ERIE, Pa. – The 16
th-ranked Gannon women's basketball team scored 53 second-half points and limited Mansfield to 29 percent from the floor in a runaway 86-45 victory on Saturday afternoon at the Hammermill Center.
Gannon shot 52.6 percent (30-of-57) from the floor and made 11 three-pointers in the victory, including a sizzling 80 percent shooting performance (8-of-10) in the third quarter as the Knights broke open the game and stretched a 14-point halftime lead into a 55-25 advantage at the 4:17 mark of the third. Six different players scored during a 22-6 scoring run that stretched nearly the first six minutes of the second half for the Knights. Sam Pirosko scored seven of Gannon's points during the stretch, while
Tori Obenrader (Fryburg, Pa./North Clarion) hit two free throws and buried a three to cap the stretch.
With the win, Gannon runs its current win streak to three games and improves to 7-1 on the season, including 3-1 in PSAC play. Mansfield falls to 2-6 overall and 1-3 in the league.
The Lady Knights also had a strong defensive performance on Saturday afternoon, limiting the Mountaineers to just 16-of-55 (29.1%) from the field and 3-of-17 from behind the arc (17.6%). Mansfield also made just 10-of-20 attempts from the charity stripe and turned the ball over 18 times on the offensive end. Gannon out-rebounded Mansfield 37-36.
Gannon shot 52.6 percent from the floor (30-of-57) and 36.7 percent from three (11-of-30) in the victory. The Knights also cashed in on 15-of-19 attempts from the free throw line and passed out 24 assists on 30 made baskets.
Emma Wright (Fairview, Pa./Talawanda) scored a game-high 19 points on 6-of-13 from the field and 5-of-11 from three in the victory. She scored 14 of her points in the opening half and also passed out three assists to go with two steals. Pirosko also reached double-figures and just missed out on a double-double with 16 points, nine rebounds and three steals. Pirosko shot 7-of-11 from the field.
The Knights also got eight points apiece from Obenrader and Margo Loutzebhiser, while
Boston McKinney (Bolivar, Ohio/Tuscarawas Valley) chipped in seven points and nine assists.
Emily Poling (Defiance, Ohio/Defiance) also dropped in six points for the Knights. In all, 12 different players scored for Gannon.
Jasmine Hilton led Mansfield with 10 points and seven rebounds, while Logan Nutt and Kira Merritt scored eight points apiece.
Gannon will have a quick turnaround to prepare for a 1 p.m. matchup against Bloomsburg on Sunday afternoon inside the Hammermill Center. Bloomsburg dropped a 66-57 final at Mercyhurst this afternoon.
