Olivia Cernuto
Jeff Kirik

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

Game Preview: No. 9/13 Golden Knights Open Up PSAC Play at Bloomsburg, East Stroudsburg

No. 9/13 GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS (7-1, 0-0 PSAC West) at BLOOMSBURG HUSKIES (1-4, 0-0 PSAC East)
DATE/TIME: Friday, December 1, 2023 | 3:00 p.m.
STADIUM/LOCATION: Nelson Field House l Bloomsburg, Pa.
LIVE STATS l LIVE VIDEO
 
No. 9/13 GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS (7-1, 0-0 PSAC West) at EAST STROUDSBURG WARRIORS (2-2, 0-0 PSAC East)
DATE/TIME: Saturday, December 2, 2023 | 1:00 p.m.
STADIUM/LOCATION: Koehler Fieldhouse l East Stroudsburg, Pa.
LIVE STATS l LIVE VIDEO
 
GAME NOTES

 
THE GANNON-BLOOMSBURG SERIES
Gannon leads 10-3  
Last Meeting: Dec. 19, 2021 – at Gannon 79, Bloomsburg 65 | RECAP
The No. 16 Golden Knights shot nearly 50 percent from the floor and improved to 8-1 on the season with a 79-65 win over Bloomsburg. Gannon jumped out to a 21-7 lead and led 41-31 at the half. Bloomsburg would close to 43-37 early in the second half before Gannon used an Emily Poling (Defiance, Ohio/Defiance) 3-pointer to stop the run and pull away to lead by 12 at 60-48 after three quarters. Tori Obenrader led Gannon with 15 points, including an 8-for-8 chart at the line. She added seven rebounds. Emma Wright (Fairview, Pa./Talawanda) chipped in with 12 points, three rebounds and three assists, while Delaney Dogan (West Middlesex, Pa./West Middlesex) recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds to go with two blocks. Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) was also in double figures with 10 points. Bloomsburg's Emma Saxton led all scorers with 20 points.

THE GANNON-EAST STROUDSBURG SERIES
Gannon leads 11-3  
Last Meeting:  Jan. 22, 2022 – Gannon 76, at East Stroudsburg 57 I RECAP
The 19th-ranked Golden Knights opened up a double-digit lead in the opening quarter and never looked back in a 76-57 road win over East Stroudsburg. Gannon scored 29 first-quarter points and stretched its advantage to 46-25 after two quarters of play. Gannon's defense wrapped up its performance with 20 forced turnovers in the game, which turned into 25 points on the offensive end. The Knights also limited the Warriors to just 19-of-52 (36.5 pct.) from the floor. Eleven Golden Knights scored with Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) leading the way with 15 points, adding four rebounds and two blocks. McKel Nation (Lebanon, Ohio/Springboro) came off the bench and chipped in 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Delaney Dogan (West Middlesex, Pa./West Middlesex) recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, adding four assists. Ali Benim (Erie, Pa./Harbor Creek) rounded out Gannon's double-figure scorers with 10 points. Izzy Vogel had a double-double for ESU with 15 points and 12 rebounds.


ERIE, Pa. – Gannon begins PSAC action with a pair of road crossover contests this weekend. The Golden Knights, ranked ninth in the latest WBCA Division II Top 25 and 13th in the D2SCS poll, play at Bloomsburg on Friday, December 1 at 3:00 p.m. followed by a 1:00 p.m. tipoff at East Stroudsburg on Saturday, December 2.

The Golden Knights are off to a 7-1 start and enter PSAC action riding a four-game winning streak. Gannon returned to action after the Thanksgiving break with a 70-59 win at D'Youville on Saturday. The Golden Knights were picked to finish second in the PSAC West preseason poll.

Bloomsburg and East Stroudsburg were picked to finish fourth and fifth, respectively, in the PSAC East. The Huskies are off to a 1-4 start after finishing at 9-17 last year. They posted an 80-72 win over Elizabeth City State in game number two before losing their next three games.

East Stroudsburg is 2-2 and hosts Mercyhurst on Friday before Gannon comes to town. The Warriors were 15-14 last year, losing to Millersville in the first round of the PSAC Tournament.

