SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – Six Lady Knights scored between 10 and 12 points as the No. 8 Gannon women's basketball team used a balance attack to complete a perfect Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) crossover trip Wednesday night with a 73-61 victory at Shippensburg.
Shippensburg turned the early-game water rocky by jumping out to a large lead. The Red Raiders manufactured a 13-3 advantage 3:06 into the contest and later increased their lead to 21-10 at the 12:37 mark.
Following the second media time-out, Gannon appeared to be a different team.
Doriyon Glass (Boardman, Ohio/Boardman) scored on a fast-break lay-up and
Candice Hendricks (Randallstown, Md./McDonogh) followed with a three-pointer to sever the lead to 21-15 midway through the half.
Shippensburg momentarily stopped the momentum with a basket, but Gannon immediately responded with 11 consecutive points.
Kelsey McCoy (Sylvania, Ohio/Sylvania Northview) accounted for five of those points, including a three-pointer that drew the Lady Knights within 23-22. Another lay-up from Glass gave Gannon its first lead of the evening at 24-23 with 7:39 remaining in the first half.
Back-to-back three-pointers from
Brittany Batts (Leesburg, Va./Loudoun County) and
Mollie Sebald (Broadview Heights, Ohio/Holy Name) finished off the run. Sebald's triple pushed the Gannon lead to 32-25 at the 5:23 mark. In all, Lady Knights generated a 22-4 run over the span of four minutes and 58 seconds. The squad hit its first five attempts and eventually finished 8-of-10 from the field during the run.
Another three-pointer by Batts gave Gannon its biggest lead of the half at 40-30, before the Lady Knights went to the break up 43-34.
There were no major runs during the second half except for the first five minutes. Following an opening basket by Shippensburg, Gannon ripped off a 10-2 run to take a commanding 53-38 edge 2:34 into the final stanza. McCoy and Batts drained consecutive long-range bombs to extend the lead to 15 points. The Red Raiders were never able to get closer than 11 points the rest of the way.
Six different Gannon players reached double digits in scoring during a balanced attack. Batts and
Nettie Blake (Jersey City, N.J./Marist) led the way with 12 points each. Sebald and
Kelley Sundberg (Mansfield, Conn./E.O. Smith) followed with 11 points apiece. McCoy and Glass chipped in 10 points.
The balance included 10 Lady Knights who played double-digit minutes, five players who hit at least one three-pointer, seven Lady Knights who grabbed at least three rebounds, nine players who scored a point and five Lady Knights who recorded a steal.
Gannon shot 49 percent (24-49) from the field, 47.8 percent (11-23) from three-point range and 77.8 percent (14-18) from the free throw line. The Lady Knights reached double digits in three-pointers for the second consecutive game and fourth time this season.
Stephanie Knauer headlined the Shippensburg offensive with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Shawna Wert was close behind with 12 points. Mariah Traywick and Dana Wert added 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Shippensburg shot 39.2 percent (20-51) from the floor, 8.3 percent (1-12) from behind the arc and 83.3 percent (20-24) from the charity stripe.
Gannon, ranked eighth in the latest
USA Today Sports Division II Coaches' Poll, improved to 10-1 overall and remained the only undefeated team in league play at 5-0. The Lady Knights have won nine consecutive games after dropping their only game of the season against top-ranked Ashland at the Disney Tip-Off Classic. It represents the program's longest win streak since rolling off 37 straight in 2009-10.
Shippensburg dropped to 7-3 overall and 3-2 in conference action. Wednesday's result was the Red Raiders' first home loss against Gannon in four all-time meetings at the Heiges Field House.
Head coach
Cleve Wright's squad will take the next seven days off for the mandatory NCAA Division II “Balance in Life” dead period. In all, the Lady Knights will have 10 days off before completing their non-conference schedule Saturday, December 29 at Walsh. Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m.
