ERIE, Pa. - For the second time this season, the Gannon women's basketball team will host a nationally-ranked team at the Hammermill Center. The #20 Lady Knights will take on #17 Indiana (Pa.) Wednesday, February 1 at 5:30 p.m. The contest can be heard locally on 90.5 WERG.
Tickets cost $5 for adults and $3 for non-Gannon students and senior citizens. All Gannon students are admitted free of charge by showing their school ID at the front door.
The last time the Lady Knights took to the court they earned a 73-64 win over Lock Haven. Gannon featured another balanced scoring effort as four Lady Knights reached double digits in scoring. Gannon netted a season-high 23 free throws during the contest, including 16 in the second half.
Kelley Sundberg (Mansfield, Conn. / E.O. Smith) recorded career-best marks in scoring (12) and rebounds (6) while dishing out six assists.
The Lady Knights currently rank second in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) and 11th in the country in assists (17.5). Sundberg is averaging a team-best 5.5 helpers per game while
Doriyon Glass (Boardman, Ohio / Boardman) and
Jen Papich (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Fox Chapel) both average better than two per game.
Papich is averaging 14.4 points for the Lady Knights, ranking her ninth in the conference in scoring. The sophomore also has a team-best 2.9 steals per game which ranks second in the league and 22nd nationally.
The Crimson Hawks turn the ball over 19.7 times per game, but have relied heavily on their defensive effort to post a16-2 overall record. Indiana (Pa.) is seventh in the country in scoring defense, allowing just 51.7 points. They have held opponents to 45 points of less seven times this season. Only three foes have scored 70 points or more. IUP ranks ninth in the country in field-goal percentage defense (33.6).
Sarah Pastorek is the only Crimson Hawk in the starting line-up that averages double digits. The junior forward paces 13.9 points and 7.7 rebounds. She ranks 11th in the conference in scoring and fourth in field-goal percentage (50.0).
Gannon and Indiana (Pa.) will face off for the 23rd time in the history of the series. The Crimson Hawks hold a 13-9 overall edge after sweeping the season series last year. The pair faced off a total of four times during the 08-09 season, meeting both in the PSAC tournament and the NCAA tournament. IUP earned a 64-60 win in the PSAC playoffs before Gannon ended the Crimson Hawks season with a 69-65 overtime win in NCAA action.
