ERIE, Pa. – The No. 11 Gannon women's basketball team got 24 points on near-perfect shooting from
Jen Papich (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel) and converted 26 free throws en route to a 78-68 victory against a pesky East Stroudsburg team Sunday afternoon at the Hammermill Center.
Gannon never trailed during Sunday's PSAC crossover game, but the Lady Knights could never fully pull away from East Stroudsburg. The home squad roared out of the gates, scoring the first 12 points of the game. Papich scored on a driving lay-up five seconds after the opening tip to start the burst.
Brittany Batts (Leesburg, Va./Loudoun County) nailed a pair of three-pointers during the run. Her second bomb capped the 12-0 run 2:51 into the affair.
East Stroudsburg made it known right away it wouldn't fold early though. The Warriors used a 7-0 run to pull within 16-12 at the 14:25 mark. The visitors then clawed within 22-21 after Jessica Martin's jumper midway through the stanza.
Gannon was able to regain control before losing the lead. A 6-0 run that included two
Nettie Blake (Jersey City, N.J./Marist) free throws, a Papich lay-up and two Batts free throws push the lead back to 28-21 with 8:17 remaining in the half. The lead ballooned to 37-25 following another Batts three-pointer, before the Lady Knights settled for a 41-34 lead at the intermission.
Head coach
Cleve Wright's squad stretched its lead into double digits seven times during the second half only to see East Stroudsburg cut it to single digits every time. However, the Warriors could never manage the deficit to less than seven points. Gannon's lead reached double digits for the eighth time during the second half at 77-66 with 1:04 to play. ESU finally didn't have an answer as the Lady Knights secured a 78-68 victory.
Papich led all scorers on both teams with 24 points, hitting 8-of-11 shots while making 7-of-8 free throws. The junior forward has now reached double digits in scoring during four consecutive games after failing to do so during the first three contests. Two of the last three games saw Papich go over the 20-point plateau.
Batts was next with 13 points, including nine points from three first-half triples. Blake and
Doriyon Glass (Boardman, Ohio/Boardman) added 12 points each. Blake went 8-of-12 from the free throw line. Glass finished 6-of-9 from the field.
Kelley Sundberg (Mansfield, Conn./E.O. Smith) ran the offense with eight assists, six points and three rebounds.
Gannon shot 49 percent (24-49) from the field, 30.8 percent (4-13) from three-point range and 70.3 percent (26-37) from the free throw line. The 26 free throws made were the most since converting 27 during a 92-76 victory against California (Pa.) on February 4, 2012. The 37 free throws attempted represented the program's most since shooting 40 during an 81-75 triple-overtime win against Henderson State on November 28, 2009.
Helena Gemmell led East Stroudsburg with 16 points and four three-pointers off the bench. Martin was the only other Warrior in double digits with 12 markers.
East Stroudsburg shot 44.2 percent (23-52) from the floor, 70 percent (7-10) from behind the arc and 88.2 percent (15-17) from the charity stripe.
Gannon, ranked 11th in the latest USA Today Sports Top 25 Poll, improved to 6-1 overall and 2-0 in the PSAC with its fifth consecutive victory. It was the Lady Knights' fourth straight win against East Stroudsburg, extending their lead in the all-time series to 6-2. The Warriors dropped to 1-4 overall and 0-2 in conference play.
Wright's club returns to non-conference action Wednesday, December 5 at NCAA Division II Independent Notre Dame (Ohio). Game time is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
