SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. — The Slippery Rock University women's basketball team will look to end a seven-game slide 1 p.m. Saturday on the road at Pitt-Johnstown.
 
The Rock bring a 7-15 overall record that includes a 4-12 showing within the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. The Mountain Cats are looking to snap a 10-game winless drought of their own, owning a 2-21 overall record that contains an 0-16 winless circuit throughout the PSAC.
 
WATCH LIVE
Fans can watch Saturday's game live for free via the links below provided by Pitt-Johnstown Sports Information.
 
GAME 23 of 26
Opponent: Pitt-Johnstown
Date: Saturday – 1 p.m.
Location: Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Venue: Sports Center
Live Video: PSAC Sports Digital Network
Live Stats: Pitt-Johnstown Sports Information
In-game Updates: X (@Rock_Athletics)
All-Time Series: 15-43
Current Streak: W1
Last Played: Jan. 6, 2025 at SRU (SRU won, 71-58)
 
TOP ACTIVE SRU CAREER PER-GAME STATS vs. PITT-JOHNSTOWN
Regan Atkins – 21.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 2.0 steals (3 GP)
Sophia Hook – 21.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.0 steal (1 GP)
Kayley Joseph-Bernard – 13.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists (1 GP)
Alyssa Gillin – 6.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 0.7 steals (3 GP)
Tahmala Thorpe – 4.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.0 steal (1 GP)
 
SERIES HISTORY
The Rock and the Mountain Cats will be facing off for the 59^th time in series history, a matchup that UPJ owns a 43-15 lead in. Slippery Rock most recently snapped a five-game losing streak to Pitt-Johnstown, picking up its first win over the Mountain Cats since Jan. 5, 2022 with a 71-58 home victory Jan. 6.
 
Regan Atkins led the way with 24 points in that game on 7-of-9 shooting and a 4-of-6 approach from the 3-point arc. Sophia Hook lit up from 3-point range as well, knocking down five treys en route to a 21-point, seven-rebound effort. Alyssa Gillin (six points) and Kayley Joseph-Bernard (13 points) both led SRU with eight rebounds each. 
 
Slippery Rock is seeking its first road win at the UPJ Sports Center since a 64-60 result Jan. 17, 2018. A win Saturday would give SRU its first road win at Pitt-Johnstown in six trips. Sierra Fordham led The Rock that day with 15 points, shooting 5-of-9 from the floor.
 
A Slippery Rock victory Saturday would also mark the first back-to-back wins over Pitt-Johnstown since Feb. 12, 2020 and Jan. 5, 2022.
 
SRU most recently dropped a 64-42 decision in its last road trip to Pitt-Johnstown Jan. 20, 2024. Atkins led The Rock with 20 points, as the team was held to just 27.7 percent from the hardwood (13-of-47). A third of UPJ's made field goals came from beyond the 3-point arc, shooting 42.9 percent from distance (9-of-21).
 

TEAM COMPARISON
THE ROCK	STAT	UPJ
61.7	Points per Game	57.8
69.5	Opp. Points per Game	72.8
38.8%	Field Goal Pct.	37.1%
40.6%	Opp. Field Goal Pct.	43.8%
30.6%	3-Point Pct.	27.0%
33.5%	Opp 3-Point Pct.	28.9%
6.2	3-Pointers Made per Game	5.0
71.7%	Free Throw Pct.	73.1%
37.3	Rebounds per Game	35.0
39.7	Opp. Rebounds per Game	38.7
-2.4	Rebounding Margin	-3.7
13.1	Assists	13.3
-3.1	Turnover Margin	-4.5
6.6	Steals	9.1
3.5	Blocks	2.0
Per game averages

 
THE ROCK BY THE NUMBERS   |   Roster   |   Stats
Overall Record: 7-15
PSAC Record: 4-12
Home Record: 4-8
Away Record: 2-6
Neutral Record: 1-1
Last Five: 0-5
Streak: L7
PSAC West Rank: 7^th of 8
Head Coach: Ryenn Micaletti | Second season at SRU (9-38)
 
LAST TIME OUT
Slippery Rock suffered its seventh straight loss by way of an 81-40 defeat to No. 23 Gannon University Feb. 12 at Morrow Field House. The Golden Knights blitzed The Rock early and often, starting the game on a 17-0 run and holding SRU off the board for the first 5:47 of the contest.
 
The Rock were only outscored 33-28 through the second and third quarters combined but another 19-0 sprint through the fourth quarter propelled the nationally ranked Golden Knights even further ahead. Gannon shot 54.2 percent from the floor (32-of-59) and 47.8 percent from the arc (11-of-23) while holding SRU to 27.5 percent overall (14-of-51).
 
Hook led Slippery Rock with nine points, joining Brooklyn Jones as SRU's top rebounders with four boards apiece.
 
