Madison Demski vs. Notre Dame
Mike Gallagher

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

Winning Streaks Collide as No. 23 Gannon Plays at UPJ

NR/No. 23 GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS (12-2, 4-2 PSAC West) at PITT-JOHNSTOWN MOUNTAIN CATS (8-4, 5-1 PSAC West)
DATE/TIME: Saturday, January 7, 2023 | 1:00 p.m.
ARENA/LOCATION: UPJ Sports Center l Johnstown, Pa.
LIVE VIDEO
LIVE STATS
 
GAME NOTES

RADIO:  Gannon basketball fans can catch all of the exciting action of Golden Knights' basketball on 90.5 WERG FM. Jack Quinn will have the call of the game.

THE GANNON-UPJ ALL-TIME SERIES
UPJ leads 24-16
Gannon has won 15 of the last 17 meetings after UPJ dominated the series. The series first began in 1979-80, with the Mountain Cats winning the first 14 meetings and 22 of the first 23. A year ago the two teams split the regular season meetings with each winning on their homecourt. The Mountain Cats turned in an outstanding shooting effort and handed Gannon a 72-53 defeat in the first meeting. The Golden Knights returned the favor with a 66-61 victory at the Highmark Events Center. They would meet for a third time in the PSAC Tournament quarterfinals, with Gannon pulling away for a 70-44 win. 
The Last Meeting
March. 2, 2022 – at Gannon 70, Pitt-Johnstown 44 in PSAC Quarterfinals I RECAP
Gannon began defense of its 2020 PSAC championship thanks to a lot of defense. The Mountain Cats jumped out to a 17-13 lead after one quarter and scored the opening bucket of the second quarter for a 19-13 lead. However, Gannon would ultimately outscore UPJ 14-7 in the period to grab a 27-24 lead at intermission while turning up the defense over the final three quarters. After scoring 17 points in the opening ten minutes, UPJ would combine for 17 points in the next two quarters, and add 10 points in the fourth. The stingy Gannon defense limited UPJ to 28.3 percent shooting for the game (15 of 53), and over the last three quarters that figure was 10 of 40 (25.0 pct.). Gannon took control of the contest midway through the third quarter, running off nine straight points to turn a three-point lead into a 12-point margin at 44-32 with 2:32 remaining. Gannon would lead 48-34 after three quarters. The Mountain Cats never pulled closer than 13 points the rest of the way, and Gannon scored the final 11 points of the game, holding UPJ scoreless for the final 3 minutes, 13 seconds. Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) and Emma Wright (Fairview, Pa./Talawanda) each posted double doubles, with Tori Obenrader (Fryburg, Pa./North Clarion) coming off the bench to fall a rebound short. Pirosko finished with 19 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. She made 9 of 11 field goals. Wright finished with 17 points, 11 of those coming in the second half. She enjoyed her second double-double of the season, adding 10 rebounds. Obenrader added 13 points and nine rebounds. Gannon dominated the boards, finishing with 45 rebounds to 26 for UPJ, and outscored the Mountains 40-18 in the paint. Olivia Fasick was the lone Mountain Cat in double figures with 11 points.       
 

ERIE, Pa. – Gannon and Pitt-Johnstown collide on Saturday, January 7 with both teams riding winning streaks. The Golden Knights have won six games in a row for the second time this season while the Mountain Cats are looking to extend a four-game winning streak. Tipoff at the UPJ Sports Center is 1:00 p.m.
The contest is a rematch of last year's PSAC Tournament quarterfinal game won by Gannon 70-44. The two teams split two regular season games, with UPJ handing the Golden Knights a 72-53 defeat on their home court.

Gannon comes in at 12-2 overall and 4-2 in the PSAC West after being picked to finish second in the PSAC West. The Golden Knights are seeking their third straight PSAC championship. Pitt-Johnstown is 8-4 and 5-1 in league play. They were picked to finish sixth in the preseason poll while returning all five starters.

