THE BASICS
Score: Gannon 68, at Shippensburg 57
Records: Gannon (8-4, 7-2 PSAC), Shippensburg (7-7, 3-5 PSAC)
Location: Shippensburg, Pa.  |  Heiges Field House
The Short Story: Following a slow start to open the contest, the Gannon women's basketball team recovered in the second half to rally for a 68-57 victory over host Shippensburg Sunday afternoon at Heiges Field House in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) crossover action. The Lady Knights relied on a 17-2 run in the second half to capture their first lead of the contest before securing their first win of the New Year. Three Lady Knights scored double figures in the win. Senior Nettie Blake (Jersey City, N.J./Marist) led the way with 17 points and 12 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Shippensburg scored 10-unanswered points in the opening 3:52 of the contest before Gannon finally got on the board with a basket from senior Candice Hendricks (Randallstown, Md./McDonogh). During the Raiders' opening run, the Lady Knights missed on five attempts including three from long range.
- A three from Lauren Gold handed the Raiders their biggest lead of the game, 18-9, with 7:34 remaining in the opening half.
- Putting together a 10-2 run, the Lady Knights pulled to within three of the Raiders' lead 21-18 with under five minutes left. Senior Brittany Batts (Leesburg, Va./Loudoun County) accounted for eight of the Lady Knights' 10 points in the run including two long-range connections.
- The Raiders answered back with their own run to slide back ahead of the Lady Knights, 29-23, in the closing two minutes of the first half.
- Trailing 36-27 with 17:26 remaining in regulation, the Lady Knights erupted on a 17-2 run to take their first lead of the game. Eight consecutive layups, including the first two from sophomore Brianna Brennan (Woodhaven, Mich./Woodhaven), capped the Lady Knights' run for a 44-38 lead with 11:10 left. During the run, Shippensburg went 0-for-8 from the floor including three turnovers.
- The Raiders were able to move to within three points of the Lady Knights' lead with just over five minutes remaining, 54-51. However, the Raiders hit a cold spell from the floor. The host squad was only able to convert on one of their seven attempts in their effort to rally back. The Lady Knights were able to capitalize with a 9-2 run to extend their lead to 63-53. Junior Amanda Berchtold (Erie, Pa./ Mercyhurst Prep) connected on five of her six chances from the foul line in the span.
- In the closing five minutes, the Lady Knights sealed the 68-57 win by scoring 14 of the final 20 points in regulation.
 
GAME NOTES
- Three Lady Knights finished the afternoon with double-figure scoring.
- Blake led Gannon with 17 points and 12 rebounds in a season-high 31 minutes. She registered her fourth double-double of the season and 23rd of her career.
- Senior Mollie Sebald (Broadview Heights, Ohio/Holy Name) scored 13 points, four rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 27 minutes.
- Brennan tallied a career-high 12 points, tying a season-high six rebounds. Brennan tied a career-high with two blocks.
- From the floor, the Lady Knights heated up in the second half by connecting on 48.3-percent (14-29) of their attempts. The Lady Knights finished the day shooting 37.7-percent (23-61) from the field. The Raiders 33.3-percent matched their output from the floor in each half.
- The Lady Knights and the Raiders struggled from beyond the arc. GU converted on 15.8-percent (3-19) of their long-range opportunities, while the Raiders only connected on one of 12 chances.
- On the glass, the Lady Knights held a 46-35 advantage over the Raiders.
- The Maroon and Gold swatted away seven shots including two blocks each from Brennan, Sebald and junior Jennie Thies (Lakewood, N.Y./Southwestern). Eleven of the Raiders' 18 turnovers came off Lady Knight steals with three from Berchtold.
 
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Gannon improved to 6-3 in the all-time series with Shippensburg. The Lady Knights have won five of their last six meetings with the Raiders including three straight in the series.
- The Lady Knights overcame their widest deficit in a win this season after erasing an 11-point Raiders' first-half lead.
- For the first time this season, the Lady Knights collected a win after trailing their opponent at halftime.
- The Raiders have dropped five of their last six games. Among PSAC leaders, the Raiders entered the game ranked fifth in scoring offense and field goal percentage.
- The Lady Knights moved to 36-3 in PSAC-crossover action against Eastern Division opponents in the regular season.
 
UP NEXT
Wrapping up PSAC crossover action at the Hammermill Center, Gannon returns home to host Kutztown Jan. 7. The game is set to tipoff at 5:30 p.m.