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GLENVILLE, W.Va. - Using a 12-1 run late in the first half, the No. 3 Gannon women's basketball team was able to build a solid lead to withstand 2014 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) champion Shaw for a 76-70 win in the first round of the NCAA Atlantic Regional Friday afternoon at the Jesse R. Lilly Gymnasium hosted by Glenville State. The third-seeded Lady Knights improved to 28-3 on the season, as the Bears' season comes to an end with an overall mark of 21-9.
Next up, the Lady Knights will face No. 25 Edinboro, following the Fighting Scots' 64-62 victory over Charleston (W.Va.) in the second quarterfinal game of the afternoon. The Lady Knights and Fighting Scots will play Saturday, March 15, at 5 p.m. for a chance to earn a spot in the regional championship. The Lady Knights are in search of their first victory over the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) rival Fighting Scots in three attempts this season. Saturday's meeting will make it four, marking the 50th time the two will square off in the all-time series with the Fighting Scots holding a 30-19 record.
Senior Jen Papich (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel) led the team with 15 points and nine rebounds. Papich added six assists, three steals and two blocks to her total. Despite running into foul trouble, junior Nettie Blake (Jersey City, N.J./Marist) finished the afternoon with 12 points and eight rebounds in 16 minutes. Senior Kelley Sundberg (Mansfield, Conn./E.O. Smith) directed the Lady Knights' offense with seven assists in a team-high 36 minutes. Ten of the 11 Lady Knights, who saw action tallied a point in the win.
Gannon's bench accounted for 27 points compared to Shaw's five points. Sophomore Morgan Neighbors led the Lady Knights' reserves with nine points off three triples, including a steal and a rebound. Sophomore Jennie Thies (Lakewood, N.Y./Southwestern) tacked on eight points with three boards. Redshirt freshman Lanise Saunders (Pittsburgh, Pa./Taylor Allerdice) scored six points, pulling down four defensive rebounds. Neighbors and Thies each played 17 minutes.
The Lady Knights shot 44.8 percent (30-67) from the field and 88.9 percent (8-9) from the foul line. Among their 21 three-point attempts, the Lady Knights buried eight to hit 38.1 percent for the day.
With a shortened bench of eight players, Shaw relied on six players playing 20 or minutes in the contest. The Bears were without two of their top-three scorers including Ariel Hatcher and Kaula Jacks, who combined to average 23 points per contest this season.
Four Bears managed to reach double-digits in the loss including two double-doubles. Micah Brooks and Kamiya Burwell each tallied 19 points followed by Bryann Guyton with 14 points and Verdine Werner with 11 points. Picking up double-doubles were Werner and Burwell. Werner earned her double-double adding 12 rebounds, while Burwell nabbed a game-high 11 assists.
The Bears finished at 40 percent (26-65) from the field. At the foul line, the Bears left empty points behind after shooting just 60.9 percent (14-23), which would have made the difference in such a close game.
With the score tied at two in the opening 1:17 of the game, the two teams exchanged long-range shots to knot the game at 5-5 with 17:05 remaining. Following junior Mollie Sebald's (Broadview Heights, Ohio/Holy Name) three, the Lady Knights struggled from the field. During a span of 4:56, the Lady Knights shot a cold 0-for-7 from the field until Thies pulled down an offensive board and hit a putback with 11:55 remaining.
Trailing by two, junior Candice Hendricks (Randallstown, Md./McDonogh) found Saunders inside for a layup to start a 6-2 Lady Knights' run. Blake's visit to the charity stripe with 8:27 remaining gave the Lady Knights a 13-12 advantage, the team's first lead since 17:16 into the game.
Once the Lady Knights grabbed the lead, it was theirs for the taking.
A long-range triple by Sundberg opened a 12-1 run by the Lady Knights with 6:07 left on the clock. Saunders pulled down four defensive-rebounds to limit the Bears' second chances. Following Neighbors' three, the sophomore fed Saunders down low to hand the Lady Knights a 30-18 lead with 2:34 remaining. To close the half, the Bears managed to pull the Lady Knights' advantage down to single digits, 37-29.
In the opening half, the Lady Knights bench tallied 18 of the 37 total points to provide an offensive spark.
The Bears came out on the attack in the second half to pull within five leading to five unanswered Lady Knights' points, as part of a 7-1 run. Papich capped the Lady Knights' run with a layup at 16:27 of the second half.
Following the Lady Knights' run, the Bears stormed back to within four off an 8-2 run with 12:58 remaining, 49-45. This would be the closest the Bears came within the Lady Knights for the remainder of the game. The Lady Knights put the game away with 1:23 remaining off a jumper by Papich despite being fouled with the senior hitting a foul shot for a 76-68 lead. A layup by Werner put the Lady Knights' lead at 76-70, as neither team was able to drain a three-point attempt in the closing minute.
On the glass, the Lady Knights held a 42-38 advantage. The Bears forced the Lady Knights into 19 turnovers, including 11 steals.
The Lady Knights will next face second-seeded Edinboro in the NCAA Atlantic Regional semifinals on Saturday, March 15, at 5 p.m.
GAME NOTES: The Lady Knights reached the NCAA Atlantic Regional for the ninth time in 15 years, improving to 13-9 in their all-time appearances… For the sixth time in program history, the Lady Knights will play in the regional semifinals... Papich has scored double-digits in five consecutive game... For the 11th time this season, Papich led the Lady Knights in scoring and rebounding… The Lady Knights improved to 1-1 against Shaw, who have only met in the NCAA postseason.