LEADING THE ROCK
10.1 points per game from Hook leads the way behind per-game averages accumulated by Atkins (11.4) and Tahmala Thorpe (10.3). Joseph-Bernard has averaged 7.0 points per game this year, the only player on the roster to have started all 22 games thus far. Jones has contributed 6.8 points per game with 6.5 coming from Gillin.
 
Rebecca Goetz has continued to stand out as one of SRU's most efficient shooters, making 57.7 percent of her field goal attempts this season (30-of-52). Joseph-Bernard is SRU's top high-volume shooters, converting 45.6 percent from the floor (67-of-147). Gillin continues to rank well in field goal percentage as well at 39.6 percent (53-of-134).
 
Jones leads Slippery Rock's 3-point shooting efforts with a 37.7 percent clip (20-of-53). Hook continues to make more threes than anyone else on the squad, now at 1.9 3-pointers per game. On the year, she is shooting 28.6 percent from the perimeter (32-of-112).
 
Joseph-Bernard is still the team's leading rebounder at 7.4 boards per game. Goetz has climbed to take sole possession of first on the team with 1.7 offensive rebounds per game.
 
On top of rebounding, Joseph-Bernard leads Slippery Rock with 3.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.1 blocks per game.
 
WHERE THEY STAND
Despite a 4-12 record in the conference, Slippery Rock is just one spot shy of sixth place in the PSAC West. The top six teams in each division of the PSAC will qualify for the PSAC Tournament. Clarion currently holds the sixth seed with a 7-10 conference record.
 
In order to jump the Golden Eagles, The Rock's best path would start by defeating Clarion at Morrow Field House 5:30 p.m. Feb. 19. Clarion will also play Gannon Feb. 15 and Indiana University (Pa.) Feb 28 – both teams with better records than the Golden Eagles.
 
If Clarion were to lose all three of those games, Slippery Rock would need just two other victories in its remaining five contests. If SRU comes away from UPJ with a win and defeats Clarion at home, The Rock will need to steal a win from either IUP Feb. 22 or Edinboro Feb. 26 on the road. Both IUP and Boro have already clinched PSAC Tournament berths.
 
In that scenario, both SRU and Clarion are 7-13 in conference play with one win and one loss against one another. The next tiebreaker is "record vs. top seeded conference division team(s) progressing down until the tie is broken." Because SRU would beat either IUP or Edinboro in this hypothetical, The Rock would prevail with this tiebreaker.
 
A Clarion upset win over No. 23 Gannon Saturday paired with a Slippery Rock loss at Pitt-Johnstown would eliminate SRU from postseason contention. SRU is not eliminated if both Clarion and itself lose Saturday, but it would make it significantly less likely for Slippery Rock to qualify for the PSAC Tournament.
 
GOING FOR THE SWEEP
With Slippery Rock having defeated Pitt-Johnstown earlier this year at Morrow Field House, Saturday presents the final opportunity of the 2024-25 season for Slippery Rock to sweep a PSAC West team in round-robin play.
 
Slippery Rock's most recent two-game sweep of an opponent came two seasons ago, and it also required a road win late in the season. The Rock beat IUP Jan. 25, 2023 at home, 52-48, and secured the sweep of the Crimson Hawks Feb. 18 with a 70-57 victory at Indiana.
 
SRU also swept Mercyhurst University in the 2022-23 season, earning a 60-58 road win and defeating the Lakers at Morrow Field House, 67-52.
 
A WELCOME CHANGE OF PACE
The 2-21 Pitt-Johnstown Mountain Cats are the first team with a losing record Slippery Rock has played in eight games. The last time The Rock played a team with an overall record south of .500 was against Lake Erie College Jan. 11, a 60-57 win for SRU.
 
The last five games that Slippery Rock has played have come against opponents whose combined overall record is 91-26 (.778).
 
ANOTHER NEW LOOK ON THE COURT
Slippery Rock's third different starting lineup in as many games – and its eighth unique starting five of the season – came with Goetz's first career start. The freshman forward from Pittsburgh tallied four points, scoring for the fourth consecutive game. She also netted two rebounds, two assists and one block.
 
On top of 10.7 points per game, Goetz has now averaged 4.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.0 steal and 2.3 blocks per game in her last three outings.
 
SIDELINE SUPPORT
SRU has amassed 31.0 points off the bench per game in its last three games, a number that was vaulted by 44 bench points against No. 10 Seton Hill University Feb. 1.
 
The Rock saw 21 of its 40 total points against No. 23 Gannon pour in off the bench, coming from six different players. Anye Washington led that group with five points, with Mairan Haggerty and Endya Robinson each scoring four. Jones and Ava Darney each added three points with two coming by way of Gillin.
 
Slippery Rock now averages 20.2 points off the bench per game this season, which ranks fifth in the PSAC.
 
