ERIE, Pa. - The eighth-ranked Gannon women's basketball team returns to Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) play this weekend by hosting two opponents at the Hammermill Center. The Lady Knights face 22nd-ranked Bloomsburg Friday, January 4 and Mansfield Saturday, January 5. Both contests are scheduled for 5:30 p.m. and can be heard live locally on 90.5 WERG.
Ticket windows will open both days at 4:30 p.m. Each day will feature doubleheaders with the schools' men playing at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for each doubleheader cost $5 for adults and $3 for non-Gannon students and senior citizens.
All Gannon students are admitted free of charge by showing their school ID at the front door.
Gannon (11-1, 5-0 PSAC) rides a 10-game win streak into the weekend, marking the program's longest win streak since the 2009-10 NCAA Division II Final Four team won its first 37 games.
This year's edition has proven to be one of the nation's most balanced. Ten Lady Knights average at least 10 minutes per game with an 11th logging 7.9 minutes per game. Eight players average at least four points per game with none producing more than 13.8 points per game.
The three-point shot has been a critical part to Gannon's success during the first 12 games. The Lady Knights lead the PSAC and rank 16th nationally in three-point field goal percentage, converting 40.7 percent (101-248) of their attempts.
Brittany Batts leads the conference with 43 three-pointers, averaging 3.6 per game.
Bloomsburg (7-2, 3-2) poses a big test in Gannon's first contest of 2013. The Huskies are ranked 22nd in the latest
USA Today Sports Division II Coaches' Poll. The defending PSAC Eastern Division champions are familiar faces to the postseason. Bloomsburg has won the last two PSAC Eastern Division regular-season titles, giving the program 14 all-time divisional championships. The Huskies advanced to the PSAC championship game last season, before falling at Edinboro 74-58.
Head coach Bill Cleary's squad also participated in the 2012 NCAA Division II Tournament, but fell to Indiana (Pa.) during the first round 77-76. The Huskies finished 26-6 overall and 18-4 in conference play last season.
Bloomsburg was picked to win the PSAC Eastern Division again in 2012-13, according to the league's preseason coaches' poll. The Huskies received seven of the eight first-place votes. Bloomsburg ranks 11th nationally in scoring offense (79.5), 11th in field goal percentage defense (32.2) and 12th in scoring margin (21.7).
Mansfield (3-6, 1-4) enters the weekend with a 3-6 overall record after falling at home to Le Moyne 71-60 Wednesday night. The PSAC Eastern Division club has struggled on the road with an 0-4 road mark. Its closest road contest was a 72-57 loss at West Chester on December 8. The Mountaineers' four road setbacks have come by an average margin of 30 points.
The three-point shot has been hard to come by for Mansfield opponents. The Mountaineers rank fourth among all NCAA Division II programs in three-point field goal percentage defense, limiting opponents to a 21.1-percent chart from behind the arc. Jena Matter brings one of the conference's best free throw accuracies into Saturday's contest. The junior forward ranks eighth among PSAC players with an 80-percent chart at the free throw line.
Gannon have never lost to either opponent this weekend. The Lady Knights are 3-0 all-time against Bloomsburg and 5-0 versus Mansfield.
