Video Highlights & Interviews

THE BASICS
Score: at No. 25 Gannon 72, Clarion 45
Records: Gannon (4-2, 3-0 PSAC), Clarion (1-5, 0-2 PSAC)
Location: Erie, Pa.  |  Hammermill Center
The Short Story: Recording its best shooting performance of the season, the No. 25 Gannon women's basketball team relied on a team effort to capture a 72-45 win over Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division opponent Clarion Wednesday evening at the Hammermill Center. The lead never changed hands as the Lady Knights continued to build on their advantage throughout the game eventually taking a 37-point lead late in the second half. In a team effort, 10 of 12 Lady Knights contributed offensively. For the fourth consecutive season, the Lady Knights open conference action with a 3-0 mark.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Gannon began the contest on a 7-0 run in the opening 1:30 capped by a three from junior Amanda Berchtold (Erie, Pa./Mercyhurst Prep).
- Trailing by nine, 23-14, the Golden Eagles pulled to within five with 7:42 remaining in the first half. From there, the Golden Eagles fell silent. The visiting squad went 0-for-4 from the field, which allowed the Lady Knights to capture their first double-digit lead of the opening half, 28-18, with 4:39 remaining in the first. A layup by redshirt-sophomore Lanise Saunders (Pittsburgh, Pa./Taylor Allerdice) gave the Lady Knights' their largest lead of the half, 30-18.
- The Golden Eagles pulled to within six of the Lady Knights with 1:28 remaining in the half. Back-to-back baskets by sophomore Mikayla Deguire (Watervliet, N.Y./Watervliet) and junior Morgan Neighbors (Westerville, Ohio/Westerville South) closed the half, as the Lady Knights took a 36-26 lead into the break.
- To open the second half, the Lady Knights went on a 16-4 run to push their lead to 54-30 with 13:54 left in regulation. Taking their widest lead of the contest up to that point, the run was capped on a steal by Batts leading to a layup by Berchtold.
- A jumper by the Golden Eagles' Maria Taylor at the 11:31-mark would be the last basket for the visitors until 3:12 remained in regulation. The Lady Knights erupted for 18 unanswered points, while holding the Golden Eagles scoreless for a span of 8:19. The Golden Eagles went 0-for-9 during the Lady Knights' run, as the home squad captured their widest lead in the game of 37 points, 72-35. Shives opened the run with a layup before scoring all of her 10 points in the contest during the Lady Knights' run.
- Down the stretch, the Golden Eagles scored the final 10 points of the game. In the second half, the Lady Knights outscored the Golden Eagles by a margin of 36-19 en route to the 72-45 win.
 
GAME NOTES
- Gannon was led by senior Nettie Blake (Jersey City, N.J./Marist), who finished with 12 points and eight rebounds including six on the defensive end.
- Freshman McKenna Shives (Struthers, Ohio/Struthers) scored a career-high 10 points with all of them coming in the second half.
- Directing the offense, senior Brittany Batts (Leesburg, Va./Loudoun County) recorded a career-high seven assists matched by seven points. She also tied a season-high four rebounds and picked up two steals. 
- Berchtold and senior Mollie Sebald (Broadview Heights, Ohio/Holy Name) added seven points each. Neighbors added nine points with three rebounds.
- Gannon shot a season-best 49.2-percent (29-59) from the field in the contest. The Lady Knights shot 48.5-percent (16-33) from the floor in the first half only to break 50-percent (13-26) in the second half. The team heated up from beyond the arc in the second half, converting on 80-percent (4-5) of their chances after hitting only 11-percent (1-9) in the opening stanza. Clarion shot 34-percent (17-50) from the floor in the game.
- Ten of 12 Lady Knights registered 12 or more minutes with each of the 10 registering at least four points in the win.
- For the third straight game, the Lady Knights controlled the boards by an advantage of 37-29.
- The Golden Eagles' bench scored two points in the entire game after being held scoreless in the opening half.
 
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Gannon improved to 32-14 in the all-time series against Clarion. The Lady Knights have won 15 consecutive games against the Golden Eagles including eight straight at the Hammermill Center. The Lady Knights also pushed their all-time mark at home against the Golden Eagles to 16-6.
- At the Hammermill Center, the Lady Knights have won 31 of their last 32 games.
- For the fourth consecutive season, the Lady Knights opened PSAC play at 3-0.
- Both head coach Jim Brunelli and Mike Whitling are graduates of Clarion. Brunelli graduated in 1996 and Whitling in 2004. Both started their coaching careers as graduate assistants with the Golden Eagles.
- The Lady Knights are ranked 25th in the latest USA Today Sports NCAA Division II Top 25 Poll.
 
UP NEXT
Gannon heads to Western Division opponent Indiana (Pa.) Dec. 6. The game will tipoff at 7 p.m.