Game Notes
 
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – In final preparations for the 2025-26 season, the Slippery Rock University women's basketball team will make the short trek to Pittsburgh for an exhibition game 6 p.m. Thursday against Division I Duquesne University at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.
 
TICKETS
Fans can purchase single-game tickets for Friday's game HERE.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
Thursday's game is being carried on ESPN+ (HERE).
 
GAME DETAILS
Opponent: Duquesne University
Date: Thursday – 6 p.m.
Location: Pittsburgh
Venue: UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse
Live Video (ESPN+): Link
Live Stats: Link
Tickets: Link
In-game Updates: X (@Rock_Athletics)
All-Time Series: SRU leads 7-3
Last Played: Dec. 21, 1987 (DU won 76-57)
 
SERIES HISTORY
Between 1978 and 1987 Slippery Rock and Duquesne played 10 regular season games with SRU taking seven of the contests. Duquesne claimed the last two games in the series with victories in 1984 (90-80) and 1987 (76-57) prior to the series going dormant. 
 
SLIPPERY ROCK PRIMER
• Roster: Link
• 2024-25 Stats: Link
• 2024-25 Overall Record: 7-19
• 2024-25 PSAC West Record: 4-16
• 2024-25 PSAC West Finish: 7th
• 2024-25 Postseason: N/A
• 2025-26 PSAC West Preseason Poll: 7th
• Head Coach: Ryenn Micaletti | Third season (9-42)
 
THE OPENING TIP
The 2025-26 season will see a slight re-shaping of the roster as Slippery Rock returns just seven players from last year's team to go with six newcomers in the form of two transfers and four true freshmen. After posting a five-win improvement last year from its 2023-24 final record, the new-look Rock roster will look to continue the program's upward growth.

COUNTS FOR SOME, NOT FOR OTHERS
While Thursday's game is merely a final dress rehearsal for Slippery Rock, it will count as a regular season game for Duquesne.
 
A BRIEF LOOK BACK
The Rock battled through an injury plagued 2024-25 season to finish 7-19 overall and 4-16 inside the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. Slippery Rock's seven wins a year ago represented a five-victory improvement over their 2023-24 record (2-23).
 
SLIPPERY ROCK IN DIVISION I EXHIBITIONS
No stranger to testing itself against the best opponents they can find in preparation for the regular season, Slippery Rock has played 16 exhibition games against Division I opponents dating back to the 2006-07 season.
 
ROCK PICKED SEVENTH IN PSAC WEST PRESEASON POLL
Slippery Rock was picked to finish seventh in the PSAC West this season, the league office announced recently with the unveiling of its annual preseason poll.
 
Defending Atlantic Region champions Gannon was picked to win the Western Division after garnering seven first-place votes. Seton Hill was slotted second after accounting for the remaining first-place vote. The Golden Knights and Griffins were followed in the top half of the poll by Indiana (Pa.) and California (Pa.). The back half of the PSAC West prognostication saw Clarion fifth followed by Edinboro, The Rock and Pitt-Johnstown.
 
KEY RETURNERS IN THE FRONTCOURT
#8 Kayley Joseph-Bernard: 6-0 - Forward - Milton, Ontario
• A do-it-all forward, Joseph-Bernard enjoyed a productive first season with The Rock a year ago after transferring in from Hofstra. A constant on the floor (30.5 mpg) with 23 starts in 26 games played, Joseph-Bernard averaged 6.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 46.7 percent from the field and 77.8 percent at the foul line.
 
#21 Alyssa Gillin: 6-0 - Forward - Monaca, Pa.
• Gillin was one of four Rock athletes to play in all 26 games last year while starting a team-high 24 contests on the way to averaging 7.1 points on 39 percent shooting overall including a 31.7 percent clip from 3-point range along with a Rock-best 77.8 percent mark at the foul line in addition to grabbing 3.8 rebounds and blocking 15 shots.
 
#34 Mairan Haggerty: 6-0 - Forward - New Castle, Pa.
• Haggerty spent her freshman season in 2023-24 at Seton Hill before coming to The Rock prior to last year and proceeded to play in all 26 games, 11 of which were starts, in 2024-25 with per game averages of 5.5 points and 3.3 rebounds. In the 14 games in which Haggerty played at least 15 minutes her per game production jumped to 8.5 points and 4.7 rebounds on 38.5 percent shooting from field.
 
KEY RETURNERS IN THE BACKCOURT
#1 Deryn Moye: 5-4 - Guard - Beaver Falls, Pa.
• Moye has established herself as a key piece to The Rock's rotation over the last two years. Since joining the program, Moye has appeared in 50 of a possible 51 games while drawing 27 starts. She heads into her senior year with career averages of 4.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 0.8 steals per game with shooting percentages of .366 from the field overall, .358 from 3-point territory and .796 at the foul line.
 
