Williams at Cal
Jeff Helsel, Cal U Athletics

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

No. 14 Gannon Happy to be Home in Search of Fourth Straight Win, Hosting Clarion on Wednesday

CLARION GOLDEN EAGLES (3-14, 2-10 PSAC West) at No. 14/RV GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS (13-2, 8-2 PSAC West)
DATE/TIME: Wednesday, January 26, 2022 | 5:30 p.m.
ARENA/LOCATION: Gary Miller Court at the Hammermill Center l Erie, 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. 
 
THE GANNON-CLARION ALL-TIME SERIES
Gannon leads 44-15
Gannon has won the last 11 straight meetings with Clarion and leads the all-time series 44-15. The Golden Knights have won four in a row at home and 13 of 14 against the Golden Eagles. Gannon claimed a pair of victories over Clarion in 2020-21, three days apart. Four players scored in double figures in a 65-53 win at Clarion on Feb.11. On Feb. 13, Gannon recorded a 67-58 win at the Hammermill Center.
 
Last Meeting
Feb. 13, 2021 – at Gannon 67, Clarion 58 I RECAP
Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) scored a career-high 32 points to lead Gannon to the home victory. Pirosko made 11 of 16 field goals, including 2 of 3 3-pointers, and went 8 of 9 at the line. Sydney Mitchell (Halethorpe, Md./Seton Keough) added 12 points and eight rebounds, and Emma Wright (Fairview, Pa./Talawanda) finished with 10 points. Ke'Airah Massiah led Clarion with 18 points.
 
 
ERIE, Pa. – Gannon head coach Cleve Wright has said little about what his team has had to overcome this season. He lets his team's play do the talking, and they certainly spoke up after recently suffering their second loss of the season, a 66-60 setback at Seton Hill.
 
The response – three straight road wins at 12th-ranked Indiana(Pa.) (60-52), East Stroudsburg (76-57), and Cal U (61-54). Monday's win at Cal boosted the Golden Knights to 13-2 overall and 8-2 in the PSAC West. They entered the contest ranked 19th in the latest WBCA Division II Top 25 and among teams receiving votes in the D2SIDA poll. Now they look to extend the winning streak to four in a row, hosting a Clarion (3-14, 2-10 PSAC West) team that has lost three straight games and 10 of its last 11.
 
The win at Cal, pitting two of the powerhouses in the PSAC, reaffirmed Gannon's grit, determination, and leadership. The Golden Knights led by 14 points late in the third quarter, only to see the Vulcans pull to within four points on four occasions. Each time Gannon answered with a basket, twice by Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) and twice by Tori Obenrader (Fryburg, Pa./North Clarion). Pirosko finished with 15 points while Emma Wright (Fairview, Pa./Talawanda) turned in a spectacular effort with 14 points and a career-high 13 rebounds.
 
The Clarion game marks Gannon's first game at the Hammermill Center since a come-from-behind win vs. Mercyhurst on January 5. After playing four straight games on the road, Gannon will play for just the second time at home this month. That's followed by a road game at Pitt-Johnstown on Saturday before playing four straight contests at home.
 
Due to the numerous COVID postponements, head coach Cleve Wright's squad plays every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday for the next four weeks.
 
The recent postponements have allowed Gannon to get as healthy as they will likely be the rest of the year. Pirosko is returning to form after leading the team in scoring last year. The 5'10" sophomore comes in at 14.7 ppg. and stands second in rebounding at 5.8 rpg.
 
Wright is also in double digits for a balanced Gannon squad, averaging 11.0 ppg. with 4.7 rpg. a team-high 37 assists and 19 3-pointers. Delaney Dogan (West Middlesex, Pa./West Middlesex) produced her fourth double-double of the season at East Stroudsburg with 11 points and 10 rebounds. The 6'0" senior comes in at a team-leading 7.7 rpg., along with 9.5 ppg. She has had seven games with 10-or-more rebounds. 
 
GANNON IN THE PSAC STATS
Scoring Offense – 67.7 (5th)         
Scoring Defense – 57.3 (5th)                                      
Field Goal Pct. -- .427 (3rd)          
Field Goal Pct. Defense -- .382 (12th)   
3FGM per Game – 5.3 (10th)      
Rebound Margin -- +5.2 (3rd)                                    
Turnover Margin -- +2.4  (3rd)      
 
DOING IT THE THE WRIGHT WAY AT CAL
Emma Wright (Fairview, Pa./Talawanda) seems to save her best efforts for the marque games. The graduate student was at it again on Monday at Cal. Facing a hounding Vulcans defense, she stepped up to record her first career double-double with 14 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. It was the second game of her career with 10-or-more rebounds. She made 4 of 6 field goals, including 2 of 3 3-pointers, and was 4 of 5 at the line.
 
POLING PICKING UP MORE RESPONSIBILITY
Emily Poling (Defiance, Ohio/Defiance) entered the season as Gannon's top 3-point threat. The junior guard has made 19 3-pointers in 48 attempts. But of late she has had to assume the main ballhandling responsibilities with Gannon thin at point guard. Poling is tied for the team lead with 37 assists while committing just 22 turnovers.
 
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 three straight promising outings. 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 and 15 more in the win at Cal.  Pirosko is averaging a team-leading 14.7 ppg. to go with 5.8 rpg. in 12 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 57.3 ppg. and have held 11 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 38.2 percent shooting from the floor, along with forcing 18.1 turnovers per game. In addition, the Golden Knights hold a +5.2 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 eight 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 CLOSING IN ON A GRAND
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 seven games, boosting her season average to 9.6 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 968 points and 567 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 CLIMBS FIVE SPOTS TO 14th IN LATEST WBCA TOP 25
The Gannon women's basketball team moved up five spots in this week's WBCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll. Gannon climbed from 19th to 14th in the latest WBCA poll. Gannon remained among teams "receiving votes" and ranked third in the Atlantic Region rankings in the D2SIDA Top 25. 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.
 
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 had lost just four times on their homecourt in their last two seasons when GU visited IUP. 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 319-196 and is 284-109 at Gannon.
 
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 CLARION
Clarion (3-14, 2-10 PSAC West) invades the Hammermill Center seeking an end to a three-game losing streak. Monday's 73-62 loss at Bloomsburg was the 10th in the last 11 games. The Golden Eagles feature two players in double figures. Sierra Bermudez leads the way at 15.8 ppg., adding 4.5 rpg. The freshman guard ranks among the PSAC leaders in 3-pointers, making 41 in 111 attempts. Cory Santoro, another freshman guard. chips in with 12.4 ppg. and has made 24 of 87 shots from beyond the arc. Jada Smith, a 5'9" junior, is the team's top rebounder at 7.7 per game while scoring 9.5 ppg.
 
NEXT FOR THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS
Gannon plays at Pitt-Johnstown on Saturday, January 29, with tipoff at the UPJ Sports Center set for 1:00 p.m. The Golden Knights will be playing their fifth game on the road in the last six contests. They return home for four straight games after that.
 
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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