive boards per game than The Rock. All the offensive rebounds have amounted to an average of 14.6 second chance points per game.
 
• SRU continues to be an elite team in the PSAC in terms of turnovers as The Rock commits just 11.4 miscues per game while forcing opponents into 14.8 of their own resulting in 18.2 points off turnovers per game.
 
• One of the top deep threats in the conference, Frankie Hughes heads to Pitt-Johnstown averaging team-highs of 15.6 points and 2.2 steals per game while grabbing 4.3 rebounds and passing out 2.5 assists a contest. Hughes provided SRU with one of the top single-game performances in program history against Pitt-Johnstown earlier in the season as he knocked down 10 3-pointers on the way to a 44-point, 6-steal night.
 
• Following two physical games against nationally ranked Indiana, Tyler Frederick figures to once again be in for a fight against a scrappy Pitt-Johnstown front line. To date, Frederick has held his own against all challengers en route to averaging 14.4 points and 9.2 rebounds per game while shooting 53 percent from the field. Frederick, who had a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds this year vs. UPJ, is also the nation's sixth-leading offensive rebounder at 3.89 orpg.
 
• After coming off the bench the previous five games, Jonathan McFall made his return to the Slippery Rock starting lineup at IUP. He enters Wednesday's game ranked third for The Rock in scoring (14.1), rebounding (4.8) and steals (1.2) while serving as the team's No. 2 shot blocker with 18 rejections. McFall had 15 points, five rebounds and two steal against UPJ earlier in the year.
 
• Amante Britt guides The Rock's offense. In addition to posting per game averages of 12.9 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals, Britt also dishes out 5.2 assists per game. Following two substandard shooting performances Britt started to return to his efficient self at IUP, going 6-of-14 from the field and 2-of-4 from 3-point range.
 
• The second branch of Slippery Rock's interior attack, Lashon Lindsey is scoring 6.4 ppg to with 6.6 rpg and a team-high 19 blocks.
 
• Dylan Ahearn has started each of the last five games for The Rock. Ahearn, who is a 43.9 percent shooter from 3-point territory overall this season, has made 25 3-pointers this year, the sixth most by a freshman in program history.  
 
• Rounding The Rock's rotation of late has been Bobby Clifford (6.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.2 apg), Nik Cazacu (3.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg) and Earl Baker Jr. (1.6 ppg, 1.4 rpg).
 
ROCK TRENDS
• Frankie Hughes has shot 34.1 percent (14-of-41) from 3-point range over the last four games, up from his season average of 29.8 percent.
 
• Tyler Frederick is averaging a double-double of 19 points and 10.4 rebounds over The Rock's last five games.  
 
• Amante Britt has finished a game with more turnovers than assist just once this season.
 
• Lashon Lindsey has six blocks over The Rock's last four games.
 
• Dylan Ahearn has made 7-of-15 3-point attempts since joining the starting lineup five games ago.
 
• Slippery Rock has scored at least 13 points off of turnovers in 11 straight games.
 
ROCK AMONG THE PSAC'S BEST
• 3-Pointers Per Game: Frankie Hughes – 1st (2.9)
• Offensive Rebounding: Tyler Frederick – 1st (3.9)
• Assist/Turnover Ratio: Amante Britt – 2nd (2.5)
• Steals: Frankie Hughes – 2nd (2.2)
• Rebounding: Tyler Frederick – 3rd (9.2)
• Assists: Amante Britt – 3rd (5.2)
• Field Goal %: Jonathan McFall – 7th (.539), Tyler Frederick – 8th (.530)
• 3-Pt Field Goal %: Frankie Hughes – 9th (.298)
 
SRU IN THE PSAC RANKINGS
• Turnovers Per Game: 2nd (11.4)
• Offensive Rebounding: 2nd (14.6)
• 3-Pointers Made Per Game: 2nd (8.6)
• Turnover Margin: 2nd (+3.4)
• Rebounding Margin: 5th (+4.4)
• Opponent Turnovers: 5th (14.8)
• Blocks: 5th (3.95)
• Steals: 5th (7.9)
• Points Per Game: 6th (80.9)
 
CLOSE LOSSES
Eight of Slippery Rock's nine losses have come by nine points or less. Overall, SRU's average margin of defeat is 6.8 points.
 
A ROCK WIN WOULD…
• Avoid what would be just the fourth four-game losing streak by SRU over the last 14 years.
 
• Snap SRU's seven-game losing streak in Johnstown, Pennsylvania and serve as The Rock's first road win at UPJ since a 66-56 victory on Dec. 7, 2013.
 
• Pull Slippery Rock's 2021-22 road record to an even 4-4.
 
PITT-JOHNSTOWN PRIMER
Season Stats: Link
Record: 17-5
PSAC Record: 13-3
PSAC West Standings: 2nd
Home Record: 8-2
Away Record: 7-3
Neutral Site Record: 2-0
Streak: L1
Last Five Games: 3-2
Head Coach: Bob Rukavina | 32nd year at UPJ (524-358)
 
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAIN CATS
• While Pitt-Johnstown ranks in the middle of the PSAC in both scoring (79.9) and opponent scoring (73.5) it leads the PSAC in both overall field goal shooting percentage (.501) and 3-point shooting percentage (.396). On the national stage, UPJ is 13th in the country in field goal percentage and 17th in 3-point shooting.
 
• Pitt-Johnstown features possibly the best guard-forward combination in the PSAC in forward John Paul Kromka and guard Fred Mulbah. Kromka is an all-conference forward and UPJ's leader scoring (17.8), rebounding (8.2) and blocks (2.9) while Fred Mulbah is the driving force for the Mountain Cats. One of the top guards in the PSAC, Mulbah averages 16.4 points, a PSAC-best 7.2 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game.
 
• Three other Mountain Cats are double figure scorers as well in Joe Batt (11.0), Drew Magestro (10.4) and Ryan Smith (10.3). Batt has supplemented Kromka's rebounding with 5.5 rpg of his own.
 
• Pitt-Johnstown enjoyed one of the top shooting performances by a visiting team to Morrow Field House this season in the first meeting between The Rock and Mountain Cats as UPJ finished the game shooting 63.8 percent from the field, 46.2 percent from 3-point range and 84.6 percent at the foul line.
 
• Mulbah went for 24 points, seven assists, six rebounds and three steals against SRU earlier in the year while Kromka added 18 points and five blocks.
 
• In six career games against The Rock, Kromka has averaged 16.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game.
 
UP NEXT
Slippery Rock closes out its three-game road trip 3 p.m. Saturday at Seton Hill University. SRU defeated the Griffins, 70-61, at home earlier in the season.
 
 






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