ERIE, Pa. - The 10th-ranked Gannon women's basketball team begins a two-game Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division road swing Saturday, January 26 at Clarion. The contest is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. and can be heard live on Jet Radio 1400.
Gannon (17-2, 11-1 PSAC) still maintains sole possession of first place in the PSAC Western Division, holding a one-game lead over two-time defending conference champion Edinboro with 10 regular-season contests remaining. The top six teams in each division will qualify for the newly-formatted PSAC Tournament. The top two teams will receive first-round byes while the sixth seed plays at the third seed and the fifth seed plays at the fourth seed. The top two teams will then hosts quarterfinal games with the PSAC Final Four being hosted by the top remaining seed in the Eastern Division.
Head coach
Cleve Wright's club is ranked 10th in the latest
USA Today Sports Division II Coaches' Poll. The Lady Knights have been ranked among the nation's top 25 in 19 consecutive polls dating back to last season. The squad is 3-1 against top-25 teams and has defeated two programs listed among others receiving votes at the time of competition.
Gannon continues to build on two long streaks. The Lady Knights have won 14 consecutive regular-season home games and 20 straight contests when leading at halftime dating back to last season. Junior
Kelley Sundberg and sophomore
Brittany Batts are still the best in the conference at their trade. Sundberg tops the PSAC in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.2) and assists per game (5.1). Batts is No. 1 in three-point field goal percentage (47.7) and three-point field goals per game (3.3).
Clarion (9-9, 5-7) is on the verge of a playoff spot. The Golden Eagles are tied with Mercyhurst for fifth place in the PSAC West. The squad is two games behind California (Pa.) for the final PSAC Tournament first-round home game.
Head coach Margaret “Gie” Parsons has long been one of the top coaches in NCAA Division II. The 32nd-year head coach has 447 career victories, including 337 during 24 years at Clarion. The Golden Eagles have not won or lost more than two games in a row this season since winning three straight contests December 8-18.
Gannon has won 10 consecutive games against Clarion and leads the all-time series 27-14. Things have not been as easy at Clarion's W.S. Tippin Gymnasium where Gannon is 10-8 all-time, but the Lady Knights have won the last five games played on Clarion's home floor. The Lady Knights' last loss to Clarion overall came in 1994-95.
