Tori Mayes

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

Game Preview: Healthy Golden Knights in Search of 16th Straight Win on Saturday at Clarion

No. 3/4 GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS (18-1, 10-0 PSAC West) at CLARION GOLDEN EAGLES (0-16, 0-10 PSAC West)
DATE/TIME: Saturday, January 20, 2024 | 1:00 p.m.
ARENA/LOCATION: Waldo S. Tippin Gymnasium l Clarion, Pa.
LIVE STATS l LIVE VIDEO
 
GAME NOTES

THE GANNON-CLARION ALL-TIME SERIES
Gannon leads 48-15  
Gannon has won the last 13 meetings with Clarion and 31 of the last 32 meetings. The two teams met for the first time last season on January 23 with Gannon prevailing 71-46 at Clarion. The Golden Knights added an 83-60 win over the Golden Eagles at the Highmark Events Center on February 15.

The Last Meeting
Feb. 15, 2023 – at Gannon 83, Clarion 60 I RECAP
Gannon jumped out to a 28-13 lead after one quarter and was never challenged the rest of the way. The Golden Knights shot 50.0 percent from the floor (32-of-64) and outrebounded Clarion 41-31. Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) had a double-double with 25 points and 10 rebounds, making 10-of-18 field goals, including 3-of-4 3-pointers, and going 2-of-2 at the line. Emma Wright (Fairview, Pa./Talawanda) added 13 points and McKel Nation (Lebanon, Ohio/Springboro) came off the bench to contribute 11 points and five rebounds in 13 minutes.
 

ERIE, Pa. – The Gannon women's basketball team completes a brief two-game road swing with a contest at Clarion on Saturday, January 20. Tipoff at Waldo S. Tippin Gymnasium is 1:00 p.m.

The Golden Knights come off a 74-50 win in the first of the two road games at Slippery Rock on Wednesday for their 15th straight win. Gannon improved to 18-1 overall and remained perfect in PSAC play with a 10-0 record.

Head coach Cleve Wright's team has climbed to third in the latest WBCA Division II Top 25 and is ranked fourth in the D2CSC Media Poll. The 15-game winning streak is the longest since the 2013-14 team won 17 straight games.

Clarion has endured a rough start with the Golden Eagles sitting at 0-16 and 0-10 in the PSAC West. As if this game wasn't already a "trap" game for a Gannon team that has local rival Mercyhurst on the horizon in a potential showdown for first place in the Western Division, Clarion proved how dangerous it can be taking California (Pa.) into overtime on Wednesday night before losing 66-62. 

Gannon entered the two-game stretch at Slippery Rock and Clarion following a demanding eight-day stretch in which the Golden Knights played at California (Pa.), at Edinboro, and last Saturday hosted Indiana (Pa.). Both Edinboro and IUP were riding six-game winning streaks.

On Wednesday Gannon led Slippery Rock by just a basket at 13-11 after one period but turned up the defense and allowed just 20 points over the next two quarters to grab a commanding lead.

The Slippery Rock game was just another example of Gannon's stellar defensive work. The Golden Knights rank first in the PSAC and sixth in Division II in scoring defense at 53.3 ppg. They have held eight opponents to 50 points or less. In addition, the Golden Knights lead the PSAC in turnover margin (+4.32) and steals (10.8) along with ranking second in the PSAC in field goal percentage defense (35.4 pct.), third in the PSAC in turnovers forced (20.53). Gannon is also second in scoring offense averaging 74.2 ppg.  

THE LAST TIME OUT
Gannon 74, Slippery Rock 50 – Gannon held a slim 13-11 lead after one period before pulling away over the final three periods. The Golden Knights limited Slippery Rock to 39.5 percent shooting from the floor (17-of-43) and forced 17 turnovers while committing just nine. Gannon also held a 30-24 advantage on the glass and shot 50.9 percent from the floor (28-of-55). Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) led a trio of Golden Knights in double figures with 18 points while also tying Trinittee Harris for the team lead in rebounds with seven. Bri Claxon (South Webster, Ohio/South Webster) and Andrea Maibach (Creston, Ohio/Norwayne) added 12 points apiece.  

California (Pa.) 66, Clarion 62 ot – An incredibly close contest featured 14 ties and 23 lead changes with neither team leading by more than four points in regulation. The two teams were tied at 57-all at the end of regulation but Cal would grab an early lead in overtime and hold off the upset-minded Golden Eagles. Malayziah Etheridge came off the bench to lead Clarion with 18 points, adding eight rebounds. Hannah Wilkerson added 17 points and eight boards.

Golden Knights Welcome Back Benim, Cernuto
In addition to coming up with a 15th straight win on Wednesday at Slippery Rock, the biggest news may have been the return to the hardcourt for Ali Benim (Erie, Pa./Harbor Creek) and Olivia Cernuto (Scottdale, Pa./Southmoreland). A senior guard who played at nearby Harbor Creek High School, Benim's return was particularly heart-warming after missing the first 18 games following the second serious knee injury of her career. In fact it was not known if she would be able to return for her final season. But on Wednesday with 2:02 remaining in the game she bounced off the bench for the first time in 2023-24. Just over a minute later she drained a trademark 3-pointer on her first field goal attempt. As for Cernuto, the freshman had carved an important role as the backup point guard since the start of the season. She missed a pair of games with an injury but returned against Slippery Rock to play 12 minutes. 

