ERIE, Pa. – Eleven players saw action and scored. None reached double digits in scoring. But it was enough for the No. 9 Gannon women's basketball team to complete its second consecutive season sweep of rival Mercyhurst Wednesday night with a 62-50 victory at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center. As a result, the Lady Knights clinched at least a share of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division regular-season title with two games remaining.
Gannon, ranked No. 1 in the initial NCAA Division II Atlantic regional rankings released Wednesday afternoon, failed to have a player reach double digits in scoring for the first time since a 76-39 home victory against Mansfield on January 10, 2010. However, all 11 players scored and grabbed a rebound while eight were credited with an assist during the team effort.
The opening seven minutes included two ties and a lead change. Mercyhurst initially led 9-7, before Gannon surged ahead for good with a seven consecutive points.
Jen Papich (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel) tied the game at nine with a lay-up. After a 2:13 scoring drought by both teams,
Doriyon Glass (Boardman, Ohio/Boardman) put the Lady Knights in front 11-9 with a lay-up at the 13:35 mark. A little over a minute later,
Morgan Neighbors (Westerville, Ohio/Westerville South) drilled a three-pointer for a 14-9 advantage. The defensive unit held Mercyhurst without a point for 3:55 during the run.
Gannon extended its lead to 19-11 on
Brittany Batts' (Leesburg, Va./Loudoun County) triple midway through the first half. After Mercyhurst was able to cut the deficit to 23-22, the Lady Knights responded with another 7-0 run to regain control.
Mollie Sebald (Broadview Heights, Ohio/Holy Name) ignited the run with a three-pointer that was followed by consecutive baskets from Glass and
Candice Hendricks (Randallstown, Md./McDonogh).
The defensive pressure was again turned up a notch during the run. Gannon held Mercyhurst without a point for 6:13 and without a field goal for the final 7:06 of the first half. It resulted in a 30-24 halftime lead for the visitors.
Gannon stretched its lead into double digits after
Nettie Blake (Jersey City, N.J./Marist) opened the second half with a pair of jumpers. Mercyhurst was never able to get closer than six points the rest of the way. The Lady Knights' largest lead of the evening came at 52-36 after a 10-0 blitz the put the game away. Four different players scored during the game-clinching run.
Papich and
Kelley Sundberg (Mansfield, Conn./E.O. Smith) led the balanced scoring attack with nine points each. Neighbors and
Jennie Thies (Lakewood, N.Y./Southwestern) chipped in eight points apiece off the bench.
Gannon shot 44 percent (22-50) from the field, including a 52.2-percent (12-23) clip during the first half. The Lady Knights shot 43.8 percent (7-16) from three-point range and 68.8 percent (11-16) from the free throw line. The squad out-scored the Lakers 29-12 in the paint and 27-16 in bench points.
Dana Banda headlined the Mercyhurst attack with a game-high 16 points. Kaylee Foster and Adrienne Kloecker added 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Mercyhurst shot 30.2 percent (13-43) from the floor, 20.8 percent (5-24) from behind the arc and 76 percent (19-25) from the charity stripe.
Gannon improved to 24-3 overall and 18-2 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) with its third consecutive victory. Mercyhurst dropped to 7-17 overall and 7-13 in conference action. The Lady Knights conclude the road portion of their regular season Saturday, February 23 at Lock Haven. Game time is scheduled for 3 p.m.
