Olivia Cernuto
Taylor Brown
69
Winner Gannon Gannon 11-1,3-0 PSAC
52
Mansfield MUP 5-3,1-2 PSAC
Winner
Gannon Gannon
11-1,3-0 PSAC
69
Final
52
Mansfield MUP
5-3,1-2 PSAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Gannon Gannon 21 13 19 16 69
Mansfield MUP 13 10 14 15 52

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

Sophomores Slater, Cernuto Pace Golden Knights to 69-52 Win at Mansfield

MANSFIELD, Pa. – The Gannon women's basketball team improved to 3-0 in PSAC action on Friday afternoon with a 69-52 win at Mansfield. The victory boosted Gannon, ranked seventh in the WBCA Division II Top 25 and tied for 14th in the D2CSC poll to 11-1 overall. Mansfield dropped to 5-3 and is 1-2 in PSAC action.

After missing three starters in Monday's win win at D'Youville, the Golden Knights welcomed back Maddy Wheatley (Canberra, Australia/UCSSC Lake Ginninderra) but were still without starters Kate Ratliff (Canal Winchester, Ohio/Canal Winchester) and Andrea Maibach (Creston, Ohio/Norwayne). However, Mia Slater (Canberra, Australia/Canberra Grammar School) stepped up in the post once again and the Golden Knights continued to play outstanding defense. Gannon limited the Mountaineers to 28.6 percent from the floor (16-of-56).

Heading into the D'Youville game Slater, a 6-foor-2 sophomore, had scored 18 points this season. She contributed a career-high 17 points in Buffalo and had her first career double-double at Mansfield. Slater finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Gannon has now won 13 of 14 meetings with the Mountaineers. They look to stretch their winning streak to three games in a row while concluding a four-game road swing on Saturday at Shippensburg. Tipoff is 1:00 p.m.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The game featured two ties and three lead changes before Trinitee Harris' (Elkhart, Ind./Elkhart Central) 3-pointer gave Gannon a 12-9 lead with 3:41 remaining in the first quarter. The Golden Knights would lead 21-13 at the end of the period. They made 9-of-17 field goal attempts while limiting the Mountaineers to 4-of-16.

A low-scoring second period saw the Golden Knights outscore Mansfield 13-10 to take a 34-23 lead at intermission. Both teams struggled to make a basket, with Gannon going 4-of-18 from the floor and Mansfield a little better at 4-of-13.

Gannon would take its largest lead of the half at 32-17 with 4:28. That came on a pair of free throws by Mia Slater (Canberra, Australia/Canberra Grammar School). Slater's basket with 3:40 left gave the Golden Knights a 34-20 advantage, but they would go without a point the rest of the period. Bri Claxon (South Webster, Ohio/South Webster) led Gannon with 10 points and Slater came off the bench to contribute eight points in 11 minutes.

The third quarter proved decisive for the Golden Knights. They found their shooting touch, making 8-of-13 shots, while holding Mansfield to 5-of-15. Midway through the period Gannon expanded the lead to 43-25, but a run of six straight points pulled Mansfield to within 45-35. Head coach Cleve Wright used a timeout, and the Golden Knights came out and outscored the Mountaineers 8-2 for a 53-37 lead. Maddy Wheatley (Canberra, Australia/UCSSC Lake Ginninderra) started the run with a 3-pointer, and Olivia Cernuto (Scottdale, Pa./Southmoreland) added a layup. After a Mansfield basket Dunham drained a 3-pointer with two seconds left in the quarter.

BY THE NUMBERS
Gannon shot 43.1 percent from the floor (28-of-65), making 11-of-27 3-pointers. The defense limited Mansfield to just 28.6 percent (16-of-56) and 7-of-22 from beyond the arc. The Mountaineers made 13-of-21 free throws.

For the second straight game Gannon attempted just two free throws. Slater was the only Golden Knight to go to the line, making both from the charity stripe.

Four players scored in double figures for the Golden Knights, led by Bri Claxon (South Webster, Ohio/South Webster) with 16 points. The junior guard boosted her career total to 971 points while making 7-of-12 field goals, including 2-of-3 3-pointers. She added five rebounds.

Mia Slater (Canberra, Australia/Canberra Grammar School) recorded the first double-double of her career as the 6-foot-2 sophomore finished with 12 points and a career-high 10 rebounds. She made 5-of-12 field goals and was 2-for-2 at the line.

Carissa Dunham (Fairview, Pa./Villa Maria) and Olivia Cernuto (Scottdale, Pa./Southmoreland) were also in double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Dunham made 3-of-11 3-pointers. The 10 points matched a career high for Cernuto, and the eight rebounds are a new career-best.

Katie Sheeler led Mansfield with 17 points, adding seven rebounds.

NEXT FOR THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS
Gannon wraps up a four-game road trip traveling to Shippensburg on Saturday. Tipoff against the Raiders is set for 1:00 p.m.


 
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