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ERIE, Pa. - The No. 2 Gannon women's basketball team made its return to the Hammermill Center worth the wait after nearly a month away, as the Lady Knights handed the Indiana (Pa.) Crimson Hawks their third straight loss in a 78-69 victory on Wednesday evening. The Lady Knights improved to 6-0 in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West Division action and 17-0 overall, while the Crimson Hawks slid to 11-4 on the season and 2-3 in divisional play.
Spending nearly a month away from their home court, the Lady Knights captured their 23rd consecutive home win, marking the fourth-longest active streak in NCAA Division II.
One point shy of a career game-high, junior Nettie Blake (Jersey City, N.J./Marist) led the Lady Knights with 23 points, while shooting 8-for-12 from the field. Senior Jen Papich (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel) finished with 19 points and a game-high eight rebounds. Junior Mollie Sebald (Broadview Heights, Ohio/Holy Name) scored 14 second –half points to lead the Lady Knights' second-half offensive attack in a season-high 28 minutes.
The Lady Knights shot 52.1 percent (25-48) from the field. In the second half, the Lady Knights put together a solid shooting-effort, hitting 60 percent (15-25) from the field and 66.7 percent (4-6) from behind the arc.
Marita Mathe led the Crimson Hawks with 13 points followed by Ashley Stoner with 12 and Leslie Stapleton with 11. Averaging 20.5 points, the Lady Knights' defense shut down PSAC leading scorer Lindsay Stamp, who managed to tally only seven points. The Crimson Hawks shot 47.9 percent (23-48) for the evening, opening the day at 50 percent (11-22).
The Lady Knights and Crimson Hawks opened the game in a back-and-forth affair, including nine tied scores and five lead changes by the break. The game featured two teams in the national conversation, including the second ranked Lady Knights and the previously 20th ranked Crimson Hawks. After dropping two straight, the Crimson Hawks fell out of the recent USA Today Sports NCAA Division II Coaches' Poll, but still received votes.
In a battle between the top-two defensive squads in the PSAC, the two teams headed into the break tied at 27. For the Lady Knights, it was the first time all season they headed into the break tied.
With only a combined 54 points in the opening half, the two teams opened the game up in the second. The Lady Knights and Crimson Hawks combined for 93 points in the second half.
Opening the half with back-to-back threes by Sebald, the Lady Knights captured a 33-32 lead with the Crimson Hawks answering each time. Sebald's baskets to open the half gave the Lady Knights the lead, which the team would cling to despite the Crimson Hawks' multiple attempts.
Facing a Gannon 37-32 lead with 16:37 remaining, the Crimson Hawks' Lindsay Stamp scored five straight to bring her team within two of the Lady Knights twice.
Holding a 39-37 lead with 13:44 left on the clock, the Lady Knights rolled off a 7-0 run including a three by sophomore Morgan Neighbors (Westerville, Ohio/Westerville South).
A three by senior Kelley Sundberg (Mansfield, Conn./E.O. Smith) handed the Lady Knights their first double-digit of the lead, 49-39. Following an IUP turnover, Blake pushed the Lady Knights' lead to 51-39 with 10:44 left.
The Crimson Hawks cut into the Lady Knights' lead with a 7-0 run started by a three from Stapleton, trimming the lead down to 51-46 with 8:59 remaining.
In a span of 2:36, eight of the Lady Knights' next 11 points came from Sebald, as the junior pushed the Lady Knights' lead back to double-digits with a three-point play following a foul on a layup. Cutting through the Crimson Hawks' defense, Sebald struck again for a Lady Knights' 63-51 lead, forcing the Crimson Hawks into a timeout with 5:28 left.
Off a 6-0 run with 3:26 left, the Crimson Hawks pulled within four of the Lady Knights, 66-62. Papich and Blake combined for a 5-0 run to give the Lady Knights a nine-point cushion before the Crimson Hawks answered back with one of their own five-point runs to pull back within four, 71-67.
Blake sealed the Lady Knights' win on a three-point play after the junior was fouled on a layup with 1:34 remaining. The final four Lady Knights' points came at the free-throw line, as they sealed the 78-69 win over the Crimson Hawks.
The Lady Knights held a 30-23 advantage over the Crimson Hawks on the glass. Blake led the Lady Knights with eight boards, moving into ninth on the program's all-time career list. Sundberg tied a career game-high with six rebounds.
For only the third time this season, the Lady Knights' reserves were outscored by their opponents' bench. The Crimson Hawks recorded 25 points to the Lady Knights' 11 including six by sophomore Jennie Thies (Lakewood, N.Y./Southwestern).
Gannon travels to Edinboro on Saturday, Jan. 18, to face the Fighting Scots with a 1 p.m. tipoff.
GAME NOTES: The Lady Knights shot 60 percent in a half for the first time since the team's 73-64 win over California (Pa.) on Nov. 20, 2013… The Lady Knights improved to 9-6 at the Hammermill Center against the Crimson Hawks… Head coach Jim Brunelli is only one win away from capturing his 100th career victory… Papich recorded her 1317th career point, moving into the top ten on the program's all-time career list... Sundberg tied a career game-high in 37 minutes of play.
