Mitchell 1040x580 012319
Joe Mattis
Sydney Mitchell has dished out five or more assists in six of the past seven outings for Gannon
66
Gannon GAN-W 9-10, 5-7 PSAC
72
Winner Mercyhurst MER-W 8-10, 5-6 PSAC
Gannon GAN-W
9-10, 5-7 PSAC
66
Final
72
Mercyhurst MER-W
8-10, 5-6 PSAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Gannon GAN-W 18 11 18 19 66
Mercyhurst MER-W 11 20 18 23 72

Next Game:

at Millersville University

1/26/2019 | 1:00 PM

Fox Sports Radio 1330 AM

Next Game

Full Schedule
Jan. 26 (Sat) / 1:00 PM
at Millersville University

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Josh Hill, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Lady Knights Comeback Falls Short at Mercyhurst in Porreco Pride of Erie Game

THE RUNDOWN
  • Final Score: Gannon 66, Mercyhurst 72
  • Records: Gannon (9-10, 5-7 PSAC) | Mercyhurst (8-10, 5-6 PSAC)
  • Location: Mercyhurst Athletic Center – Erie, Pa. (Porreco Pride of Erie Game)
 
GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER
KEY SEQUENCE
  • Mercyhurst used a big surge in the second quarter to forge ahead at the half, but Gannon kept pace with the Lakers until late in the fourth quarter. A pair of Chelsea Rourke (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland) foul shots tied the score at 59 with three minutes left in the contest before Amber Renz delivered the dagger with a trey at the 1:35 mark of the fourth quarter, pushing the Lakers' edge to five points at 64-59.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • Sydney Mitchell (Halethorpe, Md./Seton Keough) opened the contest with a three and Tori Obenrader (Fryburg, Pa./North Clarion) followed suit at 5:33 to hand the Lady Knights an early 8-4 lead in the opening frame. Nicole LaCava (Hermitage, Pa./Hickory) sank a pair of foul shots out of the media timeout, lifting Gannon to a six-point lead before Renz answered for the hosts with 1:37 left in the quarter. The Lady Knights worked back ahead quickly following a steal from Boston McKinney (Bolivar, Ohio/Tuscarawas Valley), heaving several attempts before Elise Torrence (Bexley, Ohio/Bexley) ultimately found the bucket with a putback attempt as Gannon led 18-11.
  • Obenrader scored the first basket of the second quarter, stretching the Gannon lead to its largest of the night at nine (20-11). Mercyhurst countered with a 16-4 run, highlighted by back-to-back three's from Jenna Kunst (4:54) and Rachel Chessar (3:45). Rourke answered for Gannon with a timely three at 3:01 in the second quarter to propel the visitors back in front, 27-25.
  • Mercyhurst closed the opening half on a 6-2 run, but the resilient Lady Knights trailed by just two at the break after registering the last basket of the frame, a jumper from LaCava off a find from McKinney with 25 seconds left.
  • The squads traded buckets to begin the second half before LaCava sparked the Lady Knights with a block on the defensive end. LaCava followed it up by converting a jump shot on the offensive end after racing down the floor and grabbing a crisp pass from Lauren Tewes (Waterford, Mich./Waterford Kettering) which tied the score at 35.
  • Merchurst pulled ahead afterwards, but could not expand its edge to more than five points in the quarter with Gannon answering on offense each time it seemed as if the Lakers would stretch their lead. McKinney canned a three with just two ticks left on the third quarter clock off a kick-out feed from LaCava as Gannon trailed 49-47 heading into the fourth.
  • The hosts scored the first five points of the fourth quarter to surge ahead by seven (54-47) before LaCava scored inside. Rourke once again trimmed the Lady Knights deficit to five (56-51) with a layup and Mitchell made it a three point game with 6:01 left in the contest. A pair of Rourke foul shots tied the game with 3:00 remaining before the Lakers stormed back with a 13-7 run to end the game.
  • Gannon was forced to foul as the clock ticked down and a desperation three point attempt from Haley Tewes (Waterford, Mich./Waterford Kettering) found its way in with just nine seconds remaining to bring the Lady Knights to within four (70-66).
 
GAME NOTES
  • Gannon and Mercyhurst will square off for the second time this season on February 23 at the Hammermill Center. The lady Knights now hold a 60-30 all-time lead in the series with the Lakers.
  • The Lady Knights found themselves playing from behind for the majority of the second half. Despite that, three players finished the game in double figures for Gannon, led by 15 points from Rourke. The junior has scored 10 or more in three straight games and in five of the last six outings.
  • Gannon had its three-game winning streak snapped and drop to 5-3 in road games this season.
  • Mitchell had another all-around effort for the Lady Knights with 11 points, five rebounds, six assists and one steal in 35 minutes. She has handed out five or more assists in six of the last seven games and ranks ninth in the PSAC with 3.8 assists/game.
  • The Lady Knights have committed 20 or more turnovers in 10 games this season.
  • LaCava has posted double digits in six consecutive games for Gannon, shooting at least 55% from the floor in all of those contests.
  • Obenrader and McKinney combined for 16 points off the bench for Gannon, but the Lakers held a 34-23 edge in bench points.
  • Top-ranked IUP dropped a 61-56 home decision to California (Pa.) tonight, handing the Crimson Hawks their first loss of the season. Eight of the nine teams in the PSAC West have at least five conference wins, with just two games separating third through eighth place.
 
UP NEXT
  • Gannon returns to action on Saturday, January 26 for a road matchup with Millersville. The game will not count towards the Lady Knights conference record. 
  • Live video, live audio and live stats will be provided for the 1:00 p.m. matchup.
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Players Mentioned

Nicole LaCava

#31 Nicole LaCava

C/F
6' 0"
Senior
Physician Assistant
Sydney Mitchell

#23 Sydney Mitchell

G
5' 11"
Sophomore
Nursing
Chelsea Rourke

#13 Chelsea Rourke

G/F
5' 10"
Junior
Nursing
Haley Tewes

#50 Haley Tewes

G
5' 11"
Junior
Digital Media
Lauren Tewes

#34 Lauren Tewes

G/F
5' 11"
Senior
Physician Assistant
Elise Torrence

#20 Elise Torrence

C
6' 3"
Senior
Social Work
Boston McKinney

#15 Boston McKinney

G
5' 4"
Freshman
Early Childhood Education/Special Education
Tori Obenrader

#25 Tori Obenrader

G/F
5' 11"
Freshman
Sport and Exercise Science/Pre-Med

Players Mentioned

Nicole LaCava

#31 Nicole LaCava

6' 0"
Senior
Physician Assistant
C/F
Sydney Mitchell

#23 Sydney Mitchell

5' 11"
Sophomore
Nursing
G
Chelsea Rourke

#13 Chelsea Rourke

5' 10"
Junior
Nursing
G/F
Haley Tewes

#50 Haley Tewes

5' 11"
Junior
Digital Media
G
Lauren Tewes

#34 Lauren Tewes

5' 11"
Senior
Physician Assistant
G/F
Elise Torrence

#20 Elise Torrence

6' 3"
Senior
Social Work
C
Boston McKinney

#15 Boston McKinney

5' 4"
Freshman
Early Childhood Education/Special Education
G
Tori Obenrader

#25 Tori Obenrader

5' 11"
Freshman
Sport and Exercise Science/Pre-Med
G/F