ERIE, Pa. – Gannon women's basketball erased a 13-point third quarter deficit and rallied to 70-58 nonconference win over Lake Erie on Sunday afternoon inside the Hammermill Center. The Golden Knights finished the third quarter on a 14-5 run and outscored the Storm by a 26-10 margin in the fourth quarter to close out the come-from-behind win.
During Gannon's 14-5 run on the late in the third quarter,
Margo Loutzenhiser (Russell, Pa./Warren Area) scored eight points and passed out two assists to anchor Gannon's comeback.
With the win, Gannon improves to 2-0 on the season. Lake Erie fell to 1-3 on the year.
Gannon trailed by six points after the first quarter, by two points at the half and faced its largest deficit of the game at the 5:44 mark of the third quarter at 43-30 before the momentum shifted to Gannon.
After Gannon cut Lake Erie's double-digit lead to just four points (48-44) at the end of the third quarter, the trio of
Tori Obenrader (Fryburg, Pa./North Clarion), Sam Pirosko and
Emma Wright (Fairview, Pa./Talawanda) combined for 18 of Gannon's 26 fourth-quarter points as the Golden Knights closed out the 12-point victory. Gannon shot nearly 54 percent from the field in the final 10 minutes of play.
For the game, the Golden Knights shot 42.6 percent from the field (23-of-54) and knocked down 20-of-25 attempts from the free throw line.
Pirosko scored a team-high 19 points to go with five rebounds and four steals in the win. She shot 8-of-17 from the field in just under 36 minutes of playing time. Loutzenhiser chipped in 12 points, including nine in the second half.
Emma Wright (Fairview, Pa./Talawanda) and
Tori Obenrader (Fryburg, Pa./North Clarion) also finished in double-figures with 11 points apiece. Pirosko, Wright and Obenrader each pulled down five rebounds to lead GU on the glass.
The Golden Knights finished the game with 15 assists on 23 made baskets, getting a team-high six assists from
Boston McKinney (Bolivar, Ohio/Tuscarawas Valley).
Lainey Billing finished with a career- and team-high 20 points for Lake Erie. Breanna Bauer and Lauren Flannery also reached double-digit scoring with 14 and 10 points, respectively. The Storm outshot the Golden Knights 46.9%-to-42.6%.
Lake Erie lead for 31:45 this afternoon.
Gannon will now turn its focus to the Terrace Hotel Thanksgiving Classic, which will be played this Friday and Saturday in Lakeland, Fla. (hosted by Florida Southern). The Golden Knights will open play on Friday at 12 noon against Lynn University. The next day, GU will meet host Florida Southern at 2 p.m. Live coverage links will be available on GannonSports.com later this week.
