Women's Basketball vs. Mercyhurst

Women's Basketball Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Busy Stretch Continues with Showdown at Perennial Power Cal U

No. 19/RV GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS (12-2, 7-2 PSAC West) at CAL U VULCANS (9-2, 4-2 PSAC West)
DATE/TIME: Monday, January 24, 2022 | 5:30 p.m.
ARENA/LOCATION: Convention Center l California, Pa.
LIVE VIDEO
LIVE STATS
 
RADIO:  Gannon basketball fans can catch all of the exciting action of Golden Knights' basketball on 90.5 WERG FM. Jack Quinn and Sean Amicucci will serve as announcers for the games. Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations Bryan Kast will handle the call for the Cal doubleheader.
 
THE GANNON-CAL ALL-TIME SERIES
Cal leads 23-22
The Vulcans hold a narrow lead in a see-saw series which first began in 1981-82. The Golden Knights captured both meetings in 2019-20 to end a nine-game Cal streak, picking up a 66-40 win at the Hammermill Center in January behind 19 points from Tori Obenrader (Fryburg, Pa./North Clarion). The two teams met at Cal in the regular season finale, with Obenrader contributing 15 points and 11 rebounds in a 63-59 win for the Golden Knights. Gannon and Cal were actually scheduled to meet in the opening round of the 2020 NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional, but the NCAA canceled the tournament due to the pandemic.
 
Last Meeting
Feb. 29, 2020 – at Gannon 63, Cal 59 I RECAP
The Golden Knights completed the season sweep over the Vulcans thanks to a 14-6 run in the third quarter to regain the lead after Cal led 27-25 at the half. The Vulcans would close to within two points with 18 seconds left, but Sydney Mitchell's (Halethorpe, Md./Seton Keough) two free throws five seconds later clinched the victory. Tori Obenrader (Fryburg, Pa./North Clarion) notched her eight double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Haley Tewes added 15 points and seven rebounds. Shauna Harrison led three Vulcans in double digits with 19 points.
 
 
 
ERIE, Pa. – Gannon travels to Cal U on Monday for a showdown between two of the top teams in the PSAC West year-in and year-out. The Golden Knights picked up their second straight win on Saturday, coasting to a 76-57 win at East Stroudsburg. That was preceded by a 60-52 win at 12th-ranked Indiana(Pa.) a week earlier. Ranked 19th in the latest WBCA Division II Top 25, the Golden Knights are 12-2 overall and 7-2 in the PSAC West. Cal is 9-2 with a 4-2 league mark while playing even more sporadically than Gannon in recent weeks.
 
Cal's contest with Mercyhurst on Saturday was postponed. The Vulcans last played on January 19, winning 71-47 at Clarion. They have had seven games postponed in January while playing just twice.
 
Gannon begins a stretch of six games over the next 12 days, and it doesn't slow down after that. Head coach Cleve Wright's squad plays every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday for the next four weeks leading up to the end of the regular season. The Cal game also marks the fourth straight road tilt for the Golden Knights.
 
The recent postponements have allowed Gannon to get as healthy as they will likely be the rest of the year. Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) is returning to form after leading the team in scoring last year. The 5'10" sophomore comes in at 14.6 ppg. after scoring 18 points in the 60-52 win over 12th-ranked Indiana(Pa.), followed by 15 points at East Stroudsburg.
 
Emma Wright (Fairview, Pa./Talawanda) and Delaney Dogan (West Middlesex, Pa./West Middlesex) are also in double digits for a balanced Gannon squad. Wright averages 10.8 ppg. with a team-high 36 assists and 17 3-pointers. Dogan produced her fourth double-double of the season at ESU with 11 points and 10 rebounds. The 6'0" senior comes in at 10.0 ppg. and 8.1 rpg. She has had seven games with 10-or-more rebounds.
 
As usual, Cal showcases a stingy defense. The Vulcans lead the PSAC and rank fourth in Division II in scoring defense at 51.3 ppg., while Gannon is fifth at 57.5 ppg. Cal also leads the conference in scoring offense (71.5 ppg.), with Gannon fifth (68.2 ppg.). Cal is also first in the PSAC and seventh nationally in turnover margin (+8.73) and third in the PSAC in field goal percentage defense (35.0 pct.).
 