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.

Pirosko Named PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Week
The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference announced its weekly award winners on Tuesday with Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) selected the PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Week. It is the third time this year she has been honored by the conference. She has twice been named the Athlete of the Week and has now received a PSAC weekly honor ten times in her career. The week began with a 90-86 win at Edinboro as Pirosko was fell one rebound shy of a double-double with 20 points and nine rebounds. She added a steal and a block on the defensive end while going 10-of-11 at the line and contributing four assists. On Saturday she recorded her sixth double-double of the season in a 68-52 win over Indiana (Pa.) with 17 points and 10 rebounds, giving her 51 straight games in double figures. She added a pair of steals and two assists while making 7-of-13 field goals and 3-of-4 from the charity stripe.

Streaks Nothing New for Wright's Teams
Gannon extended its winning streak to 15 games with Wednesday's 74-50 win at Slippery Rock. 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 under Jim Brunelli. 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.

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. Last Wednesday Wright picked up his 375th career victory with a 90-76 win at Edinboro and now has 377 career victories. That includes 342 at Gannon in 16 seasons.

Ratliff Making Most of Her Opportunity
Kate Ratliff (Canal Winchester, Ohio/Canal Winchester) is one of several freshmen making key contributions. The 6'0" wing player made her first career start in the second game of the season, then came off the bench for the next 14 games. She was re-inserted into the lineup last Wednesday at Edinboro and contributed six points, eight rebounds and four assists. On Saturday she played a major role in the win over Indiana (Pa.). Ratliff enjoyed her second double-figure scoring effort with 10 points, making 5-of-9 field goals. She added six rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals. Her buzzer-beating drive at the end of the third quarter gave Gannon a 50-39 lead.

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 recently at California (Pa.). 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.

Sam Fourth in Career Scoring, 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 52 games with 19 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 had a team-high 18 points at Slippery Rock to boost her career total to 1,868 points. She ranks fourth in career scoring and has moved into seventh in career rebounds with 746. Pirosko ranks among Gannon's career leaders in several other categories including on that recognizes her longevity. She has now appeared in 124 career games, ranking ninth all-time. Sydney Mitchell holds the career record with 132 games.

Pirosko Third Among Active Scorers in Division II
Samantha Pirokso is currently third in Division II in active scoring. Pirosko has scored 1,868 career points. Carson-Newman's Braelyn Wykle is the leading active scorer in Division II with 2,394 points, with Annie Roshak of Ashland is next with 2,076 points.

Claxon Continues to Surge
After coming off the bench in her first 49 career games Bri Claxon (South Webster, Ohio/South Webster) made her first career start recently 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. Though it pales in comparison to Sam Pirosko's current 52-game streak, Claxon has been in double figures over the last ten games with five games of 20-or-more points. That includes a season-high 26-point effort vs. Kutztown.

Gannon D Among the Elite
Gannon ranks first in the PSAC and sixth in Division II in scoring defense at 53.3 ppg. They have held eight opponents to 50 points or less. In addition, the Golden Knights lead the PSAC in turnover margin (+4.32) and steals (10.8) along with ranking second in the PSAC in field goal percentage defense (35.4 pct.), third in the PSAC in turnovers forced (20.53). Gannon is also second in scoring offense averaging 74.2 ppg.  

Scouting Clarion
First-year coach Danielle Fleming is still looking for initial win at Clarion. That nearly came on Wednesday as the Golden Eagles battled PSAC West power California (Pa.) on even terms into overtime before falling 66-62. That left Clarion at 0-16 and 0-10 in the PSAC West. It was their third loss by four points or less this season. Autumn Taylor is the lone Golden Eagle in double figures averaging 10.3 ppg. The freshman guard is also the team's top 3-point threat with 33 in 102 attempts and leads the team with 32 assists. Sophomore guard Hannah Wilkerson scored 17 points vs. Cal to boost her average to 8.9 ppg. along with a team-high 4.2 rpg. Twelve different Golden Eagles have started at least one game this season.

Next for the Golden Knights
Gannon begins a stretch of four home games in the next five contests with a showdown against crosstown-rival Mercyhurst on Wednesday, January 24. The contest tips off at 5:30 p.m. at Cathedral Prep's Hagerty Family Events Center.


 
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Players Mentioned

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
Olivia Cernuto

#5 Olivia Cernuto

G
5' 7"
Freshman
Kate Ratliff

#23 Kate Ratliff

G
6' 0"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

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
Olivia Cernuto

#5 Olivia Cernuto

5' 7"
Freshman
G
Kate Ratliff

#23 Kate Ratliff

6' 0"
Freshman
G