THE GAME BASICS
Matchup: Gannon (21-6, 18-4 PSAC) at No. 20 California (Pa.) (23-4, 19-3 PSAC)
Date: Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Hamer Hall | California, Pa.
Short Story: For the third straight season, the third-seeded Gannon women's basketball team will face 20th nationally-ranked and second-seeded California (Pa.) in the quarterfinals of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament Tuesday evening at Hamer Hall. The tip is set for 7 p.m. Four of the last eight meetings between the two squads have been played in the postseason. Among the Vulcans' four losses this season, two have come against the Lady Knights. The Maroon and Gold have won seven straight games against Cal, including nine of the last 10 meetings.
 
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Live Stats
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GAME INFORMATION
Game Notes
PSAC Championship Central
Game Program (Posted this evening)
Coach Brunelli's Weekly Radio Show
 
GET YOUR TICKETS
Ticket windows will open at 5:30 p.m. Tickets prices set by the PSAC for Tuesday's quarterfinal game are $7 for adult general admission and $2 for student general admission. Students at Gannon and California (Pa.) will be admitted free of charge with their school ID.
 
SCOUTING NO. 20/SECOND SEED CALIFORNIA (PA.)
- No. 20 California (Pa.) owns the Western Division's second seed in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament. The Vulcans finished the regular season with a 23-4 overall mark and 19-3 record in conference play. The nationally-ranked Vulcans have won nine of their last 10 games. Cal's only loss in the span came against Gannon Feb. 21, 69-63 in overtime. Two of the Vulcans' four losses have come against the Lady Knights.
- For three consecutive weeks, the Vulcans have been ranked in the USA Today Sports Top 25 Coaches Poll. The Vulcans fell to spots in the latest ranking released Feb. 24. The Vulcans were ranked in five straight polls before falling out of the top 25 near the end of January.
- Cal owns a 4-1 mark against nationally-ranked opponents this season.
- Among PSAC team leaders, the Vulcans rank fourth in scoring offense (73.2) and third in scoring defense (59.3). In the PSAC, Cal ranks first in turnover margin (9.2) and steals per game (12.9). The Vulcans also own the conference's second-lowest turnover total (384) and fifth-best field goal percentage (.421).
- Three Vulcans rank among the top-20 scoring leaders in the PSAC. Miki Glenn ranks sixth in the league, averaging 15.1 points per game. She is followed by Emma Mahady in ninth (14.3 ppg) and Kaitlynn Fratz in 17th (13.1 ppg). Glenn also ranks first in steals per game (2.9) and fifth in assists per game (4.0).
 
SERIES HISTORY
- Gannon holds a 20-14 mark in the all-time series against California (Pa.). The Lady Knights have won seven straight games against the Vulcans, including nine of the last 10 meetings. The last six games have been decided by single digits.
- The matchup will mark the fourth time in eight games the squads will square off in the postseason with three at the PSAC Tournament and the other at the 2013 NCAA Atlantic Regional.
- Gannon swept the Vulcans in the regular-season series for the second straight year.
- The Vulcans own a 10-5 mark on home court against the Lady Knights. Prior to the 2011-12 season, the Vulcans called Hamer Hall home before moving to the Convocation Center. The Lady Knights own a 3-9 all-time mark against the Vulcans at Hamer Hall.
 
GANNON FAST BREAK POINTS
- Gannon finished the regular season in third place in the PSAC Western Division with an 18-4 mark in league play and a 20-6 overall record. It marked the 13th time in program history that the Lady Knights reached the 20-win milestone.
- This season, the Lady Knights clinched their fourth consecutive trip to the PSAC Tournament in a 72-50 win over Slippery Rock Jan. 28. All four of GU's last four berths to the conference tournament have come in regular-season wins against The Rock.
- Among the PSAC leaders, Gannon ranks ninth in scoring offense (68.4) and fourth in scoring defense (60.3). On the glass, the Lady Knights occupy second in both rebounding defense (34.4) and rebounding offense (42.6) for a second-ranked rebounding margin of 8.2.
- The Lady Knights rank fourth in the PSAC in assist/turnover ratio (1.01), while registering the third-lowest total turnovers (407).
- In the conference, junior Amanda Berchtold (Erie, Pa./Mercyhurst Prep) ranks second in assist/turnover ratio (2.6) and third in assists per game (4.8).
- Among PSAC rebounding leaders, senior Nettie Blake (Jersey City, N.J./Marist) ranks first in rebounds per game (11.0) and is tied for first in total rebounds (298). In the conference, she is first in both offensive rebounds (119) and offensive boards per game (4.4).
- The Lady Knights' 69-63 overtime victory over No. 18 California (Pa.) marked the 100th career win for this year's senior class.
 
