ERIE, Pa. –
Brittany Batts (Leesburg, Va./Loudoun County) hit seven consecutive three-pointers and scored a career-high 26 points as the No. 10 Gannon women's basketball team won a top-15 battle against No. 14 Indiana (Pa.) 69-58 Saturday afternoon at the Hammermill Center.
Playing without leading scorer
Jen Papich (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel), Gannon received more than enough compensation from Batts. The sophomore guard missed her first three shots from behind the arc, before draining seven consecutive three-pointers. The effort equaled the most triples in a game since
Caitlyn Lowe hit seven against Lock Haven on February 8, 2012 and was two shy of the Gannon single-game record.
The majority of the first half was played on dead-even terms until Gannon put a run together late in the half that gave the Lady Knights breathing room that they would never relinquished. The home squad snapped a 19-19 tie with a decisive 12-2 run.
Nettie Blake (Jersey City, N.J./Marist) started the streak with a jumper. Four different Lady Knights scored during the run that was capped by consecutive bombs from Batts. The second pushed the Gannon lead to 31-21 with 1:43 remaining in the first half. Her third triple in the span of 2:18 gave the Lady Knights a 35-23 edge with 57 seconds left, before a late IUP basket accounted for the 35-25 halftime score.
Gannon never let Indiana (Pa.) produce a run during the second half. The Lady Knights grabbed their biggest lead of the afternoon at 49-35 following
Kelsey McCoy's (Sylvania, Ohio/Sylvania Northview) jumper with 10:15 to play.
The lead never dipped below eight points the rest of the way. Gannon held a 14-point advantage on five different occasions, before posting a 69-58 victory.
Batts led all scorers from both teams with a career-high 26 points, hitting 8-of-15 overall shots and 7-of-10 three-pointers. She also went 3-of-4 from the free throw line while grabbing four rebounds.
Jennie Thies (Lakewood, N.Y./Southwestern) was the only other Gannon player in double digits with 10 points off the bench. Seven different Lady Knights scored and nine played at least 11 minutes during the team effort.
Gannon shot 48.1 percent (25-52) from the field, 36.4 percent (8-22) from three-point range and 57.9 percent (11-19) from the free throw line.
Lindsay Stamp led the IUP offensive attack with 14 points off the bench. Sarah Pastorek and Melanie Todd added 13 and 11 points, respectively.
Indiana (Pa.) shot 37.5 percent (18-48) from the floor, 16.7 percent (3-18) from behind the arc and 86.4 percent (19-22) from charity stripe.
Gannon, ranked No. 10 in the latest USA Today Sports Division II Coaches' Poll, improved to 8-1 overall and 3-0 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) with its seven consecutive victory. It marks the program's longest win streak since opening the 2011-12 campaign with eight straight wins. The Lady Knights also extended streaks of consecutive regular-season home wins to 10 and victories when leading at halftime to 11.
Indiana (Pa.), ranked No. 14 in the national rankings, suffered its first loss. The Crimson Hawks are now 6-1 overall and 2-1 in league play.
Head coach
Cleve Wright's club has 10 days off before returning to action Tuesday, December 18 at Millersville. The PSAC crossover battle is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
