Moses Juah

Women's Basketball 3/2/2023 10:51:00 PM Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Gannon to Host PSAC Final Four, Meeting Shippensburg in Semifinals

No. 2E SHIPPENSBURG RAIDERS (24-5, 18-4 PSAC East) at No. 1W GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS (28-3, 19-3 PSAC West)
PSAC Tournament Semifinals
DATE/TIME: Saturday, March 4, 2023 | 3:30 p.m.
ARENA/LOCATION: Highmark Events Center l Erie, Pa.
PSAC CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
LIVE VIDEO
LIVE STATS

GANNON GAME NOTES
SHIP GAME NOTES

TICKETS
One-Day Pass
Reserved Plush Seat - $15
General Admission Adult - $10
General Admission Student - $5
Student at participating school w/ ID - Free

Tickets may be purchased at the door 90 minutes prior to the start of each session. PSAC guidelines do not permit any complimentary tickets to be issued.
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RADIO:  Gannon basketball fans can catch all of the exciting action of Golden Knights' basketball on 90.5 WERG FM. Sean Amicucci and Trevor Kubeja will have the call of the game.

THE 2023 PSAC TOURNAMENT FIELD
Monday, February 26 – First Round
3W Edinboro 79, 6W Seton Hill 61
5W Pitt-Johnstown 68, 4W Indiana (Pa.) 66
3E Kutztown 68, 6E Lock Haven 60
4E Millersville 72, 5E East Stroudsburg 65

Wednesday, March 1 – Quarterfinals
1W GANNON 71, 5W Pitt-Johnstown 67
2W California (Pa.) 70, 3W Edinboro 62
1E West Chester 76, 4E Millersville 61
2E Shippensburg 72, 3E Kutztown 55

Saturday, March 5 -- Semifinals (hosted by Gannon)
2W California (Pa.) (19-10, 14-8 West) vs. 1E West Chester (22-7, 18-4 East) – 1:00 p.m.
2E Shippensburg (24-5, 18-4 East) at 1W GANNON (28-3, 19-3 West) – 3:30 p.m.

Sunday, March 6 – Championship
Semifinal winners – 3:00 p.m.

THE GANNON-SHIPPENSBURG ALL-TIME SERIES
Gannon leads 11-4
Gannon has won the last five meetings with the Raiders, including a 65-48 win at the Highmark Events Center on December 19. The two met in the 2020 PSAC semifinals at Indiana, Pa. with the Golden Knights coming away with a 74-58 victory. Gannon has claimed eight of the last nine meetings.

The Last Meeting
Dec. 19, 2022 – at Gannon 65, Shippensburg 48 I RECAP
Gannon stepped up defensively, limiting Shippensburg to 23.6 percent shooting (13-of-55) from the field. The Golden Knights, led by Emma Wright's (Fairview, Pa./Talawanda) tough defense, also limited Ship senior guard Ariel Jones to eight points on 2-of-17 shooting, as Jones also got in early foul trouble. She had scored a PSAC-record 48 points the day before at Mercyhurst. Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) finished with a double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds, adding 6 assists. Delaney Dogan (West Middlesex, Pa./West Middlesex) added 12 points and nine rebounds, while Maddy Wheatley (Canberra, Australia/UCSSC Lake Ginninderra) had 11 points and seven boards. The game was a defensive struggle through the first half with Gannon leading 20-17 at intermission. Both teams eclipsed that total in the third quarter as Gannon outscored Ship 26-20 for a 46-37 lead after three quarters. Treasure George led the Raiders with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Lauren Pettis also had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

ERIE, Pa. – Gannon needed to rally late after jumping out to a big first quarter lead but finally handed Pitt-Johnstown a 71-67 defeat on Wednesday in the PSAC quarterfinals. The win earned the Golden Knights the right to host the PSAC Final Four on Saturday, March 4 and Sunday, March 5 at the Highmark Events Center.

The Golden Knights are hosting the PSAC Final Four for the first time since 2009-10, their second year in the conference. They went on to win their first PSAC crown that year. Head coach Cleve Wright's team has won the last two PSAC Championships, in 2020 and 2022, and looks to become the first team to win three consecutive PSAC crowns since Indiana (Pa.) won three in a row from 2007-09. Only four teams have won three-or-more PSAC championships in a row. Gannon is making its 12^th appearance in the PSAC Tournament since becoming a conference member in 2008-09 and is appearing for the fifth straight year.

The seeds ended up holding true after the quarterfinals as the top two seeds prevailed in each division. West Chester (22-7), the top seed out of the Eastern Division, will meet California (Pa.) (19-10), the number two seed out of the Western Division in Saturday's first semifinal at 1:00 p.m.

