GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS (21-5, 16-5 PSAC West) vs. CALIFORNIA (PA) VULCANS (21-4, 16-4 PSAC West)
DATE/TIME: Saturday, February 26, 2022 | 1:00 p.m.
ARENA/LOCATION: Highmark Events Center l Erie, Pa.
 
LIVE VIDEO
LIVE STATS
RADIO: Gannon basketball fans can catch all 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-CAL U ALL-TIME SERIES
Series tied 23-23
With Gannon's 61-54 road win over Cal U back on Jan. 24, the Knights evened the series with the Vulcans at 23-23. The Golden Knights also captured both meetings in 2019-20 to end a nine-game Cal streak, picking up a 66-40 win at the then-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.
 
THE LAST MEETING
Jan. 24, 2022 – Gannon 61 at California (PA) 54 I RECAP
The then-No. 19-ranked Gannon women's basketball team limited Cal U to under 40 percent from the floor and came away with a 61-54 marquee road win over the Vulcans back in late January. Gannon's defensive effort limited Cal U to just 28 percent from the floor and also forced the Vulcans in 16 turnovers. Gannon shot 35 percent from the charity stripe and buried 24-of-28 attempts from the free throw line. Gannon got standout performances from Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) and Emma Wright (Fairview, Pa./Talawanda) during the victory. Pirosko finished the game with 15 points, while Wright chipped in 14 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. Emily Poling (Defiance, Ohio/Defiance) rounded out Gannon's double-figure scorers with 10 points in the win.
 
The win was Gannon's third in a row over Cal U.

 
ERIE, Pa. – Gannon and California (PA) will wrap up the regular season with a winner-take-all matchup to decide the PSAC West Regular Season Championship on Saturday afternoon at the Highmark Events Center. The game is set for 1 p.m. as part of the men's and women's basketball doubleheader.
 
Both Gannon and Cal have clinched a first-round bye in next week's PSAC Women's Basketball Tournament, with the winner of Saturday's game earning the division's No. 1 seed. All six PSAC West seeds have been clinched for next week's tournament, but seedings will be decided on Saturday during the last day of the regular season. Cal U and Gannon are vying for the top two seeds, while IUP and Seton Hill have identical conference record at 14-7 heading into Saturday. The two teams will host opening round tournament games on Monday evening. Edinboro is currently the No. 5 seed at 11-9 in league play, while UPJ sits at No. 6 with a 10-11 record.
 
Gannon will open PSAC Tournament play with a home game on Wednesday, March 2 at the Highmark Events Center. The game time and matchup will be announced on Saturday evening by the PSAC.
 
The Knights enter Saturday's game on a three-game winning streak, winning of the games by at least 12 points during the stretch. GU is coming off a 26-point (73-47) victory over Slippery Rock on Saturday at the Morrow Field House. It was Gannon's third-largest margin of victory this season, behind its 41-point point win over Mansfield (86-45) and 31-point triumph over Clarion (81-50). In Saturday's win over The Rock, Gannon shot a season-high 60.4 percent from the floor and made 7-of-16 attempts from behind the arc. Gannon also tallied 20+ assists for the sixth time this season.
 
Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) has led Gannon in each of the last three games, including 25 points at Edinboro last Monday (2/14), 20 points at Clarion last Wednesday (2/16) and 19 points and six rebounds on Saturday (2/19) at Slippery Rock. Pirosko has reached double-figures in eight of the last nine games, including three 20-point scoring performances during that stretch. For the season, Pirosko has reached double-figures in 18 games, including five 20-point scoring performances.
 
Tori Obenrader (Fryburg, Pa./North Clarion) has also picked up her production on the offensive end since Jan. 31, averaging 12.5 points during the last nine games, including six double-figure scoring performances during that stretch. Obenrader became the 30^th player in Gannon history to surpass 1,000 career points against Edinboro back on Feb. 2. She is also the ninth player in program history to record 1,000 points and 600 rebounds.