LOOKING BACK
Third-seeded Gannon opened the PSAC Tournament with a 66-48 first-round victory over sixth-seeded Slippery Rock Feb. 28, at the Hammermill Center. The Lady Knights utilized a strong second-half performance to earn their third consecutive appearance in the conference quarterfinals. The Lady Knights' offense was led by Mollie Sebald (Broadview Heights, Ohio/Holy Name) with 16 points. Blake scored 14 points and registered 12 rebounds to record her 12th double-double of the season and 31st of her career.
 
HOW WE GOT HERE
The Lady Knights opened the 2015 PSAC Tournament with a 66-48 win over Slippery Rock Feb. 28, in a Western Division first-round matchup. GU clinched their fourth consecutive berth in the PSAC Tournament in a 72-50 victory over host Slippery Rock Jan. 28, at the Morrow Field House in the regular season. The Lady Knights posted an 18-4 record in conference play to earn the third seed in the Western Division.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
A win and the season continues. A loss and the run is over. The winner of Gannon-California (Pa.) will travel to the top-seed remaining in the Eastern Division for the PSAC Final Four March 7-8. The winner of the GU-Cal matchup will face the winner of Kutztown-Bloomsburg in the conference semifinals.
 
GU IN THE PSAC TOURNAMENT
Since joining the PSAC in the 2008-09 regular season, Gannon has appeared in six of seven conference tournaments. This season marks the Lady Knights fourth consecutive trip to the PSAC Tournament and third straight appearance in the quarterfinals. In each of the past four seasons, the Lady Knights secured their berth in a win against Slippery Rock. Appearing in 12 total games at the PSAC Tournament, the Lady Knights hold an 8-4 all-time mark. Eight of the 12 games have been held at the Hammermill Center with the Lady Knights posting a 6-2 record on home court. GU has appeared in the conference championship three times, winning the 2010 team title. The Maroon and Gold will look to reach the conference title game for the third consecutive season.
 
NCAA ATLANTIC REGIONAL RANKINGS
The Lady Knights improved one spot and is ranked sixth in the latest NCAA Division II Atlantic regional rankings released this week. The rankings only considered games played through Sunday, Feb. 22, and didn't consider Wednesday's 69-48 victory against Seton Hill. Livingstone is the top-ranked team with a 23-1 record against NCAA Division II teams and 23-1 in-region mark. Indiana (Pa.) (23-2, 23-2), Bloomsburg (22-3, 22-3), California (Pa.) (22-4, 22-4) and Charleston (20-5, 20-5) completed the top five. Gannon (19-6, 19-5), West Chester (21-4, 21-4), Fairmont State (21-6, 21-6), Johnson C. Smith (19-6, 19-6) and Edinboro (18-7, 18-7) rounded out the top 10.
 
RECORD CHASER
Blake's 298 rebounds this season, ranks third on Gannon's single-season list. She continues to climb her way up the program's all-time list in multiple categories. Among all-time career leaders in program history, the senior ranks third in most rebounds (1016), most free throw attempts (576) and most free throws made (369), eighth in most points (1,513) and most field goals made (572), ninth in blocked shots (87) and 10th in field goal percentage (.508). Averaging 8.2 rebounds per game in her career, she ranks fifth on the program's all-time list. Appearing in 124 games as a Lady Knight, she is fifth on the career list.
 
FROM OUTSIDE
Senior Brittany Batts (Leesburg, Va./Loudoun County) occupies second at Gannon with 282 career three-pointers. Batts needs 18 to break Jacki Windon's school record of 299. In an 82-43 win over Cheyney Dec. 20, she became the 26th Lady Knight in school history to record 1,000-career points. So far, she has compiled 1,134 career points to occupy 19th on the program's all-time list. Appearing in 123 games as a Lady Knight, the senior is tied for sixth on the all-time list.