The Lady Knights were able to avenge one of their two conference losses after the Vulcans won at home by a 72-63 score. The win moves Gannon to 17-3 overall with a 14-2 PSAC record.
For the second straight game, Gannon raced out to any early first-half lead, holding a 44-29 edge. The Lady Knights shot an astonishing 68 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes, hitting 17 of 25 shots.
A pair of free throws from
Mollie Sebald (Broadview Heights, Ohio / Holy Name) at the 16:22 mark sparked a 16-2 run for the Lady Knights that opened up a 14-point lead.
Papich added lay-ups on consecutive trips down the court before
Kelsey McCoy (Sylvania, Ohio / Sylvania Northview) scored on a fast-break with Papich passing up the ball in the lane. A miss and a turnover from California (Pa.) allowed Sundberg's basket to make the score 12-4 at the 14:05 mark.
Brittany Batts (Leesburg, Va. / Loudoun County) and
Caitlyn Lowe (Gettsyburg, Pa. / Gettysburg) then each drained three-pointers on back-to-back possessions, forcing California (Pa.) to call timeout.
The Vulcans' offense picked up after the break, but was unable to dent the Gannon lead. Papich's jumper at the 4:25 mark gave Gannon a 35-18 lead with 4:25 to play in the half. Four straight free throws from California (Pa.) cut the lead down to 13, but
Kelley Sundberg (Mansfield, Conn. / E.O. Smith) hit both of her shots from the charity stripe and Papich added a lay-up to push the lead back to 17.
California (Pa.) answered with a bucket before McCoy hit a three to give the Lady Knights an 18-point lead with 2:20 in the half. A three from Danielle Luckett cut the advantage back to 15 and was the lead Gannon took into the break.
California (Pa.) came out shooting in the second half, posting a 10-5 run that made the score 49-39 at the 17:17 mark. Papich hit a pair of free throws before Elena Antonenko converted a three-point play to get the lead down to single digits.
The two teams traded scores until a three from Ryah Gadson brought California (Pa.) with in eight points. Batts answered from long range for Gannon with a three that made the score 60-49 at the 11:04 mark.
Amy Johns answered with a score for California, but the bucket would represent Cal's only field goal over a five minute span that allowed the Lady Knights to build a 73-56 lead. The Vulcans were unable to stage any type of rally during the final five minutes of the game, as Gannon earned a 92-76 win.
The hot shooting in the first half was carried into the second half as the Lady Knights finished shooting 54.7 percent for the game. Eighteen California (Pa.) giveaways turned into 29 points for Gannon. The Lady Knights also had 20 assists and seven steals in the game.
Papich's 31 points set a new career-best mark for the sophomore forward. She was 11-of-15 from the floor and a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line. Papich had three rebounds, four assists, a block and a steal.
Sundberg and Glass both reached double digits in scoring with 10 points each. Sundberg dished out seven assists, had four rebounds and two steals. Glass was 4-of-6 from the floor with three rebounds and two assists.
McCoy and Lowe each added nine points while Sebald pulled down a team-high seven rebounds. Batts was 2-of-2 from long range, adding eight points in the win.
The loss dropped Cal to 12-8 overall with a 9-7 record in conference. The Lady Knights return to action on Wednesday, February 8 when the travel to No. 2 Edinboro for a top-20 match-up. Game time is set for 5:30 p.m.