 
GANNON IN THE PSAC STATS
Scoring Offense – 67.7 (3rd)
Scoring Defense – 58.5 (6th)
Field Goal Pct. -- .432 (3rd)
Field Goal Pct. Defense -- .385 (10th)
3FGM per Game – 6.0 (6th)
Rebound Margin -- +5.3 (3rd)
Turnover Margin -- +0.81 (7th)
 
GANNON CHECKS IN AT NO. 5 IN LATEST ATLANTIC REGION RANKINGS
Gannon moved up two spots in this week's NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Rankings and enter the final week of the regular season ranked No. 5. The Knights ranked seventh in the initial set of regional rankings that were unveiled last Wednesday.
 
Unbeaten and top-ranked Glenville State ranks No. 1 in the region with its 24-0 overall record. The Pioneers are followed in the rankings by seven programs from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). Kutztown (23-5), California (Pa.) (19-4), Shepherd (20-6) and Gannon (21-5) round out the top five.
 
Indiana (Pa.) (18-7), Seton Hill (18-9) and Bloomsburg (18-9) began the second half of the rankings and ranked sixth through eighth, respectively. West Virginia State (17-8) is the second team from the Mountain East Conference to appear in the rankings at No. 9, followed by Lincoln (Pa.), from the CIAA, at No. 10.

The final set of weekly regional rankings will be released on Wed., March 2 with the announcement of the 2021-22 NCAA Division II Tournament field set for March 6.
 
MITCHELL EARNS PSAC WEST WEEKLY HONORS
Gannon's Sydney Mitchell (Halethorpe, Md./Seton Keough) was recognized by the PSAC as this week's Western Division Defensive Athlete of the Week, the league office announced on Monday afternoon.
 
Mitchell, a senior guard from Halethorpe, Md., averaged 12.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and also chipped in nine assists, nine steals and three blocks for the Knights last week. The senior shot 57 percent from the floor and made six 3-pointers during Gannon's 3-0 week against PSAC West competition.

Mitchell became the second Golden Knight to earn PSAC Defensive Athlete of the Week honors this season, joining Delaney Dogan (West Middlesex, Pa./West Middlesex) who was honored back on Dec. 20, 2021.
 
PLAYOFF PICTURE COMING INTO FOCUS
Both Gannon and Cal have clinched a first-round bye in next week's PSAC Women's Basketball Tournament, with the winner of Saturday's game earning the division's No. 1 seed. All six PSAC West seeds have been clinched for next week's tournament, but seedings will be decided on Saturday during the last day of the regular season. Cal U and Gannon are vying for the top two seeds, while IUP and Seton Hill have identical conference record at 14-7 heading into Saturday. The two teams will host opening round tournament games on Monday evening. Edinboro is currently the No. 5 seed at 11-9 in league play, while UPJ sits at No. 6 with a 10-11 record.
 
PIROSKO FINDS GROOVE LATE IN SEASON
Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) obliged when Gannon needed someone to step up and have a big game. The 5'10" sophomore scored 25 points on Monday at Edinboro. She used a variety of moves around the basket to finish with 14 points in the first half as the Golden Knights jumped out to a 31-23 lead. Then early in the fourth quarter she stepped outside to hit back-to-back 3-pointers, the second boosting Gannon's lead to 56-33. Pirosko made 9-of-18 field goals, including 2-of-4 3-pointers, and 5-of-5 from the charity stripe. On Wednesday at Clarion, she added 20 points for her second straight 20-point effort and fifth of the season. She made 8-of-15 shots, including a 3-pointers, and was 3-for-3 at the line. She added seven rebounds, three assists and a blocked shot. Last Saturday at Slippery Rock, Pirosko shot 7-of-11 from the floor and also chipped in six rebounds, two assists and two steals to lead the Knights for the third-consecutive game.
 
MITCHELL PUTS UP PLENTY OF CROOKED NUMBERS IN LAST THREE GAMES
Sydney Mitchell (Halethorpe, Md./Seton Keough) did a little bit of everything last Monday except for selling the big cookies that McComb Fieldhouse is famous for. The 5'11" senior scored nine points on 4-of-6 shooting, along with six rebounds, three assists, three blocks and five steals. She followed that up with a season-high 18 points at Clarion, making good on 7-of-13 shots from the floor, including 4-of-8 3-pointers. She also led Gannon with eight rebounds, adding two assists and two steals. On Saturday at SRU, Mitchell finished with 10 points, three rebounds, four assists and two steals. Mitchell has climbed to within 29 points of reaching 1,000 for her career.

