ERIE, Pa. –
Jen Papich (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel) ripped off a season-high 26 points as the No. 10 Gannon women's basketball team rallied from a 12-point first-half deficit to post a 71-62 victory against No. 21 Edinboro Wednesday night in front of 1,052 fans at the Hammermill Center.
The victory was Gannon's first in the all-time series since an 81-67 win during the 2010 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Quarterfinals, snapping a five-game losing streak against Edinboro in the process. More importantly, the Lady Knights held onto sole possession of first place in the PSAC West, extending their lead over the two-time defending conference champion to two games with four regular-season contests remaining. The squad can clinch a first-round bye and a PSAC quarterfinal home game with a victory Saturday afternoon against Clarion.
Head coach
Cleve Wright's club also continued its success against nationally-ranked teams. Wednesday's victory was Gannon's fourth in five games against top-25 teams this season. The Lady Knights have also defeated a pair of teams among others receiving votes at the time of competition.
Edinboro appeared to be on its way to a third consecutive season sweep of Gannon through the first 17 minutes. But the final three minutes of the first half might have been more beneficial confidence-wise to the Lady Knights than the points they scored.
Trailing 28-16, Gannon scored 11 of the first half's final 15 points. Papich ignited the run with back-to-back lay-ups.
Kelley Sundberg (Mansfield, Conn./E.O. Smith) followed with an old-fashion three-point play. After an Edinboro basket,
Mollie Sebald (Broadview Heights, Ohio/Holy Name) cut the deficit to 30-26 with a three-point bomb. The Edinboro lead eventually sat at 32-27 after the first-half horn sounded.
The second half belonged to Gannon. The Lady Knights shot 56 percent (14-25) while out-scoring the Fighting Scots 44-30 during the final 20 minutes.
Edinboro stretched its lead to 39-31 two minutes and 46 seconds into the second half. Gannon then out-scored the visitors 40-23 the rest of the way.
Brittany Batts (Leesburg, Va./Loudoun County) kick started an 11-2 blitz with her first triple of the evening. A Sundberg free throw and
Jennie Thies (Lakewood, N.Y./Southwestern) lay-in knotted the contest at 42 with 11:24 remaining.
The two teams traded blows for the next three minutes, before Gannon pulled away. The Lady Knights turned a 48-47 deficit into an eight-point lead with nine straight points. Papich netted the final seven points of the run, including a buzzer-beating three-pointer as the shot clock expired.
Edinboro tried to respond by cutting the deficit to 56-52, but Gannon answered again. This time, it was an 8-1 rally. The big play was a
Doriyon Glass' (Boardman, Ohio/Boardman) coast-to-coast lay-up while being fouled.
Papich added another lay-up while being fouled to give Gannon a 67-60 lead. The Lady Knights then converted 5-of-7 free throws during the final 1:36 to ice the victory. Papich led all scorers for both teams with a season-high 26 points and six rebounds. The junior forward is now only eight points shy of becoming the 24th women's basketball student-athlete in school history to reach the 1,000-point plateau. Thies was the only other Lady Knight in double digits with a season-high 10 points for the second consecutive game off the bench.
Gannon shot 49 percent (24-49) from the field, 54.5 percent (6-11) from three-point range and 73.9 percent (17-23) from the free throw line.
Samantha Blazetic headlined the Edinboro offensive attack with 22 points, hitting 9-of-11 attempts. Darche' Jackson and Kiara Brown added 17 points each.
Edinboro shot 38.2 percent (21-55) from the floor, 25 percent (3-12) from behind the arc and 94.4 percent (17-18) from the charity stripe.
Gannon, ranked 10th in the
USA Today Sports Division II Coaches' Poll, improved to 22-3 overall and 16-2 in the PSAC with its seventh victory in the last eight games. The Lady Knights have won 16 consecutive regular-season home contests. Edinboro, tabbed 21st in the
USA Today Sports Division II Coaches' Poll, dropped to 17-5 overall and 14-4 in league play.
The Peach Street kids return to action Saturday, February 16 against Clarion at the Hammermill Center. It will be Gannon's annual Pink Zone game. Admission is free and fans are encouraged to purchase a Pink Zone “Dominate” T-shirt as the Lady Knights continue their fight against breast cancer. Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m.
