ERIE, Pa. – The No. 10 Gannon women's basketball team hit 13 three-pointers and grabbed 22 offensive rebounds en route to an easy 79-59 victory against Clarion Saturday afternoon in front of 1,643 Pink Zone fans at the Hammermill Center. In the process, the Lady Knights clinched a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament first-round bye and a conference quarterfinal home game.
Gannon maintained a two-game lead over two-time defending PSAC champion Edinboro for first place in the Western Division with three regular-season games left. The Lady Knights remained three games ahead of third-place Indiana (Pa.), but owns the tiebreaker due to their season sweep of the Crimson Hawks.
Individually,
Jen Papich (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel) received a standing ovation early in the second half. The junior forward's fastbreak lay-up 1:37 into the half not only forced Clarion to call time-out, but gave Papich her 1,000th career point. She is the 24th women's basketball student-athlete in school history to reach that milestone.
Papich's lay-up capped an 8-0 blitz that gave Gannon a 52-31 lead.
Brittany Batts (Leesburg, Va./Loudoun County) and
Mollie Sebald (Broadview Heights, Ohio/Holy Name) opened the run with back-to-back three-pointers.
After a Clarion triple, the Lady Knights rolled off another seven more points.
Jennie Thies (Lakewood, N.Y./Southwestern) hit a free throw, before
Kelsey McCoy (Sylvania, Ohio/Sylvania Northview) and
Morgan Neighbors (Westerville, Ohio/Westerville South) drilled long-range bombs to push the lead to 59-34 with 14:20 left to play.
Moments later, Gannon assumed its biggest lead of the afternoon after McCoy's buried another three-pointer for a 62-36 advantage at the 13:27 mark. Clarion was never able to get closer than 15 points the rest of the way, before the Lady Knights finished off a 79-59 victory.
Gannon led from start to finish, opening the game with a 10-0 run. The Lady Knights held Clarion without a point until Aleya Miller's lay-up 4:56 into the contest. Holding a 32-25 advantage, Neighbors ignited a 12-2 run to push the lead into double digits for good.
Amanda Berchtold (Erie, Pa./Mercyhurst Prep) produced the next five points with a lay-up and a three-pointer. A Papich lay-in put Gannon in front 42-27 with 1:22 left in the first half.
Papich led Gannon's offensive unit with 14 points and five rebounds. Sebald followed with 13 points, hitting 5-of-7 shots and 3-of-4 triple tries during her first starting assignment since November 21. Neighbors chipped in 11 points off the bench.
Gannon shot 43.9 percent (29-66) from the field, including a scorching 56.3-percent (18-32) clip during the first half. The Lady Knights shot 38.2 percent (13-34) from three-point range and 88.9 percent (8-9) from the free throw line. The squad hit seven three-pointers during the first half and six more during the final 20 minutes, equaling 13 or more for the third time this season. The 34 attempts broke the previous school record of 33 set November 26, 2009 at Alaska Fairbanks.
All 12 Lady Knights in uniform scored with 11 grabbing at least one rebound. Seven different players hit a three-pointer.
Hannah Heater was the only Clarion player in double digits with 17 points and eight rebounds. The Golden Eagles shot 40.4 percent (19-47) from the floor, 21.4 percent (3-14) from behind the arc and 75 percent (18-24) from the charity stripe.
Gannon, ranked 10th in the
USA Today Sports Division II Coaches' Poll, improved to 23-3 overall and 17-2 in the PSAC with its 12th consecutive victory against Clarion. The Golden Eagles, who haven't defeated the Lady Knights since the 1994-95 campaign, dropped to 12-13 overall and 8-11 in conference action.
Head coach
Cleve Wright's club returns to action Wednesday, February 20 at rival Mercyhurst. Game time at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
