Photo Gallery

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University women's basketball team dropped a 79-56 decision to California (Pa.) after the Vulcans shot 71.4 percent (10-of-14) through the fourth quarter Saturday at Morrow Field House.
 
The Rock suffer their sixth consecutive loss with the result, falling to 7-14 on the year and 4-11 within the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. The Vulcans improve to 13-10 overall and 9-7 in league play.
 
The Rock were well within striking distance after the third quarter, trailing California 53-47. Prior to the final 10 minutes, Slippery Rock and Cal went toe-to-toe in a back-and-forth affair that featured eight lead changes.
 
Rebecca Goetz led Slippery Rock for the second straight game, posting a career-high 16 points to go along with seven rebounds, three blocks, three steals and two assists. Sophia Hook added 13 points, seven rebounds and two assists to The Rock's offensive efforts as well.
 
Deryn Moye produced seven points while leading the team with three assists. She also contributed a block and one steal for Slippery Rock defensively. Hannah Pugliese recorded six points and five rebounds with a team-high four steals in her first career start. Mairan Haggerty coupled six points with eight rebounds to lead the team off the glass.
 
Brooklyn Jones (6 points, 1 rebound) and Kayley Joseph-Bernard (2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 block) rounded out SRU's scoring. Regan Atkins came down with three rebounds before exiting early in the first quarter with an injury. Hallie Raabe came away from the contest with one of Slippery Rock's 11 assists.
 
Slippery Rock responded to a 5-0 deficit with a 6-0 run to take its first lead of the game 4:02 into play. Cal held The Rock at bay for the remainder of the first, amassing a 15-13 edge. Goetz and Moye combined for a 5-0 burst at the outset of the second quarter that gave Slippery Rock an 18-15 lead.
 
Cal tied the game six times in the next six minutes. Slippery Rock made half of its shots (10-of-20) through the second quarter to lead by as many as three and trail by no more than three prior to halftime. Jones made a layup with six seconds remaining to cut a three-point deficit to 36-35 heading into the locker rooms.
 
The Vulcans went on a 6-0 run to open the second half, never to surrender the lead again. Back-to-back jump shots from Hook and Pugliese cut their lead to three, but Cal maintained a single-digit advantage through the remainder of the third.
 
After beginning the fourth period with a 53-47 advantage, Cal earned a 10-point lead 1:01 into the frame before Moye slashed the deficit to 57-49 with 8:28 left. A 12-3 California run was snapped when Pugliese made SRU's final field goal of the contest with 4:09 remaining.
 
An extra 10-0 run gave California the padding it needed to win by 23 points. Cal's 26-9 advantage through the fourth featured 71.4 percent field goal shooting (10-of-14) and a 60 percent clip from the 3-point arc (3-of-5). Cal's defense played the best it had all day in the final 10 minutes, holding The Rock to 18.8 percent (3-of-16) from the floor.
 
Slippery Rock wound up shooting 32.8 percent overall (22-of-67) and 7.1 percent from the perimeter (1-of-14). SRU fared better than Cal at the free throw line, going 11-for-15 (.733). The Rock suffered a -7 rebounding margin (45-38) and lost the turnover battle, 16-14 (-2).
 
California shot 46.4 percent (32-of-69), making 70.4 percent of its chances in the second and fourth quarters combined (19-of-27). Cal hit nine of its 25 3-point looks (.360) and went 6-of-10 at the foul line (.600). Talia Gilliard scored a 30-piece on 6-of-12 3-point shooting with six rebounds. Despite not scoring, Allycia Harris led the Vulcans with eight rebounds.
 
Slippery Rock will host its annual Black History Month Game 5:30 p.m. Feb. 12 against Gannon University. The Golden Knights were ranked 11^th nationally in the most recent Women's Basketball Coaches Association poll.





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).