SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - Following three consecutive home victories to open the season, the Slippery Rock University men's basketball team takes to the road for the first time in 2025-26 for a 3 p.m. Saturday road test at No. 5 Fairmont State University.
 
TICKETS
Ticket Prices (Available on game day)
$12 - Reserved/Lower Level (Regardless of Age)
$10 - General Admission/Upper Level (Adult)
$8 - General Admission/Upper Level (Senior 65+)
$8 – non-Fairmont State students from visiting institutions (with valid college/university ID)
Free - Ages 18 and Under
Free – Military Personnel (with military ID; tickets required for family)
 
LIVE COVERAGE
Free video and in-game statistics will be provided by Fairmont State at the below links.
 
GAME 4 DETAILS
Opponent: Fairmont State University
Date: Saturday – 3 p.m.
Location: Fairmont, West Virginia
Venue: Joe Retton Arena
Video: Link
Live Stats: Link
In-game Updates: Twitter/X (@Rock_Athletics)
 
SERIES HISTORY
Overall: Fairmont State leads 6-2
Current Streak: FSU W6
At Fairmont State: FSU leads 3-1
First Meeting: Jan. 13, 1945 (SRU won 43-38)
Last Meeting: Nov. 16, 2024 (FSU won 78-75)
Most Points, SRU: 79 - Nov. 10, 2018
Most Points, FSU: 85 - Nov. 9, 2019
Largest Victory, SRU: 5 (43-38), Jan. 13, 1945
Largest Victory, FSU: 20 (82-62), Feb. 7, 1948
SRU coach Ian Grady vs. FSU: 0-3
FSU coach Tim Koenig vs. SRU: 3-1
 
Fairmont State owns a 6-2 all-time record of against The Rock in a series that dates back to 1945. The series has been incredibly close in the modern era as the last three games SRU and FSU have played have been decided by a grand total of just 13 points with a pair of three-point Falcon wins in 2018-19 (82-79) and 2024-25 (78-75) sandwiched around an 85-78 decision in 2019-20.
 
Only three current Rock players played in last year's narrow home loss to Fairmont State: Ike Herster had 21 points, Sheick Samoura grabbed five rebounds and Mack Staunch made one steal.
 
Likewise, Fairmont State has only three rostered players who took the court at Morrow Field House a season ago in David Jolinder (19 points, 10 rebounds), Tyheil Peterson (5 points, 3 steals) and Marcel Gardner (2 points).
 
LAST MEETING
Rudy Fitzgibbons III hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift Fairmont State past Slippery Rock, 78-75, Nov. 16, 2024 at Morrow Field House. The Atlantic Region bout was a back-and-forth contest that featured a combined 22 lead changes and 24 ties between The Rock and Falcons.
 
Herster and Jomo Goings shared game-high scoring honors at 21 points apiece. Goings also tallied five rebounds, five assists and a steal. The duo combined to shoot 12-of-23 from the field overall and 7-of-14 from 3-point range.
 
Slippery Rock had one of its best shooting performance from 3-point range of the season, going 12-for-27 (.444) from distance as part of a 42.3 overall field goal percentage (22-of-52) and a 19-for-25 (.760) showing at the foul line.
 
Fairmont State ended the win shooting 50 percent (30-of-60) from the field overall, committing only 11 turnovers and holding a narrow +1 rebounding margin (35-34) over The Rock.
 
SLIPPERY ROCK PRIMER
• Stats: Link
• Roster: Link
• Overall Record: 3-0
• PSAC Record: 0-0
• Home Record: 3-0
• Away Record: 0-0
• Streak: W3
• Head Coach: Ian Grady | Eighth season (102-76)
 
LAST TIME OUT
Slippery Rock improved to 3-0 on the season with an 82-71 wire-to-wire victory Wednesday over Wheeling University at Morrow Field House.
 
Leading SRU against Wheeling was freshman guard Dame Givner, who went for 24 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Givner shot 9-of-15 from the field overall, including a pair of 3-pointers, to go with a 4-for-6 outing at the foul line.
 
