Scoreboard

Sean Gallagher

Women's Basketball 11/24/2022 7:20:00 PM Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Gannon at 6-0 for First Time Since 2013-14 with Second Straight Win in Puerto Rico

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – The Gannon women's basketball team improved to 6-0 with a 66-36 win over UPR Bayamon to wrap up their two-game trip to Puerto Rico in the Puerto Rico Clasico. The Go0lden Knights are ranked 20^th in the latest WBCA Division II Top 25 and 14^th in the D2SIDA poll. The six straight wins to open the season are the most since the 2013-14 team won its first 17 games.

Three players scored in double figures, with Ali Benim (Erie, Pa./Harbor Creek) and Emma Wright (Fairview, Pa./Talawanda) scoring 12 points apiece and Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) adding 11. All ten players who saw action scored as head coach Cleve Wright substituted liberally in what became a physical contest. The win came one day after the veteran coach won his 300^th game at Gannon.

Gannon scored the first six points in the contest and never trailed. Delaney Dogan (West Middlesex, Pa./West Middlesex) dropped in a pair of free throws to open the scoring, and the 6'0" forward added a rebound basket. A Pirosko layup made it 6-0 before Bayamon finally scored with just over five minutes left in the quarter.

Gannon led 11-2 after one quarter and outscore Bayamon 22-15 in the second quarter for a 33-17 lead at intermission. Maddy Wheatley (Canberra, Australia/UCSSC Lake Ginninderra) gave Gannon its first double-digit lead at 17-6 with a layup with seven minutes left in the half. Bayamon would cut the gap to less than ten points just once after that. Gannon led 33-17 at the half and expanded the lead to 52-26 after three quarters.

Benin, a senior guard, scored a career-high 12 points while making 3-of-4 3-pointers. She added a p[air of steals. Wright was one of three Golden Knights to pull down nine rebounds in addition to scoring 12 points as Gannon outrebounded Bayamon 48-28. Pirosko had 11 points, six rebounds and three steals. She now has 939 career points. Dogan and Wheatley also grabbed nine rebounds.

Both teams struggled with their shooting. Gannon finished at 32.7 percent (17-of-52), making 6-of-18 3-pointers, while the Golden Knight defense limited Bayamon to 23.4 percent (11-of-47), and just 2-of-13 on 3-pointers. Gannon went 26-of-30 at the line while Bayamon was 12-of-25. Gannon was guilty of 20 turnovers but forced 26, leading to a 24-9 advantage in points off turnovers.

The Golden Knights return to action next weekend opening up PSAC action. They play at Kutztown in a rematch of last year's PSAC semifinal game on Friday, December 2, followed by a game at West Chester on Saturday, December 3. Both tip off at 5:30 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

#10 Ali Benim: G; 5' 8"; Senior

#54 Delaney Dogan: F; 6' 0"; Graduate Student

#44 Samantha Pirosko: F; 5' 10"; Fifth Year

#4 Maddy Wheatley: G; 5' 11"; Junior; Undeclared

#13 Emma Wright: G; 5' 11"; Graduate Student

Players Mentioned

#10 Ali Benim
: 5' 8"; Senior
: G

#54 Delaney Dogan
: 6' 0"; Graduate Student
: F

#44 Samantha Pirosko
: 5' 10"; Fifth Year
: F

#4 Maddy Wheatley
: 5' 11"; Junior; Undeclared
: G

#13 Emma Wright
: 5' 11"; Graduate Student
: G