#11 Sophia Hook: 5-7 - Guard - Brookfield, Ohio
• Hook closed last season as SRU's third-leading scorer with 9.0 points per game all the while pulling down 3.9 rebounds and producing just under one assist and one steal a contest in 22 appearances. The Rock's leader in made 3-pointers last year, Hook was particularly impressive from long range early in 2024-25 as she connected on 25 of her first 71 3-point attempts (.352) through the opening 11 games of the season.
 
#12 Hannah Pugliese: 5-8 - Guard - Pittsburgh, Pa.
• Pugliese played in only three of The Rock's first 18 games a season ago before becoming a key part of SRU's rotation down the stretch of her rookie year as she played 19.1 minutes per game over the final month of the season while averaging 4.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals a contest over the same stretch of time.
 
NEW BEGINNINGS
Among Slippery Rock's six newcomers for 2025-26 are two transfers who will be leaned on heavily. 
 
#24 Laney Bone: 5-11 - Forward - Chattanooga, Tenn.
• Bone began her collegiate career at Buffalo prior to transferring to Cleveland State Community College for her sophomore season. She averaged a double-double of 15.1 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 1.6 steals per game at CSCC to earn NJCAA All-America honors and was named the 2022-23 Tennessee Community College Athletic Association Player of the Year.
 
Bone spent her junior year at Longwood University, playing in 28 games with six starts before transferring to UNC Asheville.
 
#30 Karianna Woods: 5-8 - Guard - Ann Arbor, Mich.
• The guard portion of Slippery Rock's transfer duo, Woods started 44 of 56 games played over three years at Bethune-Cookman. She averaged 5.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game at BCU.
 
FRESHMAN ORIENTATION
#0 Iyanna Wade: 5-4 - Guard - Clairton, Pa.
• Wade was a highly decorated star at Clairton A four-time all-state honoree, she graduated as not only Clairton's all-time leading scorer, but second on the WPIAL all-time scoring ledger with 3,119 career points. Wade capped off a star-studded high school career by averaging 38.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.0 steals and 4.5 assists per game.
 
#2 Claudia Ierullo: 5-7 - Guard - Coraopolis, Pa.
• Ierullo closed out her high school career by averaging 16.5 points, 4.1 steals and 3.5 assists per game as a senior at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. No stranger to success, Ierullo led Sacred Heart to three sectional crowns and two state tournament semifinal appearances.
 
#3 Sarah Chawki: 5-7 - Guard - Alexandria, Va.
• The lone non-Pennsylvania native of The Rock's rookie class, Chawki joins the program from Alexandria, Virginia where she led Edison to four district championships as a three-time all-region honoree.
 
#23 Jorja Bernesser: 6-2 - Forward - Glenshaw, Pa.
• A 6-foot-2-inch interior presence with immense potential; Bernesser was a two-time all-section selection during her prep career at Shaler.
 
JOSEPH-BERNARD IN ELITE COMPANY
Kayley Joseph-Bernard was the only athlete across all of Division II last season to compile per game averages of at least 6.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks per game while shooting at least 45 percent. Throughout the entire NCAA (I, II, III) Joseph-Bernard was one of only 10 athletes to reach those statistical marks a season ago.
 
DANGEROUS FROM DEEP
The duo of Alyssa Gillin and Sophia Hook combined to make 65 3-pointers last season and were only the second pair of Rock players to each make at least 30 3-pointers in a season over the last 11 years: Deleah Gibson (56) and Isabellah Middleton (36) also accomplished the feat in 2022-23.
 
BLOCK PARTY
Kayley Joseph-Bernard and Alyssa Gillin both open the year ranked among the program's all-time best shot blockers. Joseph-Bernard already ranks 23rd in program history for blocks in a career (28) with Gillin (25) close behind in 26th place.
 
If Gillin and Joseph-Bernard each reach 35 career blocks this year it would mark just the 10th time in program history - and first since 2017-18 - that Slippery Rock will have multiple active athletes playing with at least 35 career blocks.
 
DUQUESNE PRIMER
• Roster: Link
• Stats: Link
• Overall Record: 1-0
• 2025-26 A-10 Preseason Poll: 7th
• Head Coach: Dan Burt | 13th season (231-145)
 
QUICK LOOK AT THE DUKES
Duquesne kicked off its 2025-26 season with an 89-60 home victory over Saint Francis. The Dukes forced 30 Saint Franics turnovers, resulting in 29 points off turnovers, while holding SFU to a .339 shooting percentage.
 
Duquesne, which closed the win with a +15 rebounding margin, had five athletes finish in double figures including Nadia Moore who scored 17 points.
 
Dunja Zecevic and Raevin Washington added 16 and 15 points, respectively, with Gabby Grantham-Medley posting an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double and Alexis Bordas grabbing four steals while scoring 11 points.
 
UP NEXT
Slippery Rock officially starts its 2025-26 season with two games at the Atlantic Region Challenge in Erie, Pennsylvania. As part of the two-day event, SRU will play Charleston 4 p.m. Nov. 15 followed by a 2 p.m. Nov. 16 meeting with Davis & Elkins.






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