Fellow starters Ike Herster and Isaac James both nearly picked up double-doubles as Herster compiled 14 points, eight rebounds and three assists, while James posted 11 points, nine rebounds, two assists and one block.
 
The Rock shot an efficient 50 percent from the field overall, marking the second time this season in which SRU has made at least half of its field goal attempts. Slippery also connected on 37.5 percent (6-for-16) of its 3-point attempts while also closing the win 20-for-30 (.667) at the foul line.
 
As they have done every game this year, The Rock once again controlled the glass in the form of a +15 (47-32) rebounding margin.
 
THE ROCK vs. RANKED TEAMS ON THE ROAD
Slippery Rock has five wins against teams ranked in the National Association of Basketball Coaches top-25 away from Morrow Field House with the most recent such victory coming in 2013 when SRU defeated No. 13 Winston-Salem State, 69-67, in a neutral site game played in West Liberty, West Virginia.
 
The last time Slippery Rock beat a ranked team regardless of location came during the 2023-24 season when SRU downed No. 13 California (Pa.), 89-72, in convincing fashion behind Ike Herster's 36 points at Morrow Field House.
 
A victory against Fairmont State would be the third-highest ranked team that SRU has earned a win over in program history. Previously, The Rock defeated fourth-ranked Gannon (82-72) on Feb. 11, 2009 and No. 3 IUP (74-69) on Jan. 12, 2019.
 
Ranked Wins Away From Morrow Field House
Feb. 2, 1994: No. 13 Edinboro (77-71)
Jan. 14, 2009: No. 21 Mercyhurst (68-53)
Feb. 19, 2011: No. 17 Mercyhurst (81-70)
March 8, 2013: No. 19 East Stroudsburg (68-59 / Neutral)
March 16, 2013: No. 16 Winston-Salem (69-67 / Neutral)
 
GETTING AFTER IT ON THE GLASS
Slippery Rock enters the weekend ranked fifth in the nation in rebounds per game (48.33), ninth in offensive rebounds per game (17.67) and 14th in rebounding margin (+13.0).
 
Led by Isaac James (9.3 rpg) and Elijah Hill (7.0 rpg), Slippery Rock sports a roster that features seven athletes averaging at least 3.5 rebounds per game. No other athlete in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference has more total rebounds than James' 28 this year.
 
NO EASY BUCKETS
A staple in all three of The Rock's wins this season has been a defensive effort that have limited opponents shooting. Slippery Rock goes into the Fairmont State game ranked 17th in Division II in opponent field goal percentage (.369) and 33rd – out of 287 teams – in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.250).
 
GOING FOR 4-0
A victory over Fairmont State would give Slippery Rock its second 4-0 start to a season since 2010-11. Dating back to the end of World War II (80 years), Slippery Rock has started a season 4-0 10 times. SRU has gone on to translate those 10 perfect starts into winning records at the end of the season on nine occasions.
 
4-0 Starts at SRU (Final Record)
2022-23 (17-12)
2009-10 (15-12)
2008-09 (21-8)
1993-94 (12-13)
1990-91 (23-9)
1982-83 (17-8)
1974-75 (18-9)
1963-64 (16-4)
1961-62 (13-9)
1946-47 (11-8)

HOMECOMING FOR GRADY
Saturday's game will be a homecoming of sorts for Slippery Rock head coach Ian Grady, who concluded his playing career at Fairmont State.
 
Grady, who began his collegiate career as a JUCO All-American at Allegany Community College before attending Shepherd University, ultimately transferred to Fairmont State for his final year of eligibility. Grady started all 29 games in 2008-09, helping the Falcons to a 20-9 record and averaging 7.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.

SCOUTING THE ROCK
• Slippery Rock has earned its perfect early-season record with a balanced offensive attack that has seen eight players average at least 8.0 points per game.
 
• Maceo Austin is The Rock's leader in per game scoring at 15.0 ppg on 87.5 percent shooting from the field overall to go with 4.0 assists and 5.0 steals.
 