Following the short turnaround to Cal, Gannon returns home to the Hammermill Center for the first time since January 5, hosting Clarion on Wednesday, January 26. The contest will tip off at 5:30 p.m.
 
GANNON IN THE PSAC STATS 
Scoring Offense – 68.2 (5th)         
Scoring Defense – 57.5 (5th)                                      
Field Goal Pct. -- .431 (4th)          
Field Goal Pct. Defense -- .392 (13th)      
3FGM per Game – 5.4 (9th)      
Rebound Margin -- +5.7 (2nd)                                   
Turnover Margin -- +3.1  (3rd)      
  
PIROSKO RETURNING TO FORM
The 2021-22 campaign got off to a great start for Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North). The 5'10" sophomore was leading the PSAC in scoring at 21.8 ppg. after four games. However, she went down with an injury early in the second quarter at Shepherd, and since that time has battled to get back to full strength. Pirosko has missed three games since then, but turned in promising outings at Indiana(Pa.) and East Stroudsburg. She played 32 minutes, the most since s 36-minute effort vs. Lake Erie in the second game of the season, at IUP and led Gannon with 18 points and seven rebounds. She added 15 points at ESU.  Pirosko is averaging a team-leading 14.6 ppg. to go with 6.0 rpg. in 11 games. Last year, she led Gannon in scoring (15.9 ppg.) and was second in rebounding (6.0 rpg.).
 
GANNON CLAMPING DOWN ON DEFENSE
Much of Gannon's success in 2021-22 can be attributed to outstanding defense. The Golden Knights are allowing just 57.5 ppg. and have held ten opponents to under 60 points. Only one team has reached 70 points against Gannon, and that was a 75-74 win at Florida Southern.  Gannon is limiting opponents to 39.2 percent shooting from the floor, along with forcing 18.3 turnovers per game. In addition, the Golden Knights hold a +5.7 rebounding advantage. 
 
DOGAN RULING THE GLASS
Delaney Dogan (West Middlesex, Pa./West Middlesex) pulled down 10 rebounds at East Stroudsburg, the sixth time in the last seven games the 6'0" senior has had 10-or-more rebounds. She had a string of five straight double-figure efforts snapped at IUP, as Dogan pulled down seven boards, matching Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) for the team lead. She has now had seven games of 10-or-more rebounds and owns four double-doubles after finishing with 11 points and 10 rebounds at ESU. Dogan was recently named the PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Week for back-to-back weeks.
 
TORI ON THE ROAD BACK
Gannon's leading scorer and rebounder in 2019-20, Tori Obenrader (Fryburg, Pa./North Clarion) missed the last nine games of the 2020-21 season with the injury. She was averaging 12.6 ppg. and 7.0 rpg. at the time after showing figures of 16.9 ppg. and 8.2 rpg. in '19-20. The 5'11" junior made her return to the hardcourt vs. Bluefield State, playing 14 minutes. She finished with six points and six rebounds. While starting slow, Obenrader has scored in double figures in five of the last six games, averaging 12.8 ppg. over that stretch to boost her season average to 9.8 ppg. That includes a season-high 18 points vs. Mercyhurst in her second start of the season. Obenrader played a season-high 33 minutes and matched her high of seven rebounds for the year. She made 10-of-12 free throws. Obenrader was a first team All-PSAC West selection in 2019-20 and the MVP of the PSAC Tournament, in addition to being named the 2018-19 PSAC West Freshman of the Year. She has boosted her career totals to 960 points and 562 rebounds.
 
NATION, BENIM ENJOY CAREER GAMES AT ESU
McKel Nation (Lebanon, Ohio/Springboro) and Ali Benim (Erie, Pa./Harbor Creek) saw extended minutes in Saturday's 76-57 win at East Stroudsburg and produced career efforts in the process. Nation came off the bench to contribute a career-high 12 points in 15 minutes. The 6'2" sophomore made 6-of-8 field goals and also contributed four rebounds and two steals.  Benim, a 5'8" junior from nearby Harbor Creek High School, played a career-high 20 minutes. She scored 10 points to reach double figures for the first time, making 4-of-8 field goals, including 2-of-4 3-pointers. 
 