Gannon is certainly battle-tested as it enters conference play. The Golden Knights opened the season in an impressive showing while playing three times in the D2CCA Tip-Off Challenge in Billings, Montana. The Golden Knights faced three teams that had a combined 77-20 record a year ago, with two ranked in the WBCA Division II Preseason Poll.

All Wright's Knights did was win all three games. The season opened with a 49-41 win over Texas A&M-Kingsville, followed the next day by a 76-63 triumph over No. 19 Angelo State. Gannon completed the sweep with an upset of fifth-ranked Tampa, a team that reached the Elite Eight last year, by a 68-56 margin.

Gannon returned home to host the Atlantic Region Challenge. On the opening night the Golden Knights battled No. 23 Glenville State, a team that reached the national semifinals last year, before falling 74-70. The next day Notre Dame (Ohio) paid the price as Gannon won 108-56. The Golden Knights avenged a loss to Charleston (WV) in last year's NCAA Atlantic Region quarterfinals with an impressive 86-57 victory. The game was Gannon's fourth opponent in the first six games to 20 games a year ago and compete in the NCAA Division II Tournament.

Wright's team extended its winning streak to four games last week with a 64-34 win over Walsh and the victory at D'Youville on Saturday.

Gannon Moves into Ninth Place in WBCA Division II Poll, 13th in D2CSC Rankings
Gannon continued its climb up the national rankings this week. The Golden Knights cracked the top ten in the WBCA Division II Top 25 poll, jumping to ninth, while they are 13th in the D2CSC poll. Gannon was ranked among "others receiving votes" in the WBCA preseason poll. Last week the Golden Knights debuted in 16th place and now this week comes a climb of seventh spots to ninth. The D2CSC poll had Gannon ranked 25th to start the season. They moved up to 20th last week and that climb continued this week as the Golden Knights climbed seven spots. Gannon is ranked second in the Atlantic Region in the D2CSC poll. California (Pa.) is the top ranked team in the region and ranked sixth in the national poll.

Sam Still Streaking, Over 1,600 Career Points
A year ago Notre Dame (Ohio) held Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) to six points in the season opener. After that she scored in double figures in the remaining 33 games. The two-time All-American has extended the streak to 41 games with eight games in double digits to start the 2023-24 campaign. The streak almost came to an end this year against Notre Dame as Pirosko took just five shots while playing an extremely unselfish game. She finally scored her 10th point early in the fourth quarter. She posted her third double-double against Walsh with 14 points and 10 rebounds and had a team-high 17 points at D'Youville. Pirosko now has 1,682 career points, good for fifth all-time, and has moved into tenth place in career rebounds with 661.

Pirosko Third Among Active Scorers in Division II
Samantha Pirokso boosted her career points total to 1,682 after scoring 17 points at D'Youville. Carson-Newman's Braelyn Wykle is the leading active scorer in Division II with 2,207 points, with Annie Roshak of Ashland is next with 1,941 points.

Getting It Done Offensively and Defensively
Gannon scored 108 points in the recent win over Notre Dame (Ohio), winning by 52 points in the process. While the 108 points fell nine points shy of the school-record 117 points scored vs. Hilbert in 1994, the 108 points were the most since the 2011-12 season when Gannon defeated Penn State Greater Allegheny 113-31. Gannon had not scored 100 points since a 100-48 win over Ursuline on Nov. 21, 2012. The 52-point margin was equaled a year ago in an 81-29 win over Shepherd. That was followed by an 86-point effort against a Charleston (WV) that was allowing 56.5 ppg. The recent game against Walsh was all about the defense. Neither team shot well but Gannon's defense turned into offense as the Golden Knights posted a 64-34 win over the visiting Cavaliers. Gannon limited the Cavaliers to six points in the first quarter, seven in the third and eight in the third. The 34 points are the fewest since Gannon held Shepherd to 29 points on December 18 a year ago. Walsh was held to 20.4 percent from the floor (11-of-54), never making more than three field goals in a period. The Cavaliers were 3-of-17 on 3-pointers. In addition, the Golden Knights forced 25 turnovers that led to a 22-8 advantage on turnovers and also led on the boards 44-35. Gannon had ten second-chance points while holding Walsh without a point. Gannon recorded 16 steals.

