THE BASICS
Score: Gannon 72, at Slippery Rock 50
Records: Gannon (14-4, 13-2 PSAC), Slippery Rock (7-12, 3-12 PSAC)
Location: Slippery Rock, Pa.  |  Morrow Field House
The Short Story: Scoring 40 of the first 50 points, the Gannon women's basketball team relied on a dominant first-half lead to seal a 72-50 victory over host Slippery Rock Wednesday evening at the Morrow Field House in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division action. In the win, the Lady Knights clinched their fourth consecutive berth in the PSAC Tournament. GU secured their seventh straight win and 10th victory in their last 11 contests. Senior Nettie Blake (Jersey City, N.J./Marist) recorded 19 points and 16 rebounds as she registered her eighth double-double of the season and 27th of her career.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Gannon opened the game by scoring 40 of the first 50 points in the contest.
- Trailing 3-2 just over a minute into the contest, Gannon went on a 15-3 run to secure a 17-6 advantage with 13 minutes left in the opening half. Senior Candice Hendricks (Randallstown, Md./McDonogh) scored nine straight points in the Lady Knights' run. Slippery Rock only connected on one of its five attempts from the field, while turning the ball over four times.
- Following a strike by The Rock's leading scorer D'Asia Chambers, the Lady Knights used another run to push their lead to 40-10. The Lady Knights scored 23 of the next 25 points with The Rock missing all nine attempts from the field. Freshman McKenna Shives (Struthers, Ohio/Struthers) connected on a three to get the GU run rolling before junior Jennie Thies (Lakewood, N.Y./Southwestern) hit consecutive layups.
- The Rock's successful visit to the foul line gave way to the Lady Knights' 16 unanswered points to conclude the 23-2 run. Senior Brittany Batts (Leesburg, Va./Loudoun County) opened the Lady Knights' dominant run late in the first half to secure the 30-point lead. SRU's Shannon Jack scored the final five points of the opening stanza as the Lady Knights took a 40-15 advantage into the break.
- To open the second half, the Maroon and Gold scored seven of the first nine points including five at the foul line. Senior Mollie Sebald (Broadview Heights, Ohio/Holy Name) accounted for four of the Lady Knights' points from the charity stripe.
- The Lady Knights' final run came on six consecutive points from Blake to put the Lady Knights ahead 63-35 with 6:43 remaining. Despite The Rock outscoring the Lady Knights, 25-20, in the final 12:56, the visiting squad used a strong first half to earn the 72-50 victory.
 
GAME NOTES
- For the seventh straight game, Blake led the Lady Knights' scoring. She posted 19 points and 16 rebounds in 22 minutes. The senior moved into third on the program's all-time rebounding list with 921 career boards passing Kirstin Roseberry (916). Blake also tied a season-high three steals and went 7-for-8 from the foul line.
- Hendricks scored a season-high 15 points and added four rebounds to her totals. She connected on 7-of-10 field-goal attempts.
- Sebald tallied nine points, adding five boards, three assists and two blocks.
- The Lady Knights owned a 46-31 rebounding advantage. It marked the fifth straight game that the Lady Knights held a rebounding advantage.
- From the field, the Lady Knights connected on 37.3-percent (25-67) of their shots with The Rock hitting 33.3-percent (16-48) of their chances.
- The Rock did not record a blocked shot in the contest despite ranking fifth in the PSAC at an average of 3.56 blocked shots per game.
 
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The game marked the start of the second round of conference action.
- Gannon improved to 31-9 in the all-time series against Slippery Rock. The Lady Knights have won nine straight including 24 of the last 25 meetings.
- Earlier in the season, the Lady Knights opened PSAC action with a 69-48 victory over visiting Slippery Rock Nov. 19, at the Hammermill Center. GU was led by Thies with 21 points and 11 rebounds.
- Blake has posted double figures in seven straight games to lead the Lady Knights' scoring in each contest.
- Nine of The Rock's 16 total field goals came from beyond the three-point line.
- Following their win combined with Seton Hill and Mercyhurst losses, the Lady Knights clinched a spot in the PSAC Tournament for the fourth consecutive.
- When leading at the half, the Maroon and Gold moved to 12-0.
- The Lady Knights improved to 6-0 on Wednesdays this season.
- Holding a 25-point lead at halftime, the Lady Kinghts held their largest halftime lead of the season.
- The Lady Knights matched their previous mark of fewest points allowed (15) in a half this season. The team's previous season-low came in the conference opener Nov. 19, when the Lady Knights allowed just 15 points against The Rock in the first half. 
- In the latest USA Today Sports Division II Coaches' Poll released Jan. 27, the Lady Knights were among others receiving votes.
 
UP NEXT
Gannon returns to the Hammermill Center Jan. 31, when the team hosts crosstown rival Mercyhurst in the annual Pink Zone contest. The game is set to tipoff at 1 p.m., as part of a conference doubleheader. Admission to the PSAC doubleheader is free.