GANNON RANKED 19th IN WBCA TOP 25
The Gannon women's basketball team is ranked in 19th in the latest WBCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll after holding down the 15th spot the week before. Gannon had been ranked in the D2SIDA Division II Top 25 most of the year but is now among teams "receiving votes" and ranked third in the Atlantic Region rankings. Gannon has been ranked as high as seventh in the WBCA poll and ninth in the D2SIDA rankings. Gannon was chosen the preseason favorite in the PSAC West, edging Indiana (Pa.) in the Coaches' Preseason Poll. Cal was picked to finish third.
 
GANNON PICKS UP RARE WINS AT KOVALCHICK COMPLEX
IUP's Kovalchick Center is the Taj Mahal of facilities in the PSAC. It is also an extremely difficult venue for a visiting team top claim a victory. The Crimson Hawks have lost just four times on their homecourt in their last two seasons. Two of the losses have come at the hands of the Golden Knights. On Sunday, Gannon jumped out to a 53-37 lead after three quarters and held off an IUP rally for a 60-52 victory. The last time the two teams had met was in the 2020 PAC Championship game. Gannon rallied from an 18-10 halftime deficit for a 50-40 win at the Kovalchick Complex.
 
POLING PROLIFIC FROM BEYOND THE ARC AT SETON HILL
Emily Poling (Defiance, Ohio/Defiance) scored a career-high 23 points recently at Seton Hill. Most encouraging, the 5'9" junior made 7-of-8 3-pointers, with the lone miss coming on a heave at the buzzer. She was 8-of-11 overall from the floor. Poling came into the game making 9-of-32 shots from beyond the arc.
 
IS WRIGHT'S EFFORT THE PLAY OF THE YEAR?
Playing shorthanded, Gannon needed a play late to extend its winning streak to six straight games. Emma Wright (Fairview, Pa./Talawanda) provided that play. After trailing Mercyhurst 56-53 with a minute to play, Tori Obenrader (Fryburg, Pa./North Clarion) hit a pair of free throws to pull the Golden Knights within a point. Wright then came up with the biggest play of the game and maybe the year. The graduate student blocked a short jumper by Emily Shopene, then hustled to gather the rebound near the baseline. She was fouled on the play, and calmly stepped to the line and made both free throws with 23 seconds left to give Gannon a 57-56 advantage. Gannon went on to score the final seven points of the game to win 60-56. Wright ended the night with 11 points, 6 rebounds and one very big block while matching her season high with 38 minutes.
 
GANNON SEES STREAK OF 78 GAMES WITH A 3-POINTER SNAPPED
After making 27 3-pointers in the previous three games, and at least three 3-pointers in every game to start the 2021-22 season, Gannon misfired on all nine of its shots from behind the 3-point arc against Mercyhurst. It snapped a string of 78 straight games with at least one 3-pointer. The last time Gannon failed to hit a 3-pointer was at Bloomsburg on December 1, 2018. The Golden Knights went 0-for-15 on 3-pointers that day.
 
2021-22 IN A WORD – ADVERSITY
It's a word that head coach Cleve Wright has used on more than one occasion this year to describe the early portion of the 2021-22 season. The veteran coach has made sure his team ignores a series of injuries and a tough early-season schedule to maintain Gannon's winning tradition. Most recently, the Golden Knights have had to make do without a true point guard against Mercyhurst and Seton Hill. In addition, leading scorer Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) suffered an injury at Shepherd and has battled injury and illness since. After averaging 21.8 ppg. to lead the PSAC in scoring through four games, the 5'10" sophomore has missed three full games and has been less than 100 percent several others. Gannon also was without team leader and senior Sydney Mitchell (Halethorpe, Md./Seton Keough) for the first four games of the season as she recovered from a knee injury. Most recently, Wright has been without starting point guard Boston McKinney (Bolivar, Ohio/Tuscarawas Valley) for an extended period.
 
