THE RUNDOWN
Final Score: Gannon 74, Shippensburg 58
Records: GU (24-6, 18-4 PSAC West) | SU (21-9, 17-5 PSAC East)
Location: Kovalchick Complex | Indiana, Pa.
The Short Story: The Knights jumped out to an 11-2 run in the first quarter to set pace for the rest of the game. Gannon's 12 point lead at the end of the first would be enough to run away with the PSAC Semifinal win over East No. 1 Shippensburg. Chelsea Rourke (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland) scored a game-high 20 points and hit four three-pointers.
 
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HOW IT HAPPENED

• Tori Obenrader (Fryburg, Pa./North Clarion) opened the game with four straight points for the Knights to spark an 11-2 run early in the first. Ariel Jones drove in for a layup to score Shippensburg's only points during the four minute stretch. Rourke then hit her first three pointer of the game, while Obenrader and Boston McKinney (Bolivar, Ohio/Tuscarawas Valley) closed the run with back-to-back layups. Lauren Pettis broke the scoreless drought for the Raiders at the 4:53 mark. She completed the three point play to help cut into Gannon's lead. Obenrader sparked a 7-1 run though for the Knights on the next play, while Sam Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) came off the bench to close the quarter with four straight points leading them to a 24-12 lead at the end of the first.
• Gannon's hot shooting continued into the second with seven straight points to open the quarter. Sydney Mitchell (Baltimore, Md./Seton Keough) and Pirosko drove into the lane for a couple layups, while Boston McKinney (Bolivar, Ohio/Tuscarawas Valley) connected from the arc. Pirosko's layup gave the Knights their largest lead of the half at 19 points, but Aunbrielle Green and Jones helped cut that to 13 with seven minutes remaining. Delaney Dogan (West Middlesex, Pa./West Middlesex) and Rourke stepped up in the final minutes for Gannon combining for nine points in the final four minutes of the half. Treasure George sank a free throw for the final point of the second. Gannon led 42-26 at the break.
• The Raiders stepped up the pressure in the third, which led to a 16-13 edge over the ten minutes. Obenrader connected from the arc for the first bucket of the half, but SU responded with pressure defense that led to a 7-0 run for the Raiders. Lauren Mills sparked the run with a jumper at the 8:37 mark. Jones then hit from the arc, while Green capped the run with a layup to get SU within 12. Mitchell swung momentum back in Gannon's favor with a pair of free throws at the 5:43 mark, which was followed with a layup from Obenrader on the next Gannon possession. At the 2:21 mark, Jones hit a three to get the Raiders within 11, but Rourke and Dogan scored late to keep Gannon's lead at 13 to end the third.
• The Knights used an 8-2 run over the first three minutes of the fourth quarter to get back to a 19 point lead over the Raiders. Haley Tewes (Waterford, Mich./Waterford Kettering) and Obenrader split the points evenly both connecting in the paint two times each. Jones continued to carry the Raiders with a layup at the 6:58 mark. Rourke hit another three a little over a minute later putting Gannon lead at 20. Emily Poling (Defiance, Ohio/Defiance) would sink a three later in the quarter to once again put Gannon's lead at 20 points over Shipp. The Knights' final points of the game were Rourke's final three-pointer of the game with a little under two minutes left on the clock. Shipp sank one more from the arc, but Gannon held on for a 74-58 win to advance to the PSAC Championship.

 
GAME NOTES

• The Knights advance to the PSAC Championship game. It is their first appearance since the 2013-14 season.
• Rourke scored 20 points for a game-high Saturday afternoon. She went 7-of-11 from the field with four three pointers. Saturday was the second time this season that Rourke scored 20 or more points. The last time was vs. Wheeling when she scored 25 for her career-best.
• Rourke also finished with four rebounds and three assists.
• Obenrader added 18 points in 19 minutes for Gannon. She grabbed seven boards and tallied a block and a steal. Obenrader's double-figure scoring streak extends to eight straight games.
• Gannon's bench combined for 19 points vs. Shippensburg. Dogan led with eight points, while Pirosko added six and Poling scored five.
• The Knights finished shooting 51.7 percent from the field Saturday. They improve to 11-0 when shooting 50 percent or better in a game. The Raiders only shot 34.6 percent from the field helping Gannon improve to 23-1 when shooting a higher field goal percentage than its opponent.

 
UP NEXT

• Gannon will play West No. 1 Indiana in the PSAC Championship Sunday afternoon.
• Tipoff is set for 3 pm in the Kovalchick Complex in Indiana, Pa.
• Live stats, audio, and video will be available for the contest.