For her efforts, Mitchell was named the PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Week on Monday afternoon.
 
GANNON NOW PLAYING AT HIGHMARK EVENTS CENTER
For years loyal Gannon fans knew the homecourt of the Golden Knights as The Audi, and later the Hammermill Center. A week ago, it was announced that Gary Miller Court now resides in the Highmark Events Center. Officials from Gannon University and Highmark joined today at the center to announce that Highmark has signed a 10-year agreement for naming rights to the center – formerly known as the Hammermill Center – further expanding the long-standing partnership between Gannon and Highmark. Highmark is one of America's leading health insurance organizations and an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. Highmark Health is the parent company of Allegheny Health Network and Erie's AHN Saint Vincent Hospital. The facility has been the home for Golden Knight teams since the basketball programs began playing there during the 1949-50 season. The facility was originally known as the Gannon Auditorium and affectionately referred to as "The Audi" by longtime Gannon faithful. The facility was rededicated and renamed the Hammermill Center – "The Mill" – in February of 1983 in honor of the wonderful generosity of the then Hammermill Paper Co. Now comes the Highmark Events Center, with a total makeover of the facility announced, as well.
 
GANNON, IUP EXCHANGE SIMILAR WINS
When Gannon played at IUP on January 16, the Golden Knights jumped out to a 16-point lead after three quarters before IUP pulled to within five points. Gannon held IUP scoreless the last two minutes to win at the Kovalchick Complex. On Saturday, IUP followed a similar path at the Highmark Events Center. The Crimson Hawks led by as much as 18 points in the second half and by 14 with just under seven minutes left. The Golden Knights came roaring back to pull within four points at 60-56 with 2:41 remaining. This time it was IUP who able to withstand the charge and split the season series.
 
OBENRADER, PIROSKO PACE GANNON TO SWEEP OF MERCYHURST
Tori Obenrader (Fryburg, Pa./North Clarion) and Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) combined for 39 points as Gannon rallied for a 66-56 win at Mercyhurst last Wednesday. Obenrader had her first double double of the season with a season-high 20 points and 11 rebounds, while Pirosko contributed 19 points. The pair combined for two of the biggest baskets of the night in the fourth. Pirosko twice dished to Obenrader at the top of the key for 3-pointers. The first came with 4:45 left for a 52-48 lead. The second came after a Pirosko layup and boosted the lead to 57-48 with 2:46 to play. Pirosko gave Gannon the lead for good at 49-46 on an old-fashioned 3-point play with 5:50 remaining. The two combined for 12 straight points during the fourth quarter.
 
KNIGHTS FINALLY HIT THREE VS. MERCYHURST
In the first meeting against Mercyhurst on January 5, Gannon went 0-for-9 on 3-pointers, snapping a long run of games with at least on made shot from beyond the arc. That string of misses extended to 14 in a row before Ali Benim (Erie, Pa./Harbor Creek) finally drained a three late in the second quarter. Gannon ended the night at 4 of 12 on three's, with Benim adding a second and Tori Obenrader (Fryburg, Pa./North Clarion) hitting two in the fourth quarter.
 
PIROSKO TOP 5 IN DIVISION II IN FREE THROW PERCENTAGE
Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) is pacing the PSAC and ranks fifth in NCAA Division II in free throw percentage at 90.8 percent (79-of-87). She went seven-consecutive games without a miss from the charity stripe, before missing one against Slippery Rock on Saturday. Pirosko made 30-consecutive free throws during that stretch.
 