• Herster is averaging 14.3 ppg over his three appearances to go along with 5.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists a night. Herster, who has finished in double figures in all three games this year, is an 80 percent free throw shooter (16-of-20) who has also connected on 12 of his 24 two-point field goal attempts.
 
• One of the many Rock freshmen with immense potential, Dame Givner is coming off his 24-point, seven-rebound, three-assist night against Wheeling which upped his season per game averages to 14.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists on 45.5 percent shooting from the floor.  
 
• Elijah Hill has not only averaged 12.0 ppg on an extremely efficient 73.7 field goal percentage, he has also grabbed 7.0 rebounds a contest – the second-highest average of all Rock athletes. Hill is a perfect 5-for-5 from 3-point range this year.
 
• James nearly averages a double-double of 9.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per game in addition to distributing 3.7 assists a game. James, a 48.1 percent shooter on the season overall, has converted over 55 percent of his attempts in two of his three games in a Rock uniform.
 
• The true freshmen duo of Brady Mayo and RJ Sledge both head to Fairmont State scoring 8.7 points per game, with Sledge also having pocketed a team-best seven steals (2.5 spg) with Mayo close behind at five (1.7).
 
• Sheick Samoura has blocked five shots this season, including a pair of two-rejection games in wins over West Virginia Wesleyan and Wheeling. Samoura is also coming off a performance against Wheeling that included seven rebounds – three of which came on the offensive glass – three assists and one steal.
 
• Much like Givner, Hill, Sledge and Mayo, Braylon Littlejohn has also proven more than capable of making contributions in his first season as the Butler High School product is averaging 8.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 80 percent from the field in his first two collegiate games.
 
• Rounding out The Rock's top contributors to date is the reserve forward pairing of Mack Staunch and Enire Bowens. They have combined to average 8.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game.
 
PLAYING FAST
Slippery Rock ranks 17th in the nation in fastbreak points per game with 20.33. SRU first ran its way to 27 fast break points against West Virginia Wesleyan followed by 16 in the Davis & Elkins win and 18 more against Wheeling. The Rock averaged 18.7 fastbreak points per game in their 15 wins last year, but just 13.3 over their 14 losses.
 
HOW THE ROCK COMPARES (PSAC TEAM RANKINGS)
• Scoring: 5th (89.0)
• Points Allowed Per Game: 4th (71.7)
• Scoring Margin: 4th (+17.3)
• Field Goal %: 7th (.487)
• Opponent Field Goal %: 1st (.369)
• 3pt-Field Goal %: 11th (.308)
• Opponent 3pt-Field Goal %: 4th (.250)
• 3pt Made Per Game: 14th (5.3)
• Free Throw %: 9th (.702)
• Free Throws Made Per Game: 4th (19.7)
• Rebounds Per Game: 2nd (48.3)
• Rebounding Margin: 2nd (+13.0)
• Turnovers Per Game: 15th (19.7)
• Opponent Turnovers Per Game: 6th (17.0)
• Turnover Margin: 12th (-2.7)
• Steals Per Game: 7th (9.0)
• Blocks Per Game: 13th (2.3)
 
THE ROCK vs. THE MEC
Since the Mountain East Conference's formation in 2013, Slippery Rock is a healthy 20-9 (.690) against MEC teams. Slippery Rock is already 3-0 against schools from the MEC this season with two more matchups looming against nationally ranked Fairmont State and Glenville State.
 
NON-CONFERENCE DOMINANCE
Dating back to the 2008-09 season, SRU has posted a 104-53 (.662) record against opponents outside of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.
 
