Sam Pirosko vs. Salem
Mike Gallagher
62
Salem (WV) Salem 0-2,0-0 DII Independent
75
Winner Gannon Gannon 2-0,0-0 PSAC
Salem (WV) Salem
0-2,0-0 DII Independent
62
Final
75
Gannon Gannon
2-0,0-0 PSAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Salem (WV) Salem 9 12 15 26 62
Gannon Gannon 9 15 30 21 75

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

Dominant Third Quarter Leads to 75-62 Win over Salem

ERIE, Pa. – The Gannon women's basketball team exploded for 30 points in the third quarter and went on to defeat Salem on Sunday evening 75-62 at Highmark Events Center. The Golden Knights won for the second straight day in the Atlantic Region Challenge to improve to 2-0 while Salem is now 0-2.

The Golden Knights were as cold as the weather outside in the first half, shooting just 22.9 percent from the floor (8-of-35). Thanks to a strong defensive effort they still led 24-21 at intermission.

They came out on fire in the third quarter, making 13-of-18 shots (72.2 percent). By the time the quarter had ended Gannon had outscored the Tigers 30-15 to take a 54-36 lead with eight minutes remaining. In particular, Sam Pirosko came alive. The All-American forward had struggled to make a basket over the first six quarters, but she made 3-of-5 shots in the period to lead the Golden Knights with six points.

Gannon's lead grew to 20 points at 56-36 when Pirosko opened the fourth quarter with a layup. But Salem would rally back with the next ten points to cut the gap in half at 56-46 with 7:13 remaining. Gannon answered with back-to-back 3-pointers by Boston McKinney (Bolivar, Ohio/Tuscarawas Valley) to build the lead back to 16 points. The Tigers never got closer than the final margin of 13 points.

The Golden Knights ended the night shooting 41.8 percent from the floor (28-of-67) , going 20-of-32 in the second half. They made 9-of-31 3-pointers but went 7-of-12 after intermission. Gannon was 10-of-15 at the line. Salem shot 39.6 percent from the floor (21-of-53), making 7-of-15 3-pointers, and was 13-of-16 at the line.

After dominating the glass on Saturday night in a win over Notre Dame (Ohio), Salem ended with a 41-33 rebounding advantage. However, Gannon owned a 26-7 edge in points off turnovers as the Tigers turned the ball over 25 times compared to 13 for the Golden Knights.

Pirosko would end up scoring 14 of her team-high 20 points in the second half, making 5-of-7 shots. She also had a team-high six rebounds, along with five assists and four steals.

Emma Wright (Fairview, Pa./Talawanda) chipped in with 18 points, making 7-of-13 field goals and going 4-for-9 from beyond the 3-point arc. She also contributed five rebounds and four steals. McKinney had nine points on three 3-pointers, while handing out 10 assists and turning the ball over just twice. Freshman Bri Claxon (South Webster, Ohio/South Webster) came off the bench to play 23 minutes and score seven points.

Salem's Nerea Arambarri-Fernandez led all scorers with 29 points, making 6-of-8 3-pointers. Daniela Quesada added 11 points.

Gannon returns to action with its third game in five days on Wednesday, November 16 hosting D'Youville at Highmark Events Center. Tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m.  
 
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