Gannon follows in the second game of the day at 3:30 p.m., opposing Eastern Division second seed Shippensburg (25-4). The winners will square off on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. in the PSAC Championship game and the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament at stake.

Gannon was the top seed in the Western Division after finishing with a 19-3 league record and owns a 28-3 overall record. The Golden Knights are ranked tenth in the latest D2SIDA Division II Top 25 and are 14th in the WBCA Top 25. Wednesday's quarterfinal win over UPJ was Gannon's tenth straight win. It's the third time Gannon has had an extended winning streak this season.

After opening with six straight wins the Golden Knights dropped road games at Kutztown and West Chester. They followed that up with 12 consecutive wins, the longest streak since 2013-14, before Seton Hill handed Gannon its lone loss at the Highmark Events Center. Since that time they have won ten straight games.

Shippensburg and West Chester also invade the Highmark Events Center with lengthy winning streaks. The Raiders have won six games in a row while West Chester has now won its last 15 games, with the last loss top Shippensburg on January 11. California (Pa.) has won its last four games.

Gannon is riding its third long winning streak of the season. The Golden Knights opened the season with six straight wins before suffering road losses at Kutztown and West Chester.

That was followed by a 12-game winning streak, the longest since the 2013-14 team opened the year with 17 straight wins. Seton Hill would put a halt to that streak on Jan, 15, handing Gannon its lone loss at the Highmark Events Center. Since that time Gannon has embarked on a ten-game winning streak.

Wright has now led Gannon to eight 20-win seasons in 15 years as the helm. The 28 wins are tied for the third-highest win total in Gannon women's basketball history. The 19 conference wins were also the second-highest total since Gannon joined the PSAC in 2008-09.

PIROSKO LEADS COMEBACK IN QUARTERFINAL WIN OVER UPJ
Gannon hosted Pitt-Johnstown for the second year in a row in the PSAC Quarterfinals, and the way the game started it looked like a repeat of last year's 70-44 win. Gannon used a 15-0 run to jump out to a 22-4 lead after one quarter. The Golden Knights held UPJ scoreless for the final six minutes of the period. But the Mountain Cats clawed back over the next two quarters, making 7-of-9 shots in the second quarter and 8-of-10 in the third. Add in an 11-of-16 showing at the charity stripe in the third quarter and UPJ outscored Gannon 30-15 in the third quarter to forge a 54-50 lead after three quarters. That's when Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) put the Golden Knights on her back and took them home to victory. The redshirt senior outscored UP by herself in the final ten minutes. She finished 15 points in the period as Gannon held a 21-13 edge in the quarter. Gannon still trailed by four points at 65-61 with 3:15 remaining but proceeded to outscore the Mountain Cats 10-2 after that. A Boston McKinney (Bolivar, Ohio/Tuscarawas Valley) steal and layup, followed by a pair of Pirosko free throws at the 1:40 mark to tie the game at 65-65. Following a UPJ miss Madison Demski (Erie, Pa./Villa Maria) converted on a pair of free throws with 56 seconds remaining to give Gannon the lead. After another UPJ miss Pirosko scored on a spinning layup for a 69-65 lead with 13 seconds to play. UPJ cut the lead in half with a basket with 11 ticks left, but Pirosko's two free throws two seconds later clinched the win. Pirosko ended the night with 27 points, and Bri Claxon (South Webster, Ohio/South Webster) came off the bench to contribute 10.

PIROSKO NAMED PSAC WEST ATHLETE OF THE YEAR, CLAXON SELECTED FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Gannon picked up two major honors on Thursday as the PSAC announced its major awards and all-conference teams. Sam Pirsosko was named the PSAC West Women's Basketball Athlete of the Year while Bri Claxon (South Webster, Ohio/South Webster) was selected the Western Division Freshman of the Year. Pirosko was named a first-team All-PSAC West honoree for the second straight year with Emma Wright (Fairview, Pa./Talawanda) earning a spot on the second team. Pirosko is Gannon's first PSAC Athlete of the Year since Jen Papich in 2013. In addition, Kristina Freeman earned the award in 2010. Tori Obenrader (Fryburg, Pa./North Clarion) in 2019 is the only other Golden Knight to be named the PSAC West Freshman of the Year.
Pirosko has been a force all season for Gannon. The 5'10" redshirt senior ranks second in the PSAC in scoring at 20.1 ppg. She has scored 20-or-more points in a game 17 times and has three games with 30 or more points, including a career-high 33 on Feb. 18 in a road win over Seton Hill. She has had nine double-doubles. After scoring six points in the season opener, Pirosko has scored in double figures in the past 30 games. Claxon, meanwhile, has made a big impact as a freshman. She ranks third on the team in scoring with 7.9 points per game. The 5'7" shooting guard has consistently given Gannon a spark while coming off the bench in all 31 games. Despite playing 18 minutes per game, she has had 10 double-digit scoring games this season. She struck for a season-high 30 points in one of Gannon's biggest games of the year, a win over IUP on Jan. 11. Wright made the All-PSAC second team by virtue of her all-around play. She is second on the team with a scoring average of 13.9 ppg. and leads the Golden Knights with 62 3-point field goals. She is among the leaders in rebounding (5.1 rpg.), assists (73), steals (38), and blocked shots (20).

