The Slippery Rock University women’s basketball team saw their postseason hopes come to an end Wednesday night, falling 66–47 to Edinboro at Morrow Field House in a back-and-forth game. The loss dropped their overall record to 7-18 and 5-14 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC).
The night began with a tribute to head coach Ryenn Micaletti, followed by a moment of silence honoring former SRU head coach Bobby McGraw, who died in July 2022. Mikayla Keyes sang in honor of Black History Month, and the national anthem was played, setting the tone before tipoff.
Slippery Rock opened the game hot, jumping out to a 9–4 lead before the teams settled into a back-and-forth first quarter that ended tied at 14. Edinboro (17–11, 14–5 PSAC) used a quick burst early in the second quarter to gain momentum, but SRU repeatedly cut the deficit. The White and Green briefly took a 26–25 lead before trailing 29–28 at halftime.
The Rock, again, surged out of the break, stringing together a 9–0 run to reclaim control, but Edinboro responded with consistent scoring and entered the fourth quarter tied 41–41. The Fighting Scots dominated the final period, outscoring SRU 21–6 to pull away.
Slippery Rock shot 34.6 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from three-point range, but Edinboro’s consistency of 51.1 percent overall was too much for the White and Green to handle. The Fighting Scots were led by Rachel Manfredo’s 25-point, 13-rebound double-double, while Taylor Blunt (16 points) and Ava Haddad (11 points, three blocks) also reached double figures.
Slippery Rock leaned on their young core, including standout freshman guard Iyanna Wade, who has started every game this season. Wade finished with 16 points, matching teammate Alyssa Gillin for the team lead.
After the game, head coach Ryenn Micaletti touched on Wade’s performance. “I just think that she’s a very gifted player. She’s a great teammate too, and I don’t know if her stats always reflect, other than her assists, how humble she is, and just a student of the game.”
Gillin added six rebounds and a block, her 42nd of the season, moving her to tie for second place on SRU’s single-season blocks list and into fourth place all-time in career blocks.
Kayley Joseph-Bernard delivered one of the most complete performances of the night with seven points, four rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocks. Starters Karianna Woods and Mairan Haggerty chipped in four points each while combining for six rebounds and four assists.
Slippery Rock closes its season Saturday at the Convocation Center when they take on California University (Pa.). The Rock defeated the Vulcans 74–61 earlier this year and now has a chance to secure its first season sweep of California (Pa.) since the 1999–2000 season.
As Slippery Rock continues to build around its young roster, highlighted by Wade’s impressive freshman season, the program enters its final game looking to put an exclamation point on a challenging but successful year.
