EDINBORO, Pa. – During the grind of the PSAC West basketball season, different players must step up to help teams win.
Teams also must hit their free throws to preserve victories.

The No. 3/4 Gannon women's basketball team excelled in both of those areas on Wednesday evening in a 90-76 victory over rival Edinboro at McComb Fieldhouse.

Coach Cleve Wright's Gannon team claimed its 13th consecutive win as the Golden Knights improved to 16-1 overall and 8-0 in the PSAC West. Edinboro dropped to 8-5 overall and 6-2 in the PSAC West as the Fighting Scots saw their six-game winning streak end.

Gannon closed the game with a 22-7 run after Boro took a 69-68 with 5:48 left.
 

Maibach's career game

A variety of players have to step up in big games, and Gannon's Andrea Maibach (Creston, Ohio/Norwayne) emerged on Wednesday.

With senior post player McKel Nation (Lebanon, Ohio/Springboro) missing her second consecutive game, Maibach started and saw significant time. The 6-foot-2 redshirt freshman scored a career-high 22 points to lead Gannon and added seven rebounds. Her previous career high was 17 points.

She scored 14 points in the first half while helping GU to a 41-33 halftime lead.

Maibach wasn't the only player who took advantage of extended playing time to make an impact.

Point guard Trinitee Harris (Elkhart, Ind./Elkhart Central) played 28 minutes and was a key player down the stretch. She finished with nine points and nine rebounds, and she made 7-of-8 free throws in the fourth quarter. She saw more than her usual minutes in part because freshman point guard Olivia Cernuto (Scottdale, Pa./Southmoreland) sat out the game.

Meanwhile, freshman guard/forward Kate Ratliff (Canal Winchester, Ohio/Canal Winchester) played 29 minutes, and she made 4-of-4 free throws at key moments in the final quarter.

 
Foul shots at a premium

Gannon shot a remarkable 33-of-36 from the free-throw line in the game for 91.7 percent. That included a sparkling 96 percent in the second half on 26-of-27 shooting. The Golden Knights shot 9-of-9 in the third quarter and 17-of-18 in the fourth quarter.

Gannon connected 15-of-16 foul shots during its game-closing 22-7 run.

Gannon senior forward Sam Pirosko finished 10-of-11 from the line on her way to 20 points. She also tied Harris with a game-high nine rebounds.
 

By the numbers

Sophomore guard Bri Claxon (South Webster, Ohio/South Webster) continued her run of fine play with 15 points. She shot 4-of-7 from the field and 7-of-8 from the foul line.

Sophomore guard Carissa Dunham (Fairview, Pa./Villa Maria) also had a strong game with 12 points as she made all four of her 3-point attempts. Her biggest 3-pointer came with 4:02 left when she extended Gannon's lead to 75-69.

Hayley Sims led Edinboro with 21 points, and Morgan Gentile added 20.

What's ahead:

Gannon will host Indiana (Pa.) on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Hagerty Family Events Center. IUP is 10-2 overall and 6-1 in the PSAC West after beating Mercyhurst 61-41 on Wednesday.