Mckel Nation on defense

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

No. 3/5 Golden Knights Wrap Up 2023 Portion of Season at Millersville

Golden Knights in search of tenth straight victory

No. 3/5 GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS (12-1, 4-0 PSAC West) at MILLERSVILLE MARAUDERS (3-7, 1-3 PSAC East)
DATE/TIME: Saturday, December 30, 2023 | 1:00 p.m.
ARENA/LOCATION: Pucillo Gymnasium l Millersville, Pa.
LIVE STATS l LIVE VIDEO

 
THE GANNON-MILLERSVILLE SERIES
Gannon leads 10-4
Gannon has won four of the last five meetings.
Last Meeting: Jan. 18, 2023 – at Gannon 86, Millersville 57 | RECAP
Six players scored in double figures as Gannon won its tenth straight game. The Golden Knights pulled away in the first quarter by rolling to a 19-2 lead in the first seven minutes and taking a 27-6 lead into the second quarter. Millersville never pulled closer than 16 points the rest of the way as Gannon built a lead as big as 31 points. Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) led the scoring parade with 18 points. Emma Wright (Fairview, Pa./Talawanda) had another strong all-around game with 17 points, six rebounds, and four assists, two blocks, and two steals. Gannon also received 10 points apiece from Delaney Dogan (West Middlesex, Pa./West Middlesex), Ali Benim (Erie, Pa./Harbor Creek), Maddy Wheatley (Canberra, Australia/UCSSC Lake Ginninderra), and Bri Claxon (South Webster, Ohio/South Webster).
 

ERIE, Pa. – The Gannon women's basketball team wraps up the 2023 portion of its season on Saturday, December 30 with a PSAC crossover contest at Millersville. The Golden Knights look to extend a nine-game winning streak, the longest since a string of 12 wins in a row last year.

Gannon concluded play before the holiday break with wins over Kutztown (82-70) and No. 9/12 West Chester (86-71) to improve to 12-1 overall and 4-0 in PSAC action. Head coach Cleve Wright's team has climbed to third in the WBCA Division II Top 25 and are fifth in the D2CSC Top 25. The WBCA ranking is the highest since the 2013-14 team was also third late in the season.

The two-game stretch on December 18-19 proved particularly emotional, with Senior Night following the Kutztown game and the West Chester game a battle of two top ten teams with the final game in the Highmark Events Center for the foreseeable future another storyline.

After allowing less than 60 points in seven straight games and entering the two-game stretch ranked second in Division II in scoring defense (49.9 ppg.), Gannon had to rely on its offense to defeat two of the top teams in the Eastern Division.

Bri Claxon (South Webster, Ohio/South Webster) stepped up with 20-point efforts in both contests. The sophomore guard dropped in a season-high 26 points against Kutztown then added 21 the next night against Millersville.

Seniors McKel Nation (Lebanon, Ohio/Springboro) and Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) also played big roles while playing in the Highmark Events Center for the final time. The facility is being shut down as extensive renovations begin.

Nation scored 14 points and pulled down eight rebounds against a tough Kutztown defense. Pirosko was held to 10 points by the Golden Bears but dished out three key assists on 3-point baskets in the second half. The redshirt senior added her fifth double-double the next night with 18 points and 10 rebounds. She has moved into fourth place in career scoring with 1,762 points and is a rebound shy of eighth place in career rebounds with 699.

Wright knew he had a strong recruiting class and the newcomers have played major roles in the team's success. While the numbers aren't always huge the contributions by redshirt freshman Andrea Maibach (Creston, Ohio/Norwayne) and freshmen Olivia Cernuto (Scottdale, Pa./Southmoreland) and Kate Ratliff (Canal Winchester, Ohio/Canal Winchester) have been. Throw in junior college transfer Trinitee Harris (Elkhart, Ind./Elkhart Central) and Division I transfer Carissa Dunham (Fairview, Pa./Villa Maria), two starters in the backcourt, and newcomers have made significant contributions.

The Millersville game begins a stretch of 18 straight games against PSAC opponents to end the regular season. The Marauders own a 3-7 record under first-year head coach Kira Mowen and were picked to finish seventh in the PSAC East. They lost both of their crossover contests before the break to enter with a two-game losing streak, falling 77-66 at Edinboro 77-66 on December 18 then dropping a 70-53 decision at Mercyhurst on December 19.

Following the Millersville game Gannon will play for the first time at Cathedral Prep's Hagerty Family Events Center while beginning the 2024 portion of their schedule on Wednesday, January 3 against Mansfield. That contest will mark the final PSAC crossover game.
 
Goodbye Highmark Events Center, Hello Hagerty Family Events Center
On Tuesday, December 19 Gannon hosted West Chester in the second of back-to-back PSAC crossover games. The next day workers were inside the facility stripping it down as the building Gannon basketball has called home since 1949-50 will undergo extensive renovations. In the meantime Gannon will move to Cathedral Prep's Hagerty Family Events Center for the remainder of the 2023-24 season and likely at least part of the 2024-25 campaign. The third-ranked Golden Knights sent the facility out in style with an 86-71 win over No. 9 West Chester on Tuesday night to improve to 12-1.  The Golden Knights will debut at the Hagerty Family Events Center on Wednesday, January 3 hosting Mansfield at 5:30 p.m.