PRECISION AT THE LINE
At 71.7 percent, Slippery Rock stacks up fourth in the PSAC West in free throw percentage. SRU enters the weekend on a four-game streak of shooting at least 71.4 percent or better at the charity stripe.
 
The Rock shot their best at the free throw line in 13 games against Gannon, converting 81.8 percent (9-of-11). A 7-of-8 showing against Bloomsburg University (87.5 percent) Dec. 7 is SRU's highest free throw percentage of the season.
 
Hannah Pugliese went 6-for-6 at the stripe to earn all six of her points versus Gannon, tying the team's season-high for an individual this season. Thorpe went 6-for-6 at the line against West Chester University Nov. 22.
 
Pugliese has now made 15 of the first 18 free throw attempts in her collegiate career, 83.3 percent. Despite playing in just seven games this season, Pugliese is one of eight players on the roster to have made 15 free throws.
 
RACKING UP THE TREYS
Despite just four made 3-pointers in the last two games combined, Slippery Rock still ranks fifth in the PSAC with 6.2 made triples per game. The Rock have shot greater than 30 percent from the 3-point arc in five of their last 10 games. SRU made 10-of-27 against Pitt-Johnstown Jan. 6, 37.0 percent.
 
WELL-DISCIPLINED
Slippery Rock commits just 15.7 fouls per game, which ranks fourth in the PSAC in clean play. SRU have fouled just 19 times in the last two games combined, committing a season-best nine fouls against Gannon.
 
The last time Slippery Rock fouled fewer than 10 times in a game was in its penultimate game last season with nine fouls against Edinboro Feb. 28, 2024.
 
KAYLEY IN THE RANKINGS
Joseph-Bernard continues to rank highly throughout the conference in several different statistical categories:
 
Joseph-Bernard Stat (PSAC Rank)
1.3 assist/turnover ratio (4^th)
3.4 assists per game (6^th)
5.7 defensive rebounds per game (6^th)
75 total assists (7^th)
1.1 blocks per game (8^th)
7.4 rebounds per game (8^th)
25 total blocks (9^th)
162 total rebounds (10^th)
31.7 minutes per game (21^st)
 
STANDING OUT NATIONALLY
Joseph-Bernard ranks seventh among all Division II forwards with 3.4 assists per game. That rate lands her on top of the Atlantic Region as well:
 
Atlantic Region Assists per Game by Forwards (School, Conference)
1. Kayley Joseph-Bernard – 3.4 (Slippery Rock, PSAC)
2. Mia Kalich – 3.2 (Seton Hill, PSAC)
3. Talia Trotter – 2.9 (Fayetteville State, CIAA)
 
ROCK STARS OF RECENT
• Darney's three points against Gannon came by way of her first career 3-pointer.
 
• Washington recorded two rebounds in the same game for the first time this season, now with three rebounds in her last two games.
 
• Moye tied a season-high two steals against the Golden Knights, a number she reached in SRU's season-opening win against Davis & Elkins College.
 
• Goetz matched a personal-best two assists for the second straight game. She also logged two assists against Salem University Nov. 16 in a 10-point showing.
 
• Thanks in part to her team-leading 6-of-6 effort at the foul line, Pugliese has now made nine consecutive free throws spanning the last three games.
 
THE MOUNTAIN CATS BY THE NUMBERS   |   Roster   |   Stats
Overall Record: 2-21
PSAC Record: 0-16
Home Record: 0-10
Away Record: 2-10
Neutral Record: 0-1
Last Five: 0-5
Streak: 10
PSAC West Rank: 8^th of 8
Head Coach: D'wan Shackleford-Vickroy | First season at UPJ (2-21, .087)
HC Career Record: Same
 
PITT-JOHNSTOWN SCOUTING REPORT
The Mountain Cats continue to look for their first conference win of the season, looking to avoid an 11^th consecutive loss Saturday.
 
As the first team in the PSAC West eliminated from PSAC Tournament contention, UPJ almost got that first league win this week against IUP by forcing overtime. The Crimson Hawks put the upset bid to rest, outscoring UPJ 14-2 in overtime to squeak out a 79-67 win. That also would have been Pitt-Johnstown's first home win of the season.
 
One of Belle Bosch's five double-doubles came at Slippery Rock earlier this season on 21 points and 10 rebounds. The sophomore from New Paris, Pennsylvania leads the team with 14.7 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. She is shooting 44.4 percent on the season, good enough for eighth in the PSAC.
 
Riley Childress, the only UPJ player to have started and played in all 23 games thus far, ranks third in the conference and 32^nd in Division II nationally with 4.6 assists per game.
 
Pitt-Johnstown's two wins on the season came at Davis & Elkins Nov. 16 (82-68) and West Virginia State University Jan. 2 (81-80).
 
LOOKING AHEAD
Slippery Rock will celebrate Senior Day in its final home game of the season 5:30 p.m. Feb. 19 against Clarion.





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