INDIANA, Pa. – The 15^th/17^th-ranked Gannon women's basketball team picked up a 60-52 road win over No. 12 Indiana (Pa.) on Sunday evening at the Kovalchick Complex in Indiana.
 
In the win, Gannon outrebounded IUP 34-28 and forced the Crimson Hawks into 14 turnovers, including nine in the opening half. The Knights capitalized with a 19-4 scoring advantage off turnovers in the win.
 
Gannon was the second team all season to outrebound the Crimson Hawks. The Knights also held an 11-4 edge in offensive rebounds.
 
With the win, Gannon improves to 11-2 overall and 6-2 in PSAC play. IUP falls to 10-2 overall and 4-2 in league play.
 
Gannon opened a 33-21 lead at halftime behind 16 points from Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) in the opening half. Pirosko shot 8-12 from the field in the first two quarters. The Knights also had a +9 rebounding (24-13) advantage and forced the 'Hawks into nine first-half turnovers.
 
After a quick 8-0 scoring run to begin the third quarter by IUP, capped by back-to-back 3-pointers by Justina Mascaro, Gannon got back on track by shooting 55 percent from the floor in the third quarter and outscoring the Crimson Hawks 20-16 in the frame.
 
With Gannon entering the fourth quarter with a 53-37 advantage, IUP would score 13 of the first 15 points in the quarter to pull within five (55-50) with 3:10 remaining. A Delaney Dogan (West Middlesex, Pa./West Middlesex) layup at the 5:52 mark was Gannon's only basket in the fourth quarter until a layup by Emma Wright (Fairview, Pa./Talawanda) with 2:52 remaining that ended a Crimson Hawks scoring run of nine in a row.
 
Mascaro trimmed Gannon's lead to just five once again at the 2:13 mark following a layup, but that ended the Crimson Hawk scoring on the afternoon as Delaney Dogan (West Middlesex, Pa./West Middlesex) polished the Golden Knights victory with a layup-and-one from the free throw line with 16 seconds remaining, making the final score 60-52.
 
The win was Gannon's second in a row at the Kovalchick Complex, as the Knights also won the PSAC Tournament Championship on IUP's home floor, 50-40, back on March 8, 2020. The win was also Gannon's first over a ranked opponent since Jan. 31, 2021 – a 65-56 win over No. 13 Daemen on the road.
 
Pirosko did most of her damage in the opening half and finished with a team-high 18 points and seven rebounds to lead the Knights. Gannon also got 10 points and five rebounds from Tori Obenrader (Fryburg, Pa./North Clarion) and 10 points, two rebounds and a steal from Emma Wright (Fairview, Pa./Talawanda). Obenrader reached double-figure scoring for the five-consecutive game.
 
Dogan also filled the stat sheet for GU with seven points, seven rebounds and four assists. Emily Poling (Defiance, Ohio/Defiance) finished the evening with six points and five assists. Sydney Mitchell (Halethorpe, Md./Seton Keough) also passed out five assists for Gannon as the Knights recorded 15 assists on 24 made baskets during the victory.
 
Mascaro paced IUP with 24 points following a 10-of-18 shooting performance in the setback. Kiera Baughman was the only other 'Hawk in double-figures with 10 points to go with four rebounds.
 
Both teams shot just over 40 percent from the floor, with IUP holding an 8-5 edge in total 3-pointers.
 
Following the postponement of Wednesday's (Jan. 19) home game against Slippery Rock, the Lady Knights will now return to action next Saturday at East Stroudsburg. Tip time is set for 1 p.m.