Cleve Wright 400 Wins
39
Daemen Daemen 0-3,0-0 ECC
55
Winner Gannon Gannon 6-0,0-0 PSAC
Daemen Daemen
0-3,0-0 ECC
39
Final
55
Gannon Gannon
6-0,0-0 PSAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Daemen Daemen 10 8 8 13 39
Gannon Gannon 11 14 11 19 55

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Wright Wins 400th Career Game as Gannon Pulls Away from Daemen in Meeting of Elite Eight Teams

ERIE, Pa. – On a night when the defenses dominated No. 11 Gannon used a 10-0 run in the third quarter to defeat Daemen 55-39 at the Hagerty Family Events Center. The win not only leaves Gannon with a perfect 6-0 getaway but was also the 400th of head coach Cleve Wright's career.
Now in his 21st season as a head coach, Wright is now 400-209 overall and 365-122 at Gannon in 17 seasons.

The contest was a matchup of two teams that reached the Elite Eight a year ago. Gannon won the Atlantic Region title and was the number one seed at the Elite Eight while Daemen was the East Regional champion and was the seventh seed. Daemen dropped to a deceiving 0-3 on the season, with the last two losses to nationally-ranked teams and the first two by a combined nine points.

Both teams showcased stingy defenses but in the end the Golden Knights were able to knock down some big shots in the third and fourth quarters while the Gannon defense never relented, limiting the Wildcats to 33.3 percent from the floor (18-of-34) and forcing 19 turnovers. Gannon held a 16-0 advantage in points off turnovers while committing just nine miscues.

Gannon, ranked 11th in the WBCA Division II Top 25 and third in the D2CSC Division II rankings, faces another tough opponent this weekend. The Golden Knights travel to Charleston (WV) on Saturday, November 16. The Golden Eagles won 19 games last year.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Low scoring was the name of the game over the first three quarters. The first period ended with a last second basket by Trinitee Harris (Elkhart, Ind./Elkhart Central) to give the Golden Knights an 11-10 lead. Gannon shot 29.4 percent (5-of-17) while Daemen came in at 33.3 percent (4-of-12).

The shooting didn't get any better in the second quarter, with Gannon at 33.3 percent (5-of-15) and the Wildcats at 25.0 percent (4-of-16). The Golden Knights went to intermission with a 25-18 lead.

Harris' basket at the end of the first quarter ultimately gave Gannon the lead for good, but it wasn't until midway through the third quarter that the Golden Knights got some breathing room. Daemen stormed out of the locker room and outscored Gannon 6-1 to pull within a bucket at 26-24 with seven minutes left in the third quarter.

Kate Ratliff (Canal Winchester, Ohio/Canal Winchester) drained a 3-pointer and Bri Claxon (South Webster, Ohio/South Webster) followed with a layup to make it 31-24. Claxon added a pair of free throws and when Taylor Ethridge (Chesapeake, Va./Catholic) made a 3-pointer Gannon had suddenly run off 10 straight points to go ahead 36-24 with 2:30 remaining. The Golden Knights held Daemen without a point for three-and-a-half minutes.

Gannon led 36-26 at the end of three quarters but the Pioneers weren't going away quietly. They closed to 38-32 with 8:42 remaining. Another run, this one 11-1, finally broke the game open. Ratliff scored six points in the run, including the last four on a pair layups to make it 49-33 with 4:40 left to play. The run also featured a big 3-pointer by Carissa Dunham (Fairview, Pa./Villa Maria).

BY THE NUMBERS
Thanks to an 8-for-14 chart in the fourth quarter Gannon finished the night shooting 36.8 percent (21-of-57). The Golden Knight defense held the Wildcats to 33.3 percent 9(18-of-54). Daemen was also 0-for-9 from beyond the arc while Gannon was 4-of-23. Gannon was 9-of-15 on free throws and Daemen 3-of-6.

Turnovers proved the key with Gannon forcing 19 Daemen turnovers while committing just nine. It led to a 16-0 advantage in points off turnovers. The Pioneers outrebounded Gannon 42-34.

Both teams had two players in double figures. Ratliff, a sophomore guard and named the PSAC West Athlete of the Week on Tuesday, led all scorers with 17 points. She made 7-of-13 field goals. Claxon added 11 points. Andrea Maibach (Creston, Ohio/Norwayne) fell a point and rebound shy of a double double with nine points and nine rebounds. Carissa Dunham (Fairview, Pa./Villa Maria) snuck inside for six rebounds.

Sophie Auer led Daemen with 14 points while Cecilia Lapertosa had 10 points and nine rebounds.        
 
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