Claxon Making Up for Lost Time
Bri Claxon (South Webster, Ohio/South Webster) was a highly-touted recruit a year ago and lived up to her advance billing. The 5'7" guard was named the PSAC West Freshman of the Year after averaging 7.8 ppg. in 18 minutes per game. A preseason injury slowed the sophomore but Claxon looked up top speed against Notre Dame (Ohio). She made 7-of-11 field goal attempts, including all three 3-point tries, to finish with 17 points in 20 minutes. That started her on a string of four straight games in double figures, all of the bench. She had a 15-point effort vs. Charleston as she made 7-of-13 field goals, then scored 15 points vs. Walsh. On Saturday Claxon contributed 10 points in the win at D'Youville. She is averaging 14.3 ppg. over the last four games to boost her season average to 10.0 ppg.

Nation Comes Up Big at End of D'Youville Game
The numbers at the end of the game were modest – nine points and eight rebounds. But McKel Nation's (Lebanon, Ohio/Springboro) contribution down the stretch in the 70-59 win at D'Youville was huge. The 6'2" senior made a number of big plays as the Saints had closed to within five points at 64-59 with 1:17 left. Earlier in the quarter she rebounded a missed shot and was fouled on the followup. She proceeded to make the two free throws. After a pair of Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) layups Nation came up with a hustle rebound to set the stage for the final moments. With the score 64-59 Bri Claxon (South Webster, Ohio/South Webster) scored on a running jumper for a 66-59 lead. Nation followed with a steal and eventually scored on a layup as the margin was now 68-59 with just 19 seconds remaining.

Maibach Worth the Wait
Andrea Maibach redshirted a year ago. Now the 6'2" redshirt sophomore is making an immediate impact in 2023-24. Maibach had a modest start in the three games in Billings, Montana scoring ten points and pulling down 15 rebounds. But the next weekend she broke out. Maibach had her first career double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds vs. Glenville State, followed by 15 points and nine boards against Notre Dame (Ohio). Over the two-game stretch she made 11-of-17 field goals and 10-of-12 free throws. She was back at it again against Walsh, making 5-of-8 field goals for 10 points off the bench. On the season Maibach is averaging 7.6 ppg. and 5.9 rpg. while sharing time in the post with McKel Nation (Lebanon, Ohio/Springboro).

Three Better Than One at the Point
Gannon has three players to choose from at point guard. Junior college transfer Trinitee Harris has started the last five games at the point and is averaging 4.0 ppg. with 19 assists while averaging 17 minutes per game. Local product Tori Mayes, a freshman from Cathedral Prep, started the first three games. She is averaging just under 13 minutes per game. Olivia Cernuto has emerged the last three contests. Against Walsh in a season-high 22 minutes the freshman had six points, six assists and four steals. She has 17 assists with just four turnovers, adding 11 steals.

Revenge is Sweet
Gannon's recent 86-57 win over Charleston (WV) exacted a bit of revenge after suffering a 69-65 defeat to the Golden Eagles in the quarterfinals of last year's Atlantic Regional. The contest was tied just once at 9-9 and Gannon never trailed in the game. The Golden Knights ended up shooting a season-high 63.8 percent from the floor (37-of-58) and forced 28 Charleston turnovers. That's also the number of points Sam Pirosko scored as she reached 28 points for the second time this season. Bri Claxon (South Webster, Ohio/South Webster) came off the bench to contribute 15 points and Carissa Dunham was also in double digits with 11 points.

Starting Lineup Varies in 2023-24, But is Stabilizing
A year ago Gannon head coach started the same lineup for all 34 games. It took him two games to start a different lineup in 2023-24. After starting Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North), McKel Nation (Lebanon, Ohio/Springboro), Maddy Wheatley (Canberra, Australia/UCSSC Lake Ginninderra), Carissa Dunham and Tori Mayes in the season opener vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville the veteran coach went with a different lineup the next day. Wright replaced Dunham with freshman Kate Ratliff. He reverted back to his game one starting five against Tampa. Wright employed his third different lineup against Glenville State with Trinitee Harris joining Pirosko, Wheatley, Nation and Dunham. He has stuck with that lineup since then.

