CHEYNEY, Pa. – Eleven of 12 Lady Knights in uniform played at least 12 minutes as the No. 6 Gannon women's basketball team used another balanced performance Friday afternoon to capture a 73-52 victory at Cheyney.
The rare Friday afternoon verdict extended Gannon's win streak to 13 games. The Lady Knights have not tasted defeat since falling to top-ranked Ashland on November 10 and have produced the program's longest win streak since the 2009-10 NCAA Division II Final Four team won 37 straight contests.
Gannon led from start to finish against Cheyney, opening the affair with a 9-1 run. The Wolves began the game by missing their first four shots and turning the ball over three times during the first five minutes. The home squad didn't convert its first field goal until 5:22 into the game.
Head coach
Cleve Wright's club pushed its lead into double digits at 32-22 on
Jennie Thies' (Lakewood, N.Y./Southwestern) lay-up with 4:32 remaining in the first half.
Cheyney drew within 32-26, before Gannon scored the final 10 points of the half. Thies started the half-ending run with an old-fashion three-point play after being fouled while converting a lay-up.
Brittany Batts' (Leesburg, Va./Loudoun County) lay-up with four seconds left closed out the scoring, sending the Lady Knights to the break with a 42-26 advantage.
Batts opened the second half with a three-point bomb, capping a 13-0 run that began during the first half. Cheyney snapped the streak with a jumper at the 17:33 mark. In all, the Lady Knights held the Wolves scoreless for five minutes and 48 seconds.
Gannon assumed its biggest lead of the afternoon at 72-47 after a brief 9-2 run. Cheyney followed with five of the last six points to account for the final 73-52 score.
Jen Papich (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel) led the Gannon offensive unit with 15 points, three rebounds and three assists. Batts was close behind with 14 points, hitting 4-of-7 three-pointers.
Mollie Sebald (Broadview Heights, Ohio/Holy Name) and
Nettie Blake (Jersey City, N.J./Marist) added 12 and 10 points off the bench. Nine different Lady Knights dented the scoring column and 10 grabbed at least one rebound.
Gannon shot 52.9 percent (27-51) from the field, including a 55.6-percent (15-27) mark during the first half and a 50-percent (12-24) slate during the second half. It's the second time the Lady Knights shot at least 50 percent during both halves this season. The squad also performed the feat during an 80-55 victory at Seton Hill on November 16. Gannon also shot 30.4 percent (7-23) from three-point range and 57.1 percent (12-21) from the free throw line Friday afternoon.
Kyra Hines-Allen was the top scorer on both sides with 18 points and six rebounds off the Cheyney bench. Tamara Russell and Lachelle Miller chipped in 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Cheyney shot 44.7 percent (17-38) from the floor, 0 percent (0-4) from behind the arc and 69.2 percent (18-26) from the charity stripe. Gannon held its opponent without a three-point field goal for the first time since Penn State Greater Allegheny missed its only two triple tries during the 2011-12 season opener on November 14.
Gannon, ranked No. 6 in the
USA Today Sports Division II Coaches' Poll, improved to 14-1 overall and remained perfect in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) at 8-0 with its 13th consecutive victory. Cheyney remained winless overall (0-11) and within conference play (0-8) after suffering its 43rd straight loss dating back to the 2010-11 campaign.
The Lady Knights complete the PSAC crossover schedule Saturday, January 12 at West Chester. Game time is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
