Trinitee Harris

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

Pair of Winning Streaks Collide as No.3/4 Gannon Hosts IUP

INDIANA (PA) CRIMSON HAWKS (10-2, 6-1 PSAC West) at No. 3/4 GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS (16-1, 8-0 PSAC West)
DATE/TIME: Saturday, January 13, 2024 | 1:00 p.m.
ARENA/LOCATION: Hagerty Family Events Center l Erie, Pa.
LIVE STATS l LIVE VIDEO
 
GAME NOTES

THE GANNON-IUP ALL-TIME SERIES
IUP leads 26-22  
Gannon has won four of the last five meetings after a 94-88 win over IUP last January and a 77-61 victory in February at IUP. Until last year Gannon had not swept the regular season series since 2013-14. The Golden Knights snapped a 10-game losing streak to IUP in the 2020 PSAC Championship, winning the first of back-to-back conference crowns by a 50-40 margin. The series first began in 1979-80.

The Last Meeting
Feb. 4, 2023 – Gannon 77, at Indiana (Pa.) 61 I RECAP
Sam Pirosko and Emma Wright (Fairview, Pa./Talawanda) combined to score 44 points as Gannon shot 60 percent from the field at IUP's Kovalchick Convention & Athletic Complex. Pirosko scored a game-high 24 points and Wright added 20. Pirosko sank 7-of-11 field-goal attempts, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range, and connected on 7-of-8 free-throw attempts. Wright was perfect on the day, making all seven of her field-goal attempts, including both of her 3-point shots. Wright also made all four of her free throw tries.
 

ERIE, Pa. – Gannon completes a brutal three-game, eight-day stretch facing another team riding a significant winning streak. After edging California (Pa.) 62-61 last Saturday the Golden Knights snapped Edinboro's six-game winning streak on Wednesday, 90-76. Now the Golden Knights host another team riding a six-game winning streak with Indiana (Pa.) visiting Cathedral Prep's Hagerty Family Events Center.

Wednesday's win at Edinboro, with the short-handed Golden Knights missing two key players, was Gannon's 13th win in a row and lifted them to 16-1 overall and 8-0 in the PSAC West. IUP, meanwhile, pulled away from visiting Mercyhurst in the second half for a 61-41 victory. That leaves the Crimson Hawks at 10-2 and 6-1 in the Western Division. Gannon was picked to finish second in the PSAC West and IUP third.

Gannon remained third in the latest WBCA Division II Top 25 and climbed a spot to fourth in this week's D2CSC Media Poll. The Golden Knights' 13-game winning streak is the longest since the 2013-14 team won 17 games in a row.

The Golden Knights led for much of the game at Edinboro only to find themselves trailing 69-68 with just under six minutes remaining. Thanks to a strong showing at the line down the stretch Gannon regrouped to outscore the Fighting Scots 22-7 down the stretch.

The win proved once again that Gannon can win in a shootout, but generally head coach Cleve Wright's teams showcase strong defense. Gannon ranks first in the PSAC and sixth in Division II in scoring defense at 53.5 ppg. In addition, the Golden Knights also pace the PSAC in field goal percentage defense (35.4 pct.) while standing second in turnovers forced (21.06), turnover margin (+4.29) and steals (10.9). Gannon is also second in scoring offense averaging 74.5 ppg.

Wright made a significant change to the starting lineup last Saturday with Bri Claxon (South Webster, Ohio/South Webster) making her first career start. The sophomore guard posted her fourth 20-point game in the last five contests, then added 15 points at Edinboro.

Redshirt freshman Andrea Maibach (Creston, Ohio/Norwayne) has started the last two games in the post. She recorded a season-best 22 points at Edinboro.
  
THE LAST TIME OUT
Gannon 90, Edinboro 76 – playing shorthanded with two key members of the rotation unavailable, Gannon found itself in a dogfight at Edinboro. The Golden Knights led by 12 points at 56-44 with just under five minutes remaining in the third quarter. Edinboro proceeded to run off the next 12 points to tie the game. The Golden Knights recovered to lead 62-58 after three quarters. Edinboro took its first lead since early in the game at 69-68 midway through the final period but Gannon scored the next six points and pulled away with a strong showing at the line for its 13th straight win. The Golden Knights were 17-of-18 at the line in the fourth quarter and 33-of-36 for the game. Redshirt freshman Andrea Maibach (Creston, Ohio/Norwayne) scored a season-high 22 points to lead the Golden Knights, adding seven rebounds. Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) added 20 points and nine rebounds. Gannon dominated on the glass 43-24.

Indiana (Pa.) 61, Mercyhurst 41 – IUP pulled away from visiting Mercyhurst in the second half for its sixth straight win. The Crimson Hawks led 30-24 at the half then held Mercyhurst to just 17 second-half points as the Lakers shot just 6-of-27 over the final 20 minutes. IUP was dominant on the glass outrebounding Mercyhurst 48-27. Kiera Baughman led the Crimson Hawks with 14 points while Rahmena Henderson recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
 
Gannon Remains Third in WBCA Division II Poll, Climbs to Fourth in D2CSC Rankings
Gannon remained third in the latest WBCA Division II Top 25. Head coach Cleve Wright's squad jumped two spots to third in the WBCA Top 25 before the holidays 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 moved up one spot to fourth in the latest D2CSC Media Poll. The Golden Knights were seventh in the D2CSC Top 25 four weeks ago and moved up to fifth the week after that. This is the first poll released since before Christmas.

Maibach, Pirosko Power Golden Knights at Edinboro
The interior tandem of Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) and Andrea Maibach (Creston, Ohio/Norwayne) powered Gannon to the win at Edinboro on Wednesday. The duo combined for 42 points and 16 rebounds. Maibach was making her second career start. The redshirt freshman scored a season-high 22 points, making 8-of-13 field goals, including a 3-pointer, and 5-of-5 free throws. Pirosko added 20 points, making 10-of-11 free throws, and nine rebounds.