Head coach Cleve Wright's squad comes off another impressive win on Wednesday,  a 75-59 win at Slippery Rock. The Golden Knights jumped out to a 20-3 lead after one quarter, and while The Rock made things interesting late in the game, Gannon used a 20-7 run in the fourth quarter to pull away.

Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) continued her outstanding play with a season-high 31 points, one shy of her career high. The 5'10" redshirt senior has now scored in double figures in the last 13 games with seven games or 20-or-more points. She is now averaging 24.8 ppg. over the last five games.

Wright's team ran off six wins to start the 2022-23 campaign, the best start since 2013-14. The Golden Knights climbed into a tie for 15th in the WBCA Division II Top 25 and were eighth in the D2SIDA rankings, but two close losses on the road at Kutztown (55-54) and West Chester (72-66) dropped the Golden Knights out of both polls.

Gannon, ranked No. 23 in the latest D2SIDA Top 25, has used defense as the springboard for the latest six-game winning streak. Gannon has held their opponents to 46.3 ppg. during that stretch, with Findlay (57 points) and Slippery Rock (59) the only times they have allowed 50 points.

Gannon ranks first in the PSAC and fifth in Division II in scoring defense at 51.8 ppg. along with first and third, respectively, in field goal percentage defense at 32.7 percent.

The UPJ game concludes a stretch of three straight games on the road, with the Golden Knights set to begin a three-game homestand after that. It begins with another showdown against PSAC West rival Indiana (Pa.) on Wednesday, January 11. The Crimson Hawks are currently ranked fifth in the D2SIDA Division II Top 25 with an 11-0 record.  
 
 
PIROSKO HAS EFFICIENT 31-POINT EFFORT IN WIN AT SLIPPERY ROCK
Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) fell one point shy of her career high in Wednesday's win at Slippery Rock. The 5'10" redshirt senior was highly efficient in season-high 31-point effort, making 10-of-16 field goals and going 11-for-13 at the line. She added 10 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season. Pirosko has been on an incredible run of late. While scoring in double figures in the last 13 games, over the last five games she is averaging 24.8 ppg. She has scored 20-or-more points in seven games this year. Pirosko leads Gannon and ranks second in the PSAC at 19.0 ppg. She also leads the team in rebounding (8.1 rpg.).

PIROSKO CLIMBS ANOTHER SPOT ON CAREER SCORING CHART
Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) recently became the 31st Golden Knight to score 1,000 career points. Since that time she has continued to climb up the career scoring chart. On Wednesday night she jumped Carol Kloecker to move into 22nd place in career scoring with 1,114 points. Next on the list are a pair of familiar faces. Former teammate Tori Obenrader (Fryburg, Pa./North Clarion) is 21st with 1,128 points and current assistant coach Brittany Batts is 20th with 1,152 points. 

SIX IN A ROW IS TWICE AS NICE
Gannon opened the season with six straight wins, the best start since the 2013-14 team won 17 consecutive games to open the season. Now comes a second straight stretch of six wins. Last year's team also had a six-game winning streak, and in 2020-21 the Golden Knights ended the year with nine straight victories.

GOLDEN KNIGHTS REMAIN 23RD IN D2SIDA NATIONAL RANKINGS
As Gannon ran off six wins to start the season the Golden Knights climbed up the national rankings. Several weeks ago they were tied for 15th in the WBCA Division II Top 25 and had jumped all the way to eighth in the D2SIDA Top 25. However, the two losses at Kutztown and West Chester dropped the Golden Knights out of both polls. Now riding a six-game winning streak, Gannon reappeared in the D2SIDA Top 25 prior to the holidays, ranked 23rd. They remained 23rd in the latest rankings which were released on Tuesday.