OBENRADER NINTH PLAYER WITH 1,000 POINTS, 600 REBOUNDS IN CAREER
When Tori Obenrader (Fryburg, Pa./North Clarion) hit a jumper from the left wing late in the second quarter in the first meeting with Edinboro, it put her at 1,000 points for her career. The 5'11" junior became the 30th Golden Knight to score 1,000 career points. Her career total now stands at 1,091 points. She has pushed her career rebound total to 625 to become the ninth player with 1,000 points and 600 rebounds. She is now 22nd in career scoring and tied for 10th in career rebounds. Gannon's leading scorer and rebounder in 2019-20, 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. Sydney Mitchell (Halethorpe, Md./Seton Keough), meanwhile, is closing in on becoming the 31st Golden Knight with 1,000 career points. She has 971 career points, leaving her 29 points shy of the mark.
 
GANNON BENEFITS FROM SYD'S THIEVERY
Sydney Mitchell (Halethorpe, Md./Seton Keough) came up with two of the biggest defensive plays of the season for Gannon recently against Pitt-Johnstown. For starters, the senior guard's 3-pointer gave Gannon the lead for good at 52-51 with 2:48 remaining. Her first bit of thievery occurred in the final 30 seconds. She snuck behind UPJ's Ashley Norling, who was holding the ball at the foul line extended, for the steal and drove the length of the court for a 60-56 lead. With 10 seconds left after UPJ called timeout to set up a play down by three, Mitchell tipped away the inbounds pass to Emily Poling (Defiance, Ohio/Defiance). Poling's two free throws clinched the win. Mitchell finished the game with a season-high five steals against UPJ (2/7/22). She matched that season-high a week later at Edinboro (2/14/22).
 
SETON HILL SNAPS HOME WINNING STREAK
Gannon's 61-52 loss to Seton Hill was the first defeat at the Highmark Events Center this year after nine wins. It snapped a string of 13 straight wins at home dating back to last year and was just the second defeat in the last 24 games at the Highmark Events Center. Gannon had not lost at home since a 70-68 score to Daemen on January 29, 2021.
 
KNIGHTS BOMB AWAY FROM THREE AS WRIGHT ENJOYS CAREER NIGHT VS. EDINBORO
Gannon entered the first meeting with Edinboro averaging 5.4 3-pointers per game. The Golden Knights proceeded to make a season-high 15 3-pointers in 28 attempts, with six different players hitting from beyond the arc. Emma Wright (Fairview, Pa./Talawanda) led the way with a 5-of-6 showing, part of a career scoring night for the graduate student. She scored 21 points, making 8 of 11 shots overall. Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) made 3 of 5 3-pointers, while Tori Obenrader (Fryburg, Pa./North Clarion), Sydney Mitchell (Halethorpe, Md./Seton Keough) and Faith Williams (Grafton, Ohio/Elyria Catholic) added two 3-pointers each.
 
23 IN A ROW!
On January 26, Clarion scored the first points of the on a layup by Jada Smith. That came with 7:18 remaining in the first quarter. The Golden Eagles would not score again until 16 seconds remained in the quarter. By that time, Gannon had run off 23 straight points. The Golden Knights would hold a 23-4 lead after ten minutes. During that seven-minute scoreless period, the Gannon defense forced six missed shots and a pair of turnovers.
 
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.
 
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 327-199 and is 292-112 at Gannon.
 
SCOUTING CAL U
Cal U enters Saturday's game with a 21-4 overall record, including a 16-4 mark in PSAC play. The Vulcans have won seven-consecutive games dating back to a Feb. 7 loss at Shepherd, 76-66. During the seven-game winning streak Cal won five of the games by double-digit scoring margins. Cal's Dejah Terrell ranks 21^st in the country and first in the PSAC in scoring at 19.3 points per game. She is shooting 47.2 percent from the floor this season. Cal U point guard Ciaira Loyd ranks fifth in the nation and second in the PSAC in assists per game (6.0). The Vulcans are giving up just 51.3 points per game this season, which ranks third in NCAA Division II.
 
NEXT FOR THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS
Following Saturday's regular season-finale, Gannon will prepare for a home PSAC Tournament game, which is set for Wednesday, March 2 at the Highmark Events Center. The PSAC Tournament backet will be released on Saturday evening following the completion of the 2021-22 regular season.