RECORD WATCH
Made 3-Pointers (7-12)
7-Dan Heiman (69 Games, 1991-94): 115
8-Maurice Douglas (52 Games, 2008-10): 114
9-Amante Britt (115 Games, 2018-23): 112
10-C. Russell (117 Games, 1987-91): 101
11-Jomo Goings (87 Games, 2021-25): 99
12-Ike Herster (59 Games, 2023-Active): 98
 
Steals (14-19)
14-Dave Johnson (77 Games, 2001-04): 102
t15-Glenn Reepmeyer (104 Games, 2002-07): 98
t15-Lashon Lindsey (116 Games, 1994-97): 98
17-Maceo Austin (47 Games, 2023-Active): 94
18-Mark Metzka (100 Games, 1991-95): 91
19-Dave Freeman (103 Games, 1998-00, 01-03): 90
 
Points By a Transfer at SRU (7-14)
7-Paul Gilbert (Alvernia / 1994-97): 888
8-Jabril Bailey (Campbell / 2009-11): 878
9-Ike Herster (Gannon / 2023-Active): 866
10-Louie Moore (Eastern Kentucky / 1997-00): 863
11-Doug Zimmerman (Penn State Behrend / 1970-72): 860
12-Rob Wilson (Ohio Valley Business College / 1989-91): 807
13-James Richardson (Lenoir CC / 1998-99): 797
14-Maceo Austin (Duquesne / 2023-Active): 791
 
Blocks (20-25)
20-Chuck Link (100 Games, 1974-78): 48
21-Sheick Samoura (56 Games, 2023-Active): 47
t22-Bobby Clifford (112 Games, 2021-25): 46
t22-Cornelius Brown (60 Games, 2013-16): 46
t22-Kelvin Brooks (24 Games, 1994-95): 46
t25-Jabril Bailey (59 Games, 2009-11): 45
t25-Maceo Austin (47 Games, 2023-Active): 45
 
NEXT FIVE GAMES
Nov. 25 (5 p.m.) vs. Glenville State
Nov. 30 (1 p.m.) at D'Youville
Dec. 4 (6 p.m.) vs. Lincoln
Dec. 6 (3 p.m.) at Mansfield
Dec. 9 (6 p.m.) vs. Lake Erie
 
FAIRMONT STATE PRIMER
• Stats: Link
• Roster: Link
• NABC Top-25: 5th
• Overall Record: 2-1
• MEC Record: 0-0
• Home Record: 2-0
• Away Record: 0-1
• Streak: L1
• Head Coach: Tim Koenig | Seventh season at FSU (135-42) / 13th overall (228-130)
 
FSU LEADERS (Per Game)
SCORING: Miguel Martinez (14.7), David Jolinder (11.3)
FG%: Tyheil Peterson (.474 / 9-19)
3PT%: CJ Meredith (.500 / 6-12)
ASSISTS: Drey Carter (3.0)
REBOUNDS: Martinez (6.3)
STEALS: Jolinder (2.7)
BLOCKS: Rene Diop (1.7)
 
SCOUTING FAIRMONT STATE
• FSU has begun its year with wins over Bloomsburg (98-56) and Edinboro (82-75) before suffering its first setback of the season at East Region power No. 4 Daemen (75-63).

• So far this season, Fairmont State has shot 45.5 percent as a team while making 9.0 3-pointers per game on 36.0 percent shooting from the perimeter. FSU forces opponents into 18.3 turnovers per game while making just 13.7 miscues of its own.   

• Fairmont State by in large has used an eight-man rotation through the opening stages of the season.

• Of those eight athletes who average at least 12.0 minutes per game, five transferred into FSU over the offseason in Miguel Martinez (West Virginia State / 14.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg), Drey Carter (Wright State / 9.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.0 apg), CJ Meredith (Charleston / 9.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.1 bpg), Joey Brown (Tyler JC / 8.0 ppg, 1.1 spg) and Rene Diop (Concord / 7.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.7 bpg).

• The leading returners for Fairmont State are David Jolinder (11.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.7 spg) and Tyheil Peterson (10.0 ppg, 23 spg).
 
UP NEXT
Slippery Rock returns home following its brief road excursion to host Glenville State University 5 p.m. Nov. 25 at Morrow Field House.
 




To stay up to date with all that happens at The Rock, follow our official athletic communication accounts on 'X' (formerly Twitter, @Rock_Athletics), Facebook (RockAthletics) and Instagram (RockAthletics).