Pirosko, Wheatley Earn All-Tournament Honors in Montana
Gannon had a pair of players named to the recent D2CCA Tip-Off Tournament. A total of ten players were recognized. Sam Pirosko and Maddy Wheatley (Canberra, Australia/UCSSC Lake Ginninderra) were named to the All-Tournament Team.

Scouting Bloomsburg
Bloomsburg owns a 1-4 record entering PSAC action but the Huskies have a major presence to deal with in the post. Katie Starr is a 5'11" junior who leads the PSAC in scoring (24.0 ppg.) and rebounding (9.4 rpg.) while shooting 66.2 percent from the floor. That also leads the PSAC. She has scored at least 21 points in all five games. Maddie LaFrance is just shy of double figures at 9.6 ppg. and is the top 3-point threat with 11 in 40 attempts. Ella Kale, a 5'6" junior, is first in the PSAC in assists with 7.6 per game (38 total) and is second in assist/turnover ratio with just 14 turnovers. Head coach Alison Tagliaferri's opened the season splitting a pair of games in West Chester's Carol Eckman Challenge. The Huskies lost 72-52 to Livingstone before defeating Elizabeth City State 80-72. Since then they lost at Daemen (69-60), dropped their home opener to Chestnut Hill (62-58), and fell 73-65 at Holy Family on November 22.

Scouting East Stroudsburg
East Stroudsburg is 2-2 and welcomes Mercyhurst and Gannon to Koehler Fieldhouse on Friday and Saturday. The Warriors split games in the Virginia Union Conference Challenge to open the season, defeating Shaw 71-52 before dropping a 62-42 decision to Virginia Union. They won a 57-42 contest over Staten Island in their home opener and on November 21 lost at nationally-ranked Jefferson 73-48. Izzy Vogel, a 5'10' junior, is the lone player in double figures at 11.8 ppg.

Next for the Golden Knights
Gannon will play its final non-conference game of the season on Wednesday, December 6 at Findlay. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. the Oilers are currently 4-1, with the lone loss a five-point setback to third-ranked Grand Valley State. 
 
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Players Mentioned

McKel Nation

#50 McKel Nation

F
6' 2"
Freshman
Delaney Dogan

#54 Delaney Dogan

F
6' 0"
Graduate Student
Emily Poling

#20 Emily Poling

G
5' 9"
Fifth Year
Emma Wright

#13 Emma Wright

G
5' 11"
Graduate Student
Ali Benim

#10 Ali Benim

G
5' 8"
Redshirt Senior
Bri Claxon

#12 Bri Claxon

G
5' 7"
Sophomore
Andrea Maibach

#34 Andrea Maibach

P
6' 2"
Redshirt Freshman
McKel Nation

#50 McKel Nation

P
6' 2"
Senior
Samantha Pirosko

#44 Samantha Pirosko

P
5' 10"
Redshirt Senior
Maddy Wheatley

#4 Maddy Wheatley

G
5' 11"
Redshirt Sophomore
Undeclared

Players Mentioned

McKel Nation

#50 McKel Nation

6' 2"
Freshman
F
Delaney Dogan

#54 Delaney Dogan

6' 0"
Graduate Student
F
Emily Poling

#20 Emily Poling

5' 9"
Fifth Year
G
Emma Wright

#13 Emma Wright

5' 11"
Graduate Student
G
Ali Benim

#10 Ali Benim

5' 8"
Redshirt Senior
G
Bri Claxon

#12 Bri Claxon

5' 7"
Sophomore
G
Andrea Maibach

#34 Andrea Maibach

6' 2"
Redshirt Freshman
P
McKel Nation

#50 McKel Nation

6' 2"
Senior
P
Samantha Pirosko

#44 Samantha Pirosko

5' 10"
Redshirt Senior
P
Maddy Wheatley

#4 Maddy Wheatley

5' 11"
Redshirt Sophomore
Undeclared
G