Sam
Sean Gallagher
75
Winner Gannon Gannon 4-0,0-0 PSAC
74
Fla. Southern FSC 1-4,0-1 Sunshine State
Winner
Gannon Gannon
4-0,0-0 PSAC
75
Final
74
Fla. Southern FSC
1-4,0-1 Sunshine State
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Gannon Gannon 24 23 16 12 75
Fla. Southern FSC 15 25 12 22 74

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Pirosko Scores 27 Points as No. 8 Gannon Edges Florida Southern, 75-74

LAKELAND, Fla. – Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) scored a game-high 27 points as the eighth-ranked Gannon women's basketball team held off a late rally by host Florida Southern to post a sweep of their two games in the Sunshine State. The Golden Knights improved to 4-0 with a 75-74 win over the Mocs, who fell to 1-4, in the Terrace Hotel Thanksgiving Classic.

The contest featured a pair of teams that qualified for the 2019 NCAA Division II Tournament. Florida Southern has now lost three games by a combined 13 points. But the Mocs had no answer for Pirosko. The 5'10" sophomore made 9-of-12 field goals, including her lone 3-point attempt, plus went a perfect 8-for-8 at the free throw line.



Gannon never trailed in the contest after scoring the first 11 points of the game, but the final minutes proved to be very interesting. Leading by 63-52 after three quarters, Delaney Dogan (West Middlesex, Pa./West Middlesex) opened the fourth period with a pair of free throws to boost the lead to 65-52.

FSC went on a 12-2 run to close the gap to 67-64 with 4:20 remaining. Pirosko's jumper built the lead to 69-64, but with just over two minutes remaining the Mocs closed to just a point at 69-68 on a pair of free throws by Julia Jenike. Dogan's layup made it 71-68 with 2:02 left, and after a Florida Southern turnover, Pirosko drained a pair of free throws for a seemingly safe 73-68 advantage with 1:20 to play.

Thirteen seconds later Mackenzie Steele hit a 3-pointer to pull the Mocs to within two. Gannon would turn the ball over on its next possession, but the Knights forced a missed three with 26 seconds left and Emily Poling (Defiance, Ohio/Defiance) grabbed the rebound. FSC was forced to foul with Gannon yet to reach the bonus. Finally, three fouls later and with 16 seconds left, Emma Wright (Fairview, Pa./Talawanda) stepped to the line and made two free throws for a 75-71 lead. Jenike would hit a 3-pointer with 1.8 seconds left, but Gannon inbounded the ball safely for a fourth straight win.

Fouls were the theme of the day, with the officials whistling 55 fouls and the two teams combining for 61 free throws. Gannon would make 26-of-32 at the charity stripe, while Florida Southern was 22-of-29.  

Gannon scored the first 11 points before the Mocs got on the scoreboard with 6:09 left in the first quarter on a 3-pointer. Pirosko opened the scoring with a layup, followed by a Wright three, and then back-to-back layups by Pirosko. Margo Loutzenhiser (Russell, Pa./Warren Area) capped the opening run with a pair of free throws.

The Golden Knights would take a 24-15 lead after one period while making 9-of-14 shots. That included a pair of Tori Obenrader (Fryburg, Pa./North Clarion) layups off passes from Faith Williams (Grafton, Ohio/Elyria Catholic) in the final minute.

Gannon's lead grew to 12 points on two occasions in the second quarter, the latter at 35-23. A 7-1 Florida Southern run pulled the Mocs to within 36-30, but Pirosko and McKel Nation (Lebanon, Ohio/Springboro) each made a pair of free throws to build the lead back to double figures at 40-30. The Knights would hold a seven-point lead at the half at 47-40.

In addition to Pirosko, who posted her fourth straight game in double figures and second of 20-or-more, Dogan and Wright were in double digits with 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Gannon shot 47.9 percent from the floor (23-of-48), including 3-of-17 on 3-pointers. Florida Southern ended the game shooting 41.2 percent (21-of-51), but stayed in the game by making 10-of-24 3-pointers. The Golden Knights dominated in the paint, outscoring the Mocs 38-18.

Florida Southern had four players in double figures. Sara Wohlgemuth and Whitney Jacob had 17 points apiece, with Jenike scoring 12 points and Paula Reel 11.

This weekend's games marked the end of non-conference play for the Golden Knights. They now begin PSAC action with a pair of crossover contests next weekend against the top two teams in the PSAC East. On Friday, December 3 Gannon plays at Shepherd, the number two pick in the Eastern Division preseason poll, at 5:30 p.m. The next day the Golden Knights are at PSAC East preseason favorite Shippensburg, with the tip again at 5:30 p.m.
 
Print Friendly Version