SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University men's basketball team continued its historic start to the 2025-26 season with a 76-70 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference win Saturday on the road at Shippensburg University.
 
The victory pushes The Rock's winning streak to seven games in addition to improving their overall record to a near spotless 10-1 and their PSAC mark to a perfect 3-0. Slippery Rock is now 10-1 for just the fifth time in program history, and the first time since 2009-10.
 
Slippery Rock earned its latest win thanks in no small part to making 43.8 percent of its 3-point attempts (7-of-16) as well as forcing Shippensburg into 17 miscues which were converted into 25 points off turnovers. SRU also grabbed 12 offensive rebounds, resulting in 15 second chance points, as part of a narrow +2 rebounding margin (36-34).
 
Additionally, The Rock committed just 11 turnovers, their second lowest total of the season. As a team, SRU shot 43.8 percent (28-of-64) from the field overall while wining despite an abnormally off night at the foul line (.565 / 13-for-23).
 
Shippensburg ended the game shooting 48.1 percent (26-of-54) overall and 75 percent (15-of-20) at the foul line, but just 21.4 percent (3-for-14) from 3-point range to go with its aforementioned 17 turnovers.
 
Individually, Ike Herster led five Rock athletes in double figures with 14 points, making him just 27 points away from scoring his 1,000th point at SRU. Brady Mayo came off the bench to nearly match Herster, finishing with 13 points as well as three steals. Mayo was 3-for-5 from 3-point range.
 
Dame Givner provided The Rock with 12 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals, while Elijah Hill produced 11 points and six rebounds.
 
Kerwin Prince just missed out on a double-double following a 10-point, seven-rebound performance. Four of Prince's rebounds came on the offensive glass.
 
Isaac James (8 points, 2 assists) and RJ Sledge (7 points, 2 assists, 1 steal) rounded out The Rock's top contributors.
 
After Slippery Rock and Shippensburg played to an even 36-36 in the opening 20 minutes, the second half started with SU edging its way out to a slim 43-38 advantage only for The Rock to respond with a quick 9-0 run that pushed The Rock back ahead, 47-43, at the under 16 media timeout (15:36).
 
The Rock's lead held for the following four minutes before the Raiders scored nine of the next 13 points to re-take the lead, 52-51, with 11:30 to play in regulation.
 
Aside from SRU briefly tying the contest at 60-60 courtesy of a Sledge offensive rebound putback layup with 6:47 to play and again at 2:26 after a Herster layup, Shippensburg clung to its lead for the majority of the next 10 minutes until a Givner three-point play via a layup and accompanying foul shot gave SRU a 69-68 edge with 1:47 showing on the clock.
 
The Rock and Raiders went on to trade free throws, vaulting the game into a 70-70 tie and just 64 seconds left in regulation. Coming out of a Rock timeout, Givner worked the ball inside to Hill who in turn went up and over a defending Timmy Corner to put home the go-ahead layup.
 
A missed jumper by Shippensburg on the ensuing possession forced the Raiders to put The Rock on the foul line, and while SRU did miss the first set of free throws an offensive rebound by Hill gave Slippery Rock a second chance of sealing the game at the foul line as Herster was eventually fouled.
 
Herster calmly converted both attempts followed by Givner forcing Michael Dickson into his seventh turnover of the day in the game's waning seconds leading to a final successful layup to put a bow on the 76-70 SRU victory.
 
The six-point loss drops Shippensburg's record to 5-4 overall and 0-2 in league games. The Raiders were led by Dickson, who had 21 points.
 
Slippery Rock closes out the weekend 3 p.m. Sunday at Lock Haven. A victory over the Bald Eagles would give SRU an 11-1 record for just the third time in the program's 115-year history.





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