PSAC WEST ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
2010 – Kristina Freeman
2013 – Jen Papich
2023 – Sam Pirosko

PSAC WEST FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
2019 – Tori Obenrader (Fryburg, Pa./North Clarion)
2023 – Bri Claxon (South Webster, Ohio/South Webster)

GANNON REMAINS SECOND IN LATEST NCAA ATLANTIC REGIONAL RANKINGS
The NCAA released the third edition of regional rankings on Wednesday with Gannon remaining second in the Atlantic Region. The first week's rankings only listed teams under consideration in alphabetical order. Last week's rankings provided a rank order and began to paint a clearer picture of the teams in the hunt for the NCAA Tournament. Wednesday's ranking are the last before the NCAA announces the field for the NCAA Division II Tournament on Sunday night. Gannon sits in second place behind Glenville State in the Atlantic Region poll. West Chester and Shippensburg, two of the teams competing in this weekend's PSAC Final Four, are third and fourth, with California (Pa.) in tenth place. The top eight teams in each region will qualify for the NCAA Division II tournament.

Atlantic Region
School (Overall DII Record / In-Region Record)
1. Glenville State (26-2 / 26-2)
2. GANNON (25-3 / 25-3)
3. West Chester (21-7 / 21-7)
4. Shippensburg (23-5 / 23-5)
5. West Virginia State (22-5 / 22-5)
6. Indiana (Pa.) (17-9 / 17-9)
7. Lincoln (17-9 / 17-8)
8. Charleston (WV) (21-7 / 21-7)
9. Fairmont State (22-8 / 21-7)
10. California (Pa.) (18-10 / 18-10)

GANNON IN SEARCH OF THIRD STRAIGHT PSAC TITLE
Head coach Cleve Wright's team has won the last two PSAC Championships, in 2020 and 2022, and looks to become the first team to win three consecutive PSAC crowns since Indiana (Pa.) won three in a row from 2007-09. Only four teams have won three-or-more PSAC championships in a row. Shippensburg holds the record with six straight PSAC crowns between 1996 and 2001. Cheyney won the first four PSAC titles from 1980-83 while California (Pa.) (2002-04) and IUP (2007-09) have won more than two championships in a row. Gannon is making its fifth straight appearance in the PSAC Tournament and 12^th overall. The Golden Knights are 17-8 all-time in PSAC Tournament games.

28 WINS TIED FOR THIRD ALL-TIME FOR GOLDEN KNIGHTS
Gannon improved to 28-3 with Wednesday's 71-67 win over Pitt-Johnstown. That's the most wins since the 2013-14 Golden Knight squad finished at 28-4. The 28 wins are tied for the third-highest in Gannon history. Here's a look at the winningest seasons in Gannon women's basketball history. Note that four of the six are under the direction of head coach Cleve Wright.

GOLDEN KNIGHTS COME UP ONE WIN SHY OF ALL-TIME HIGH IN PSAC WINS
Gannon finished the 2022-23 campaign with a 19-3 record in PSAC play. The 19 wins are one shy of the all-time high for the Golden Knights. The 2012-13 team finished with a 20-2 record in conference action. Gannon went 18-4 on three occasions – 2011-12, 2014-15, and 2019-20.

GOLDEN KNIGHTS CLIMBING IN NATIONAL RANKINGS
The updated national rankings were released on Tuesday with Gannon continuing to move up. The Golden Knights climbed one spot in both the WBCA Division II Top 25 and the D2SIDA poll. Gannon is now ranked 14th in the WBCA Division II Top 25 and tenth in the D2SIDA Top 25. The Golden Knights had cracked the top ten of the D2SIDA Division II Top 25 twice this season before suffering losses, moving into eighth place both times.

