THE RUNDOWN
Final Score: Gannon 69, Slippery Rock 66
Records: Gannon (16-4, 12-2 PSAC West) | SRU (5-15, 3-11 PSAC West)
Location: Morrow Field House | Slippery Rock, Pa.
The Short Story: A neck-and-neck game took a turn in the third quarter as the Knights held the Rock scoreless for over five minutes and used a 12-0 run to separate the teams. Daeja Quick hit two three-pointers to open the fourth and keep SRU in the game. The Rock would get within one point with 5:19 left in the fourth, but Gannon held on for a 69-66 road win.
 
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HOW IT HAPPENED

• Madison Johnson put the Rock on the board early with a three-pointer and would be the only points SRU scored in the first six minutes. The Knights struggled from the field until a layup from Tori Obenrader (Fryburg, Pa./North Clarion) at the 6:41 mark sparked an 11-0 run. Chelsea Rourke (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland) and Haley Tewes (Waterford, Mich./Waterford Kettering) each scored in the two-minute stretch to help Gannon lead 11-3. Karington Ketterer scored five straight points after a jumper and converting on a three-point play for the Rock. Daria-Hanna Koul (Minsk, Belarus/J. Addison), Emily Poling (Defiance, Ohio/Defiance), and Sam Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) came off the bench and score Gannon's final points of the first as the Knights took a 20-16 edge into the second.
• Sydney Mitchell (Baltimore, Md./Seton Keough) opened the second quarter scoring her first points of the game on a driving layup. The Rock didn't back down matching the Knights on the first two possessions. Rourke hit a three pointer at the 6:45 mark to which SRU responded with five straight points narrowing the lead to two points. Rourke stepped again from three point range to hold SRU off, but the Rock used a 12-7 run to close the quarter and knot the game 34-34 heading into halftime.
• The first five minutes off the third quarter saw four lead changes as the teams exchanged baskets. Obenrader scored four straight points to regain the lead two minutes into the half. Sydney Mitchell (Baltimore, Md./Seton Keough) hit a pair of free throws at the 5:17 mark to regain the lead for the fourth time and sparking a 12-0 run to close the third. SRU failed to score in the final 5:38 as the Knights led 52-41.
• The fourth quarter opened with back-to-back threes from Daeja Quick to keep the Rock in the game. Another five point run from Brittany Andrews brought SRU within three points of Gannon. SRU would get within one point of Gannon at the 5:19 mark following a jumper from Leeann Gibson. The Knights held on to the 69-66 win taking a three-point edge with a free throw from Mitchell.

 
GAME NOTES

• Chelsea Rourke (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland) recorded her 500th career rebound Wednesday night. She finished the game with a leading eight boards. Rourke ranks 19th on the all-time list with 503 after tonight's game. She also added a team-high 15 points on 6-of-10 from the field with three three-pointers.
• Obenrader recorded her 11th game scoring double-figures tying Rourke with 15 points. She also added eight rebounds flirting with a double-double.
• Gannon's bench made an impact Wednesday night scoring 19 points, while SRU's scored five. Sam Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) led the reserves with 10 points, four rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block as she did a bit of everything for Gannon.
• Emily Poling (Defiance, Ohio/Defiance) seems to be finding her groove after time off for an injury. She added seven points, two boards, and led the Knights with three assists.
• Gannon shot over 49 percent from the field to record their 12th consecutive game shooting at least 40 percent from the field. They entered the game 22nd in the country for field goal percentage (46.0). The Knights improve to 14-0 when shooting a higher percentage than their opponent.

 
UP NEXT

• Gannon returns home Saturday for a 1 pm tipoff vs. Pitt-Johnstown.
• Saturday marks the 2019-20 Hall of Fame Double Header.
• The Knights beat the Mountain Cats earlier this season 75-73. Obenrader hit a buzzer beater to seal the win.
• Live stats and video will be available.