Streaks Nothing New for Wright's Teams
Gannon is currently on a nine-game winning streak. Long winning streaks are almost common for head coach Cleve Wright's teams. A year ago the Golden Knights had a 12-game winning streak and later an 11-game winning streak. The 2020-21 team enjoyed a nine-game winning streak. All told Wright's Gannon teams have had seven winning streaks of ten games or more. In 2006-07 Gannon won 10 straight games, and the 2008-09 team matched that and also had a nine-game winning streak. Wright's last team in his first tenure in 2012-13 team won 14 straight games. The next year the Golden Knights won 17 games in a row. But the longest winning streak during Wright's tenure came in 2009-10 when Gannon won a school-record 37 straight games to start the season. The streak ended with an overtime loss in the national semifinals.

Three Players Honored on Senior Night
Gannon recognized three seniors following the Kutztown game. Ali Benim (Erie, Pa./Harbor Creek), McKel Nation (Lebanon, Ohio/Springboro) and Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) were honored as head coach Cleve Wright chose to hold Senior Night in the Highmark Events Center. All three seniors have played a major role through the years in maintaining Gannon's winning ways. Nation is the starter in the post and has appeared in 82 career games. Benim played in 85 games over the last three years but has been unable to take the court this year due to an injury. Then there's Pirosko. The 5'10" post player will go down as one of the all-time greats at Gannon. She has appeared in 118 career games. Pirosko ranks fourth in career scoring with 1,762 points and is ninth in career rebounds with 699. She is a two-time All-American and two-time All-PSAC West first team honoree. A year ago she was named the PSAC West Athlete of the Year. Pirosko is also a standout in the classroom and was a first teams D2CSC Academic All-American last year.  

Gannon Moves into Third Place in WBCA Division II Poll, Fifth in D2CSC Rankings
The Gannon women's basketball team continues its climb up the WBCA Division II Top 25 last week, and the Golden Knights are now receiving first place votes. Head coach Cleve Wright's squad jumped two spots to third a week ago in the WBCA Top 25 after being ranked fifth a week earlier. The third place ranking is the highest attained by the Golden Knights since they were also third late in the 2013-14 season. The WBCA poll at that time was the USA Today Sports Division II Top 25. Gannon was seventh in the D2CSC Top 25 Media Poll two weeks ago and moved up to fifth last week.

No Sophomore Slump for Claxon
A year ago Bri Claxon (South Webster, Ohio/South Webster) was named the PSAC West Freshman of the Year after averaging 7.8 ppg. She enjoyed several high-scoring games. The sophomore guard was hampered early in the season after missing a decent amount of time during the preseason with an injury. But over the last nine games she has more than made up for it. Claxon has boosted her scoring average to 12.8 ppg. while scoring in double figures in eight of the last nine games, averaging 15.9 ppg. during that stretch. That includes a 26-point effort vs. Kutztown and 21 points against West Chester.

Gannon D Among the Elite
Gannon leads the PSAC and ranks ninth in Division II in scoring defense at 53.1 ppg. The Golden Knights are second in the PSAC in field goal percentage defense (35.9 pct.) and are first in the conference in steals per game (11.2), turnovers forced per game (16.8) and turnover margin (+4.92). Gannon's offense isn't too shabby either. The Golden Knights are scoring 74.2 ppg., good for third in the PSAC and 38th nationally. They are shooting 46.9 percent from the floor, a figure which stands second in the PSAC and ninth in Division II.

Sam Moves into Fourth in Career Scoring, Nears Eighth in Rebounding
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 46 games with 13 games in double digits to start the 2023-24 campaign. She posted her fifth double-double against West Chester with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Pirosko became the fifth Gannon player with 1,700 career points recently and has moved into fourth place in career scoring with 1,762 points. She is one rebound away from tying for eighth place in career rebounds. Her total stands at 699.

Pirosko Third Among Active Scorers in Division II
Samantha Pirokso is currently third in Division in active scoring. Pirosko has scored 1,762 career points. Carson-Newman's Braelyn Wykle is the leading active scorer in Division II with 2,309 points, with Annie Roshak of Ashland is next with 2,012 points.

Scouting Millervsille
Millersville was picked to finish seventh in the PSAC East in the coaches preseason poll after finishing at 18-10 last year. The Marauders are off to a 3-7 start and lost both of their crossover contests before the break to enter with a two-game losing streak. They lost at Edinboro 77-66 on December 18 then dropped a 70-53 decision at Mercyhurst on December 19. Head coach Kira Mowen is in her first season in charge of the Marauders after serving as a Division I assistant coach for 12 seasons along with two as the head coach at Division III Knox. She guided Knox to its first NCAA Tournament appearance and first conference championship a year ago. She was named the Illinois basketball Coaches Association Coach of the Year in 2022-23 after leading Knox to a school record 22 wins. Makiah Shaw is the lone Marauder scoring in double figures. The 6'0" junior forward averages 12.5 ppg. and is second in rebounding at 4.5 rpg. La'Shyra Williams, a 6'1" redshirt senior, adds 9.8 ppg. and 4.3 rpg. Brenna Ortwein leads the Marauders in rebounding at 5.2 per game. Ortwein is a 5'7" junior guard.

Next for the Golden Knights
Gannon will not only make its 2024 debut but will do so in a new venue. The Golden Knights host Mansfield on Wednesday, January 3 with tipoff set for 5:30 p.m.
 
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Players Mentioned

Delaney Dogan

#54 Delaney Dogan

F
6' 0"
Graduate Student
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
Olivia Cernuto

#5 Olivia Cernuto

G
5' 7"
Freshman
Trinitee Harris

#11 Trinitee Harris

PG
5' 7"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Delaney Dogan

#54 Delaney Dogan

6' 0"
Graduate Student
F
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
Olivia Cernuto

#5 Olivia Cernuto

5' 7"
Freshman
G
Trinitee Harris

#11 Trinitee Harris

5' 7"
Junior
PG