GANNON, SHIPPENSBURG GAME PRESENTS SOME INTERESTING TWISTS
The last time Shippensburg reached the PSAC semifinals was 2020, with Gannon handing the Raiders a 74-58 defeat at IUP. The two teams met for the first time since that game in December, with Gannon ending Shippensburg's six-game winning streak with a 65-48 win at the Highmark Events Center. The Raiders enter Saturday's semifinals with a six-game winning streak. The Gannon-Shippensburg game will feature the two PSAC Athletes of the Year and the top two scorers in the conference. Sam Pirosko was named the PSAC West Athlete of the Year while Ship's Ariel Jones earned the honor in the Eastern Division for the second time. Jones leads the PSAC and ranks second in Division II in scoring at 25.1 ppg. Pirosko stands second at 20.1 ppg. Pirosko has moved up to ninth in career scoring at Gannon with 1,470 points. Jones not only is Shippensburg's all-time leading scorer but is the number one scorer all-time in the PSAC with 2,717 points.

PIROSKO RANKED IN TOP 10 IN CAREER SCORING, TOP 20 IN CAREER REBOUNDING
Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) has continued her climb up the career scoring charts after becoming the 31st Golden Knight with 1,000 career points earlier in the year. The redshirt senior, who was named the PSAC West Athlete of the Year on Thursday, has scored 20-or-more points in eight of the last nine games after scoring 27 points against Pitt-Johnstown on Wednesday. She has moved all the way into ninth place in career scoring with 1,470 points. The 5'10" redshirt senior has now scored in double figures in 40 straight games after opening the season with six points vs. Notre Dame (Oh.). She also saw a string of three straight double-doubles come to an end but has pulled into the top 15 in career rebounds with 582, good for 15th place. Pirosko leads the team in both scoring (20.1 ppg.) and rebounding (7.4 rpg.), ranking second in the PSAC in scoring and 14th in rebounding. She is second in the conference in field goal percentage (54.9 pct.) and is ninth in free throw percentage (80.7 pct.). Pirosko's 622 points this season are just three points shy of Rona Nesbit's school-record total of 625 points in 1978-79.

GANNON 1,000-POINT SCORERS
1. Rona Nesbit (1978-81) -- 2,340
2. Kristin Roseberry (1999-02) -- 2,147
3. Christina Jackson (2004-07) -- 1,912
4. Mary Kay Lynch (1982-85) -- 1,743
5. Kristina Freeman (2007-10) -- 1,604
6. Nettie Blake (2012-15) -- 1,536
7. Jen Papich (2011-14) -- 1,534
8. Jacki Windon (1998-01) -- 1,524
9. SAM PIROSKO (2018-pres.) -- 1,470
10. Tonya Treharne (1986-89) -- 1,415

SCOUTING SHIPPENSBURG
Shippensburg defeated Lock Haven on Wednesday, 72-55, to advance to the PSAC Final Four. The win over Lock Haven was the sixth straight for the Raiders who improved to 24-5 after finishing second in the PSAC East with an 18-4 record. Head coach Kristy Trn is in her 24th season and has guided her alma mater to 402 victories. The Raiders rely greatly on the talents of the all-time leading scorer in the PSAC, Ariel Jones. On Thursday the 5'7" senior was named the PSAC East Athlete of the Year for the second time and became a four-time All-PSAC East first team honoree. Jones has broken four major records this season: the PSAC single-game scoring record (51 points), the PSAC career scoring record (2,717 points and counting), the NCAA Division II career free-throws made record (currently at 834) and Shippensburg's single-season points record (729 and counting). She ranks second in Division II in scoring at 25.1 ppg. and leads the nation in free throws made (188). Jones has posted double figures in 28-of-29 games this season, including 18 games of 20 or more points and eight games of 30 or more points. She is second on the team in rebounding (6.8 rpg.) and leads the team in assists (80) and steals (76). Jones has made 65-of-217 3-pointers and has been to the free throw line 227 times, making 188. With 729 points this season Jones has become the first player in PSAC history to record four seasons of 600 or more points. Jones isn't a one person team, however. Lauren Pettis, a 6'1" senior, was named a second team All-PSAC East honoree for the second straight year and comes in averaging 11.9 ppg. and 9.6 rpg. The latter figure ranks second in the PSAC. She has had 13 double-doubles and recently became the 25th Raider to score 1,000 career points, currently sitting at 1,032 points. She also ranks third in career blocked shots. Treasure George, a 5'5" junior, adds 10.7 ppg. and 5.0 rpg. She has made 33-of-101 3-pointers.

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