BENIM LEADS BENCH BRIGADE WITH CAREER HIGH AT SRU
Gannon's bench has provided solid contributions all season long. On Wednesday's it was Ali Benim's (Erie, Pa./Harbor Creek) turn to step up in a reserve role. After not scoring in the previous two games, the senior guard posted a career-high 13 points in 16 minutes. She made 4-of-7 field goals, including 2-of-5 on 3-pointers, and was 3-for-4 at the line. Faith Williams (Grafton, Ohio/Elyria Catholic) added six points and Madison Demski (Erie, Pa./Villa Maria) four points and eight rebounds off the bench.
 
DOGAN CONTINUES TO HIT THE GLASS AS GANNON DOMINATES THE ROCK
In addition to another dominant defensive showing, Gannon ruled the glass at Slippery Rock. The Golden Knights outrebounded SRU 52-35, with 16 offensive boards. That led to 17 second-chance points as opposed to six for The Rock. Sam Pirosko and Delaney Dogan (West Middlesex, Pa./West Middlesex) led the way with 10 rebounds apiece while Madison Demski (Erie, Pa./Villa Maria) chipped in with eight. A 6'0" graduate student, Dogan continues to play a key role on the glass. After averaging 6.1 rpg. a year ago she comes in at 6.9 rpg. this year despite averaging just over 21 minutes per game. She has had three games with 10-or-more rebounds. She is averaging 8.3 rpg. over the last seven outings.
 
SCOUTING PITT-JOHNSTOWN
Pitt-Johnstown has run off four straight wins following Wednesday's impressive 70-56 triumph over Kutztown. The Mountain Cats, picked to finish sixth in the PSAC West preseason poll, come in at 8-4 overall and 5-1 in the PSAC. Junior guard Hayden Taylor scored a career-high 16 points, including 4-of-7 from behind the arc, to lead four Pitt-Johnstown double figures scorers. Olivia Fasick netted 15 points and dished out a game-high seven assists, while Peyton Alazaus hit four of her five 3-pointers and finished with 14 points. Ashley Norling collected 12 points and a game-high eight rebounds for the Mountain Cats. Head coach Mike Drahos has employed the same starting five for all 12 games, with three averaging in double figures. Fasick, a 5'8" junior guard, leads the way at 13.1 ppg. along with a team-high 57 assists. Norling, a 6'0" senior, adds 12.9 ppg. and a team-high 7.4 rpg. while shooting an impressive 57.8 percent from the floor, the top figure in the PSAC. Alazaus, a 5'10" junior guard, adds 12.8 ppg. and 4.6 rpg. along with being the top 3-point threat with 30 in 84 attempts. Taylor adds 22 trifectas in 49 tries.

NEXT FOR THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS
Gannon returns to Highmark Events Center on Wednesday, January 11 for the start of a three-game homestand. It gets underway with a matchup against undefeated Indiana (Pa.) at 5:30 p.m. That's followed on Saturday, January 14 with a meeting with California (Pa.).
 
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Players Mentioned

Tori Obenrader

#25 Tori Obenrader

P
5' 11"
Junior
Ali Benim

#10 Ali Benim

G
5' 8"
Senior
Delaney Dogan

#54 Delaney Dogan

F
6' 0"
Graduate Student
Samantha Pirosko

#44 Samantha Pirosko

F
5' 10"
Fifth Year
Faith Williams

#3 Faith Williams

PG
5' 6"
Senior
Emma Wright

#13 Emma Wright

G
5' 11"
Graduate Student
Madison Demski

#25 Madison Demski

F
6' 2"
Graduate Student

Players Mentioned

Tori Obenrader

#25 Tori Obenrader

5' 11"
Junior
P
Ali Benim

#10 Ali Benim

5' 8"
Senior
G
Delaney Dogan

#54 Delaney Dogan

6' 0"
Graduate Student
F
Samantha Pirosko

#44 Samantha Pirosko

5' 10"
Fifth Year
F
Faith Williams

#3 Faith Williams

5' 6"
Senior
PG
Emma Wright

#13 Emma Wright

5' 11"
Graduate Student
G
Madison Demski

#25 Madison Demski

6' 2"
Graduate Student
F