Box Score

CALIFORNIA, Pa. - The No. 4 Gannon women's basketball team captured its first regular-season series sweep over Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West Division opponent California (Pa.) Vulcans since the 2009-10 season with a 65-57 victory, at the Convocation Center on Wednesday evening. The Lady Knights improved to 19-1 on the season and 8-1 in divisional play, while the Vulcans slid to 11-7 overall and 5-4 in the division. The win marked the Lady Knights first victory at the Convocation Center, snapping the Vulcans' five-game unbeaten streak on home court.

The Lady Knights were led by senior Jen Papich (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel) with 21 points and 10 rebounds, while playing every second of the game in a season-high 40 minutes. Papich picked up her third double-double of the season and sixth of her career. Junior Nettie Blake (Jersey City, N.J./Marist) tallied 18 points and pulled in six boards. Off the bench, sophomore Morgan Neighbors (Westerville, Ohio/South Westerville) accounted for 11 of the Lady Knights' 15 bench points, adding four rebounds in a career game-high 26 minutes.

Kaitlynn Fratz led the Vulcans with 18 points followed by Ashley Hines with 14 points and Emma Mahady with 11 points. Hines registered a double-double, matching her 14 rebounds to her point total.

In three of their last four games, the Lady Knights have shot over 50 percent from the field. In the win, the Lady Knights hit 53.5 (23-43) percent of their shots, shooting over 50 percent in each half. The Vulcans shot a season low 29.9 percent (20-67) from the field after opening the game shooting 16.2 percent (6-37). 

For the second time this season, five Lady Knights reached double digits. Appearing in her 50th career game for the Maroon and Gold, sophomore Morgan Neighbors (Westerville, Ohio/Westerville South) led the Lady

The second half featured a back-and-forth affair for the two squads. The Vulcans moved within two of the Lady Knights' lead at 32-29 with less than two minutes off the clock, as Fratz worked inside with a layup. Papich pushed the Lady Knights' lead back to five with a layup followed by a steal on the Vulcan's next possession to keep the host off the scoreboard for the next 2:10.

After an exchange of quick layups separated by nine seconds, the Lady Knights captured their largest lead of the second half with 14:15 left, 40-31, off a layup by sophomore Jennie Thies (Lakewood, N.Y./Southwestern) assisted by senior Kelley Sundberg (Mansfield, Conn./E.O. Smith). The Vulcans answered back with a 7-2 run until Blake and Sundberg connected on a layup.

The Vulcans managed to bring the Lady Knights' lead down to two twice in a 42 second span with a pair of layups by Hines. An 11-4 Vulcans' run was capped by a three pointer from Mahady, which gave her team its first lead of the game, 49-48. The Vulcans lead only lasted for 19 seconds before Blake nailed a pair of free throws for a 50-49 Gannon lead with 4:18 left.

A three by Neighbors gave the Lady Knights a four-point cushion with 3:46 remaining, the sophomore's 11th point off the bench. Consecutive layups spelled the Vulcans' fight to get back in the game, holding the Lady Knights' lead at six, 59-53, with just over two minutes remaining.

Fratz had a chance to pull the Vulcans within two of the Lady Knights with 1:21 left, as she hit the first free throw but missed her second chance to keep the gap at three. The Lady Knights sealed their 19th win with six points from the foul line, leading to the 65-57 win over the Vulcans.

The Lady Knights buried the Vulcans at the start, running off to a 13-2 lead through the opening 7:36. Neighbors sealed the run with a layup followed by a three to give the Lady Knights an early lead. The Vulcans finally snapped the run with a layup by Hines followed by a visit to the foul line by Papich and Neighbors' second three of the evening for an 18-4 Lady Knights' advantage with just under 11 minutes left.

Facing a 22-8 Gannon lead, Fratz whittled away at the 14-point gap by scoring 11 of the Vulcans' next 13 points to cut the deficit in half at 28-21 with 2:39 remaining. Fratz started a Vulcans' 9-0 run with back-to-back visits to the charity stripe before Papich handed the Lady Knights a 30-25 lead heading into the break.

For only the second time this season, the Lady Knights were out-rebounded by a 43-35 advantage. The Vulcans held a 24-8 edge over the Lady Knights on the offensive glass leading to a 14-8 lead in second-chance points. 

Gannon returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 1, when the Lady Knights host Seton Hill at 1 p.m., as part of their annual Pink Zone game. In addition, Saturday will mark the induction of the Class of 2014 to the GU Athletics Hall of Fame. Admission to the PSAC doubleheader is free.

GAME NOTES: The Lady Knights improved to 17-14 in the all-time series… At the Convocation Center, the Lady Knights are 1-2… Papich recorded her 500th career field goal, bringing her total to 503 to move into tenth on the program's career all-time list… Papich also moved into ninth on the program's all-time career rebounds list with 621… With one block, Papich is now tied with former Lady Knight Christina Jackson (2004-07) with 108 career blocked shots… Head coach Jim Brunelli moved to 9-0 against fellow head coaches in their first year at their respective institutions.