DOGAN BATTLES BIG BALD EAGLE SQUAD AS KNIGHTS OVERCOME SLOW START
With Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) at less than 100 percent and Tori Obenrader (Fryburg, Pa./North Clarion) out, Delaney Dogan (West Middlesex, Pa./West Middlesex) was forced to battle a Lock Haven squad that featured numerous interior players with plenty of size. After a slow start, the 6'0" senior fell one point shy of her career high with 20 points. She made 8-of-12 3-pointers, including her second career 3-pointer, and was 3-for-3 at the line. Dogan added four rebounds and a pair of blocks.
 
WRIGHT, PIROSKO EARN BACK-TO-BACK PSAC WEST ATHLETE OF THE WEEK HONORS
Emma Wright (Fairview, Pa./Talawanda) was named the PSAC West Athlete of the Week for her performance in the Shepherd and Shippensburg games. Wright led Gannon with 17 points in the Ship win, matching her career high, adding seven rebounds and a pair of assists. Seven of her points came in the decisive fourth quarter. She scored 11 points at Shepherd, but more importantly, held Abby Beeman, the second-leading scorer in the PSAC, to just eight points, all in the fourth quarter. Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) was the PSAC West Athlete of the Week the previous week. The 5'10" sophomore led Gannon to wins over Lynn and host Florida Southern in the Terrace Hotel Thanksgiving Classic. She scored 27 points against Florida Southern, her fourth straight game in double digits and the second game with 20-or-more points. In 29 minutes, she made 9-of-12 field goals, including her lone 3-point attempt, while going a perfect 8-for-8 at the line. She added four rebounds, an assist and a steal. The day before, the native of Eastlake, Ohio had 13 points, five rebounds, and six steals.   
 
WRIGHT IN 14TH SEASON AS GANNON'S HEAD COACH
Cleve Wright is in his 14th season as Gannon's head coach, and 19th overall as a head coach. He is actually in his second stint at Gannon. He enjoyed tremendous success while guiding the Golden Knights from 2002-13, posting a 233-100 record with five NCAA Tournament appearances and a PSAC title. After four seasons as the head coach at Miami (Ohio) and another two years as the associate head coach at Eastern Illinois, Wright returned to Gannon in 2019-20. He guided GU to a 25-6 ledger in his return, with the Golden Knights defeating seventh-ranked IUP, 50-40, in the PSAC Championship game. On the eve of hosting half of the bracket of the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional, the pandemic shut everything down. Wright owns an overall record of 318-196 and is 283-109 at Gannon.
 
WELCOME BACK SYDNEY
After missing the first four contests of the season, Sydney Mitchell (Halethorpe, Md./Seton Keough) returned to action on the eastern trip to Shepherd and Shippensburg. Mitchell, in just her second game of the season at Shippensburg, scored 14 points and five boards. She made 4-of-8 field goals, including 2-of-3 3-pointers, and was 4-of-4 at the line in 18 minutes. The night before she made her season debut at Shepherd, playing 19 minutes and contributing eight points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals. The 5'11" senior entered the season a starter in 78 games in her career, including a 76 in a row leading into 2021-22. She averaged 10.6 ppg last season, along with 3.9 apg. and 2.0 spg. last season.
 
WRIGHT ADDS FORMER KNIGHT BATTS, BRAUN AS ASSISTANT COACHES
Cleve Wright added a pair of assistant coaches to his staff late this summer. His staff is now comprised of former Gannon standout Brittany Batts, plus Allison Braun, who was a standout at McDowell High School. Batts played for the Lady Knights from 2011-15, currently ranking 20th in career scoring with 1,152 points while appearing in 125 games. She holds the top two season figures for 3-pointers made with 102 in 2012-13 and 93 in 2013-14. She ranks second in career 3-pointers made (286) and attempts (688) and is fifth in 3-point field goal percentage (.416). Batts helped lead the Lady Knights to a 102-24 record and four NCAA postseason appearances. She has already worked as an assistant coach at the Division I, II, and III levels while in the early stages of her coaching career. She joins the Lady Knights after working as an assistant at Division I Chicago State last year. Prior to that, she was a member of the Shepherd coaching staff in 2018-19 and 2019-20.  She began her coaching career as a graduate assistant at Castelton University in 2015, then moved on to Bridgewater College (Va.) in 2017-18. Braun joins the Gannon staff after serving as an assistant coach at SUNY Cortland the last three years. During the 2019-20 season she was part of Cortland's coaching contingent that was named the SUNYAC Coaching Staff of the Year. The Red Dragons finished 22-7, advanced to the finals of the SUNYAC tournament, earned an NCAA Division III tournament at-large bid. Braun played four years at Division I Canisius College from 2009-13. She was voted as the team's Most Valuable Player by her teammates in both her junior and senior years. Braun appeared in 108 career games, with 53 starts.
 