Wright Reaches 375 Career Victories
Head coach Cleve Wright is in his second tour of duty at Gannon and his 20th season overall as a head coach. On Wednesday Wright picked up his 375th career victory with a 90-76 win at Edinboro.

Maibach Also Starts for First Time as Wright Alters Starting Five
Head coach Cleve Wright started the season using two different lineups in the first three games. After that the veteran coach had employed the same starting five for the next 12 games before altering it on Saturday. In addition to inserting Bri Claxon (South Webster, Ohio/South Webster) into the starting five redshirt freshman Andrea Maibach (Creston, Ohio/Norwayne) made her first career start with McKel Nation (Lebanon, Ohio/Springboro) unavailable. The 6'2" post player turned in a strong effort while matching her season high for minutes played with 26. She made 4-of-7 field goals for eight points and was one three players to pull down a team-high five rebounds. Freshman Kate Ratliff (Canal Winchester, Ohio/Canal Winchester) displayed her versatility as the 6'0" wing served as the backup in the post. Ratliff also had five boards.    

Streaks Nothing New for Wright's Teams
Gannon extended its winning streak to 13 games with Wednesday's 90-76 win at Edinboro. 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 now had eight 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.

Claxon Leads the Way in First Career Start
After coming off the bench in her first 49 career games Bri Claxon (South Webster, Ohio/South Webster) made her first career start at California (Pa.). Last year's PSAC West Freshman of the Year responded with her fourth 20-point effort in the last five games to lead Gannon to a 62-61 win at California (Pa.). The sophomore guard made 6-of-15 field goals, including 2-of-4 3-pointers, and was 6-of-10 at the free throw line, both career highs. She is averaging 20.6 ppg. over the last five contests to boost her scoring average to 13.9 ppg. That includes a season-high 26-point effort vs. Kutztown.

Gannon Christens Hagerty Family Events Center with a W
While Cathedral Prep's Hagerty Family Events Center has been open for several years the facility hosted its first college game recently with Gannon playing the remainder of its home games there. The Golden Knights came away with an impressive 79-45 victory over Mansfield in its first game on its new homecourt. Gannon will play the remainder of the 2023-24 season and likely at least part of the 2024-25 campaign at the Hagerty Family Events Center while the Highmark Family Events Center undergoes extensive renovations.

Gannon D Among the Elite
Gannon leads the PSAC and ranks sixth in Division II in scoring defense at 53.5 ppg. The Golden Knights are also first in the PSAC in field goal percentage defense (35.4 pct.) along with ranking second in the conference in turnovers forced per game (21.06). They also stand second in turnover margin (+4.29) and steals (10.9). Gannon's offense isn't too shabby either. The Golden Knights are scoring 74.5 ppg., good for second in the PSAC and 38th nationally. They are shooting 46.1 percent from the floor, a figure which leads the PSAC and is 11th in Division II. They are second in the PSAC in free throw percentage and 16th nationally at 77.7 pct.

Rebounding One of the Keys
The Gannon-IUP game features two of the top rebounding teams in the PSAC and the battle of the boards figures to be significant. IUP leads the PSAC and ranks 17th in Division II with a +8.2 rebounding margin. Gannon is third in the conference and 39th nationally at +6.1. Both exhibited their rebounding dominance on Wednesday. Gannon outrebounded Edinboro 43-24 while IUP controlled the glass vs. Mercyhurst 48-27.

Sam Moves into Fourth in Career Scoring, Tied for Seventh 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 50 games with 17 games in double digits to start the 2023-24 campaign. She made things more than a bit interesting at Millersville. After being held scoreless in the first half she scored six points in the third quarter then added 12 points in the fourth quarter to finish with a team-high 18 points. Pirosko scored 20 points at Edinboro to boost her career total to 1,833 points. She ranks fourth in career scoring and is now tied for seventh in career rebounds with 729.

Pirosko Third Among Active Scorers in Division II
Samantha Pirokso is currently third in Division in active scoring. Pirosko has scored 1,813 career points. Carson-Newman's Braelyn Wykle is the leading active scorer in Division II with 2,373 points, with Annie Roshak of Ashland is next with 2,051 points.

Scouting Indiana (Pa.)
For many years Indiana (Pa.) ranked among the top teams in the conference and region. A year ago the Crimson Hawks saw their string of seven straight 20-win seasons come to an end – barely – as IUP finished at 18-10. Picked to finish third in the PSAC West, head coach Craig Carey's team has run off six straight wins to improve to 10-2 overall and 6-1 in the PSAC West. Carey has added several newcomers to the roster, most notably Rahmena Henderson and Nyshae' Weaver. Henderson is a 5'8" junior who previously played at Southeast Missouri. She is averaging 16.7 ppg. and 5.8 rpg. while making 28-of-76 3-pointers. Weaver joined IUP by way of Alderson Broaddus. A 6'0" sophomore, she is averaging 10.4 ppg. and a team-high 9.1 rpg. Teirra Preston is the top returning player. A 6'0" forward she is averaging 10.8 ppg. and 8.3 rpg.

Next for the Golden Knights
Gannon begins a two-game road trip on Wednesday, January 17 at Slippery Rock. Tipoff is 5:30 p.m.
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Players Mentioned

Emma Wright

#13 Emma Wright

G
5' 11"
Graduate Student
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
Kate Ratliff

#23 Kate Ratliff

G
6' 0"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Emma Wright

#13 Emma Wright

5' 11"
Graduate Student
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
Kate Ratliff

#23 Kate Ratliff

6' 0"
Freshman
G