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GLENVILLE, W.Va. - As expected, it was truly a battle. Faced with a deficit for most of the contest, the No. 3 Gannon Lady Knights were unable to overcome the No. 25 Edinboro Fighting Scots. The Lady Knights season came to an end, dropping a 77-69 decision to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) champion Fighting Scots in the NCAA Atlantic Regional semifinals Saturday at the Jesse R. Lilly Gymnasium hosted by Glenville State.
The third-seeded Lady Knights conclude their 40th season of play in program history with a 28-4 overall record. The second-seeded Fighting Scots move on to face PSAC East Division opponent Bloomsburg in the Atlantic Regional championship on Monday, March 17 at 7 p.m. The Huskies defeated top-seed host Glenville State, 91-78, in the second semifinal game. Among the final four teams in the regional, three were PSAC member institutions.
For the third straight game, senior Jen Papich (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel) led the team's scoring behind a season-best 24 points in 40 minutes of action. Papich added eight boards and tied a career-best five blocks, which she previously set this season against the Fighting Scots. Junior Nettie Blake (Jersey City, N.J./Marist) followed with 17 points and 10 rebounds to record her 19th career double-double in a career-high 34 minutes. Senior Kelley Sundberg (Mansfield, Conn./E.O. Smith) and junior Mollie Sebald (Broadview Heights, Ohio/Holy Name) each tallied eight points. Sundberg added five assists and six rebounds.
For the Fighting Scots, four players reached double figures. The Fighting Scots were led by Laurel Lindsay with 23 points followed closely behind by Darche' Jackson with 22 points. Valerie Majewski was the other Fighting Scot with 13 points. Majewski and Jackson each played the entire contest.
After mirroring each other's performance in the PSAC title game on March 9, the two teams produced nearly similar shooting displays from the field. Only two baskets gave the Fighting Scots the edge. The Lady Knights hit 49.2 percent (29-59) of their shots, while the Fighting Scots converted 50.9 percent (29-57). One of the key differences came in three-point shooting. The Fighting Scots scored on 66.7 percent (6-9) of their attempts compared to the Lady Knights' two triples out of eight for a 25-percent performance. The Lady Knights scorched the free-throw line, shooting 90 percent (9-10).
From the start it was a back-and-forth game. The key was staying ahead once the lead was obtained, which the Fighting Scots managed to for most of the contest.
With the score tied at 4-4 in the opening 1:15, the Fighting Scots pushed their lead to 8-4. Papich hit a jumper with 16:13 remaining to pull within two of the Fighting Scots, 8-6. This led to a 7-0 Fighting Scots' run including a triple by Lindsay for a 15-6 lead. The Lady Knights whittled away with their own run of five points all at the hands of Papich, 15-11.
The Fighting Scots hovered around a four- to seven-point lead before a Blake layup assisted by Sundberg erased Edinboro's lead to two, 26-24, with 4:33 left on the clock. In the remaining time, a three by the Fighting Scots' Katie Collins pushed the lead back to five, as Sundberg moved it back to three with a visit to the foul line. The Fighting Scots held on to the lead heading into the break, 29-26.
The Fighting Scots took advantage of the Lady Knights' eight first-half turnovers, converting them into 11 points to help secure their first-half lead. Papich had a monster-half defensively, registering four of her five total blocks in the opening 20.
The Lady Knights managed to wrestle the lead away from the Fighting Scots in the opening two minutes of the second half with back-to-back baskets. Junior Brittany Batts (Leesburg, Va./Loudoun County) first fed Blake on a layup to come within one, 29-28. Batts then struck with a shot just inside the arc to give the Lady Knights a 30-29 advantage with 18:43 left, marking the team's first lead in the contest.
The Lady Knights' lead only last 12 seconds, as Majewski hit a layup to re-establish the Fighting Scots' edge. This started an up-and-down running contest between the two teams, tallying three baskets in a span of just 33 seconds. During the shift in speed, Sebald pulled the Lady Knights to within one, which would be the closest the team would come of the Fighting Scots' lead in the remaining 17:43.
An 8-0 Fighting Scots run saw their lead rise to nine, 41-32, with 15:24 left. The Fighting Scots managed to keep it between three to eight points until a triple by Lindsay opened a 12-3 run for the Fighting Scots, as the team established a 60-48 lead with 7:23 left in regulation. It marked the first double-digit lead of the game.
Down the stretch, the Fighting Scots worked their lead to as high as 14, 68-54, with 3:27 to play. In an effort for a late rally, the Lady Knights went on a 9-0 run with 2:18 left leaving the Fighting Scots ahead by only five, 68-63. In the end, the deficit would be too much to overcome for the Lady Knights as the Fighting Scots secured a 77-69 win.
On the glass, the Lady Knights held a 36-28 advantage over the Fighting Scots. The Lady Knights struggled with turnovers throughout the contest, recording eight in each half. The Fighting Scots only recorded three in the second half to finish the day with nine.
Ranked among the top-five teams in each release of the USA Today Sports Division II Coaches' Poll, the Lady Knights conclude the season at 28-4. The Lady Knights reached the 20-win milestone for the 12th time in program history, marking the fifth time in six seasons.
GAME NOTES: Gannon holds a 13-10 all-time record at the NCAA Atlantic Regional… For the sixth time in program history, the Lady Knights reached the regional semifinals... Papich has scored double-figures in six consecutive games… The contest marked the 50th all-time meeting between the Lady Knights and Fighting Scots.