GU SIGNS PAIR OF RECRUITS
Head coach Cleve Wright and his staff signed a pair of recruits to national letters of intent recently, grabbing both from the Buckeye state. Briana Claxon is a 5'7" guard from South Webster (Ohio) High School, while Andrea Maibach is a 6'2" forward from Norwayne (Ohio) High School. Claxon is a two-time All-Ohio selection who averaged 24.4 ppg. as a junior. Maibach has led Norwayne in rebounding the last two years, with a 23-3 finish a year ago.
 
SCOUTING CAL
Cal has been one of the true women's basketball powerhouses over the years, with two national championships. The Vulcans have won 20-or-more games in six straight seasons. Head coach Jess Strom is in her 11th season and is all the all-time leader in victories with a 221-63 record. This year's squad comes in at 9-2 overall and 4-2 in the PSAC and showcases a suffocating defense. The Vulcans lead the PSAC in scoring offense (71.5 ppg.), scoring defense (51.3 ppg.), and turnover margin (+8.73) while ranking third in field goal percentage defense (35.0 pct.). Dejah Terrell leads a trio of Vulcans scoring in double figures. The 6'1" junior averages 18.9 ppg. and is also the top rebounder at 8.3 per game. She also has 29 blocked shots. Terrell previously played in 2019-20 at Albright, where she was an honorable mention All-American. Ciaira Loyd, a 5'7" junior, adds 11.5 ppg. with a team-high 57 assists, while 5'8" junior Brionna Allen comes in at 11.1 ppg. Loyd played at Lackawanna in 2019-20 and was an NJCAA All-American.
 
NEXT FOR THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS
The slew of postponements within the PSAC leaves Gannon facing a stretch of six games in 12 days beginning with the East Stroudsburg contest. Starting with the Cal game, the Golden Knights play three times each week for the next four weeks. On Wednesday, January 26 Gannon returns home for the first time since January 5, hosting Clarion in a 5:30 p.m. tipoff.    
 
 
 
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Players Mentioned

Ali Benim

#10 Ali Benim

G
5' 8"
Sophomore
Delaney Dogan

#54 Delaney Dogan

G/F
6' 0"
Redshirt Sophomore
Boston McKinney

#15 Boston McKinney

G
5' 4"
Junior
Sydney Mitchell

#23 Sydney Mitchell

G
5' 11"
Senior
Tori Obenrader

#25 Tori Obenrader

G/F
5' 11"
Junior
Samantha Pirosko

#44 Samantha Pirosko

C/F
5' 10"
Redshirt Sophomore
Emily Poling

#20 Emily Poling

G
5' 9"
Junior
McKel Nation

#50 McKel Nation

F
6' 2"
Freshman
Emma Wright

#13 Emma Wright

G
5' 10"
Redshirt Junior

Players Mentioned

Ali Benim

#10 Ali Benim

5' 8"
Sophomore
G
Delaney Dogan

#54 Delaney Dogan

6' 0"
Redshirt Sophomore
G/F
Boston McKinney

#15 Boston McKinney

5' 4"
Junior
G
Sydney Mitchell

#23 Sydney Mitchell

5' 11"
Senior
G
Tori Obenrader

#25 Tori Obenrader

5' 11"
Junior
G/F
Samantha Pirosko

#44 Samantha Pirosko

5' 10"
Redshirt Sophomore
C/F
Emily Poling

#20 Emily Poling

5' 9"
Junior
G
McKel Nation

#50 McKel Nation

6' 2"
Freshman
F
Emma Wright

#13 Emma Wright

5' 10"
Redshirt Junior
G