SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University men's basketball team lost a home Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division game to California (Pa.), 86-75, Saturday at Morrow Field House.
 
The loss moves The Rock's record to 13-6 overall and 6-5 in league games while the visiting Vulcans improve to 13-5 overall and 10-1 inside the conference.
 
Kerwin Prince led Slippery Rock on the day by turning in a great all-around performance of 16 points, 16 rebounds, four steals and three assists while shooting 8-of-13 from the field. Prince's 16 rebounds are tied for the most by a Rock athlete in a single-game over the last three seasons. The double-double was his third of the year, and second in the last four games.
 
Prince paced five Rock athletes in double-figures Saturday, with Dame Givner chipping in 14 points as SRU's second-leading scorer. Brady Mayo came off the bench to supply SRU with 12 points as well.
 
Point guard RJ Sledge added an 11-point, six-rebound, five-rebound showing and Sheick Samoura rounded out The Rock's double-digit scorers at 10 points alongside five rebounds and a block.
 
Isaac James just missed out on joining Slippery Rock's double-digit scorers, finishing with eight points, eight rebounds and one block.  
 
As a team, SRU shot 38.3 percent (31-of-81) from the field overall, including an 8-of-25 (.320) day from 3-point range. The Rock also converted 5-of-8 free throw attempts. Slippery Rock made just 11 turnovers in the loss, its second lowest total in 2025-26.
 
Slippery Rock held a +6 (47-41) rebounding margin thanks in no small part to 20 offensive rebounds, the team's second highest such total this year. The Rock converted their sizable offensive rebound tally into 18 second chance points.
 
Cal left Morrow Field House shooting 46.4 percent (26-for-56) overall despite making just two of its 14 3-point attempts (.143). The Vulcans made the most of their trips to the foul line, hitting on 32-of-41 free throws (.780).  
 
California jumped out to a 16-8 lead over the game's opening seven minutes, establishing an edge they never relinquished. While SRU did trim its deficit to as little as four points at 28-24 following a James jumper with 5:50 to play in the first period, California answered by closing the half on a 15-7 spurt to take a 43-31 advantage into the break.
 
Cal finished the opening half shooting 51.6 percent to The Rock's 37.8 percent. Prince nearly registered his double-double in the first half with eight points and nine rebounds through the opening 20 minutes.
 
The Vulcans grew their lead out to as many as 17 points early in the second half, forcing SRU to continue to play catch-up. To their credit, Slippery Rock made several spirited rally bids including a 15-6 run in the middle stages of the second half that brought The Rock to within six points at 74-68 with 5:05 left in regulation.
 
Sledge and Mayo accounted for 11 of Slippery Rock's points during the run.

However, the comeback bid was not to be as California countered the SRU push by scoring the game's next seven points to vault its lead back into double-digits where it remained for nearly the rest of the game en route to the eventual 11-point win.
 
Bryson Lucas tallied a 21-point, 10-rebound, four-block double-double for California, while Jordyn Buchanan went for 17 points.
 
Slippery Rock returns to the road for a 7:30 p.m. Jan. 28 contest at Edinboro before embarking on a three-game homestand.





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