Video Highlights and Interviews

THE BASICS
Score: No. 13 Gannon 68, at Mercyhurst 65
Records: Gannon (3-0, 2-0 PSAC), Mercyhurst (0-4, 0-2 PSAC)
Location: Erie, Pa.  | Mercyhurst Athletic Center
The Short Story: The No. 13 Gannon women's basketball team remains unbeaten following a 68-65 win over crosstown rival and Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West Division opponent Mercyhurst Saturday afternoon at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center. In the final five minutes of regulation, the Lady Knights pulled away with their seventh consecutive win over the Lakers. For the fourth consecutive season, the Lady Knights open conference action with a 2-0 record.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
- After winning the opening tip Adrienne Kloecker put Mercyhurst on the board in the opening five seconds off a fastbreak. The Lady Knights answered back with a five-point run including back-to-back layups by senior Brittany Batts (Leesburg, Va./Loudoun County) and senior Nettie Blake (Jersey City, N.J./Marist) to take their first lead of the game.
- With the score tied for the third time in the opening 5:50 of the contest, junior Morgan Neighbors (Westerville, Ohio/Westerville South) handed the Lady Knights a 13-10 lead off a three assisted by redshirt sophomore Lanise Saunders (Pittsburgh, Pa./Taylor Allerdice).
- The Lady Knights held the lead for the next 5:57 until the Lakers knotted the game at 19 all. With 7:02 remaining in the half, the Lakers began to pull away with six-unanswered points to take a 25-19 lead.
- The Lakers watched their advantage dissolve in front of them following a 16-0 Lady Knights' run. The Maroon and Gold erased the Lakers' lead to pull ahead 32-25 with just under two minutes left in the opening half. Accounting for nine of the Lady Knights' 16 points in the stretch, senior Mollie Sebald (Broadview Heights, Ohio/Holy Name) capped it with a three-pointer. 
- In the closing seconds of the first half, the Lakers' Mariah Penascino dropped in a layup to dip the Lady Knights' lead to under 10, 38-30, heading into the break.
- Holding the Lakers to four points in the opening five minutes of the second half, the Lady Knights built their lead to double figures, 48-36, capped by a Batts three-pointer. A successful visit to the foul line by Blake put the Lady Knights ahead, 50-36.
- Despite facing a 14-point deficit, the Lakers managed to erase the gap by holding the Lady Knights scoreless in the next 5:16. The Lakers shot 4-for-4 from the field and capitalized on a three-point play at the foul line, while the Lady Knights went 0-for-5, missing three long-range attempts.
- The Lady Knights received the respite they needed when the Lakers' bench was issued a technical foul putting Batts at the line with 9:13 remaining in regulation. The senior converted both opportunities, as the Lady Knights stopped the scoring drought to take a 52-50 advantage. The foul also halted the Lakers' momentum.
- Looking to overcome the bench foul, the Lakers were able to tie the game at 57-57 with five minutes left.
- For the second time in the second half, the Lady Knights prevented the Lakers from taking the lead. Sebald struck on consecutive layups to put GU in the lead, 61-57, with 3:43 left. Following a Lakers' jumper, Neighbors buried a three to extend the Lady Knights' lead to five, 64-59.
- In the final 1:18 of the game, the Lakers pulled within one of the Lady Knights twice at 64-63 and 66-65. Sebald scored the Lady Knights' final four points to seal the win. The senior hit both free-throw attempts with eight seconds left to secure the 68-65 victory over the Lakers.   
 
GAME NOTES
- Sebald led the Lady Knights with a season-high 19 points off the bench. She also registered a season-best six rebounds to bring her career total to 300. In 19 minutes, she added a steal and an assist. The senior went a perfect 8-for-8 at the foul line, marking a career best in free-throws made in a game.
- Also contributing offensively were Batts with 12 points and Neighbors with 11 points.
- Appearing in her 100th-career game as a Lady Knight, Blake finished with a game-high 14 rebounds. The senior pulled down nearly half of the team's 31 total rebounds. Blake also chipped in eight points.
- Senior Candice Hendricks (Randallstown, Md./McDonogh) tied a career-high three steals along with six points in 23 minutes off the bench.
- The Lady Knights shot 38.2-percent (21-55) from the floor, while Mercyhurst finished the day at 52.9-percent (27-51) from the field.
- In the turnover battle, the Lakers recorded 17 giveaways compared to the Lady Knights' eight for the game including only one in the second half.
- The Lakers controlled the boards with a 35-31 advantage.
 
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- In the all-time series, the Lady Knights improved to 56-26 against the Lakers. On the road, GU moved to 28-16 against the Lakers. The Lady Knights have won 10 of the last 11 games in the series and are unbeaten in seven straight.
- This meeting marks the earliest the Lakers and Lady Knights have squared off in the regular season as conference opponents since GU joined the PSAC for the 2008-09 season.
- Facing a six-point deficit with 7:02 left in the first half, the Lady Knights overcame their largest deficit in a victory this season.
- The Lakers have dropped 13 consecutive games stretching back to last season. The last Lakers' win came against visiting Clarion, 66-49, on Jan. 22, 2014.
- For the fourth consecutive season, the Lady Knights opened PSAC action with a 2-0 mark.
- Entering the game, the Lady Knights are ranked 13th in the latest USA Today Sports NCAA Division II Top 25 Poll.
 
UP NEXT
Gannon opens a slate of non-conference games against Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (GLIAC) opponents. The Lady Knights open the stretch at Ashland Nov. 25, beginning at 7 p.m. Following Thanksgiving, the Lady Knights head back on the road to Grand Valley State Nov. 29, starting at 1 p.m.