Kate Ratliff
Bryce Dolak

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

Game Preview: No. 2/3 Golden Knights Host California (Pa.) on Saturday in Search of 20th Straight Win

CALIFORNIA (PA) VULCANS (14-6, 9-5 PSAC West) at No. 2/3 GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS (22-1, 14-0 PSAC West)
DATE/TIME: Saturday, February 3, 2024 | 1:00 p.m.
ARENA/LOCATION: Hagerty Family Events Center l Erie, Pa.
LIVE STATS l LIVE VIDEO

GAME NOTES

THE GANNON-CALIFORNIA (PA) ALL-TIME SERIES
Gannon leads 27-25  
The Golden Knights have now won four of the last five meetings and seven of the last nine after hanging on for a 62-61 win at California (Pa.) on January 6. Gannon won both regular season meetings with the Vulcans last year by scores of 70-63 at the Highmark Events Center and 76-65 at Cal. However, the Vulcans came away with the third meeting in the PSAC Championship game by a 75-63 margin.

The Last Meeting
Jan. 6, 2024 – Gannon 62, California (Pa.) 61 I RECAP
The first of two regular season meetings between Gannon and California (Pa.) lived up to expectations with the Golden Knights holding off the Vulcans 62-61 at the Convocation Center in the PSAC West opener. The physical contest was back-and-forth for much of the first half with five ties and six lead changes. Gannon would enter the final ten minutes holding on to a 50-43 advantage. Gannon still led by eight points at 56-48 when Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) made a pair of free throws with just under six minutes to play. That's when Cal began to shave the lead down thanks to offensive rebounds and free throws. The Vulcans made just two field goals in 11 attempts in the fourth quarter, but they attempted 23 free throws. With three seconds remaining Bri Claxon (South Webster, Ohio/South Webster) stepped to the line and made a pair of free throws for a 62-59 advantage. Following a Cal timeout to advance the ball to halfcourt, the Vulcan's Sierra Bermudez was fouled while attempting an off-balance 3-pointer. She made the first two, but the third hit the back of the rim, then the front of the rim and rolled off with Andrea Maibach (Creston, Ohio/Norwayne) pulling down the rebound as the horn sounded. Claxon led all scorers with 20 points. The sophomore guard was making her first career start. Pirosko added 15 points.
 

ERIE, Pa. – The second half of PSAC divisional play begins with a showdown of two Western Division rivals. The first meeting between Gannon and California (Pa.) was an instant classic. Now round two takes place at Hagerty Family Events Center on Saturday, February 3.

Gannon enters the second meeting with the Vulcans riding a 19-game winning streak and is ranked second in the latest WBCA Division II Top 25 and third in the D2CSC Media Poll. The Golden Knights are 22-1 overall and 14-0 in PSAC action following Wednesday's 79-56 win over Seton Hill. California (Pa.) (14-6, 9-5 PSAC West) was nationally-ranked earlier in the year but is currently riding a two-game losing streak, both coming this week. On Wednesday the Vulcans dropped a 57-51 decision to Edinboro. Prior to the losing skid Cal had run off five straight wins.

Gannon and California (Pa.) have met the last two years in the PSAC Championship game, with the Golden Knights winning in 2022 and the Vulcans in 2023. The latter was particularly painful since it came on Gannon's homecourt. Cal was chosen the preseason favorite in the Western Division while Gannon was second.

Gannon edged the Vulcans 62-61 on January 6 in the first meeting. The Golden Knights held an eight-point lead late in the game only to see Cal rally back. The Vulcans ended up going to the line for three free throws with less than a second remaining trailing by three points. The first two were good but the third failed to fall and Gannon escaped with the one-point win at Cal's Convocation Center.

A year ago Gannon won both meetings during the regular season before losing to Cal in the PSAC title game 75-63. The year before that the two teams won on the other's homecourt before Gannon prevailed in the PSAC Championship game at Kutztown 59-47.
In 2019-20 Gannon won both regular season games and went on to win the PSAC Championship. The Golden Knights were set to play Cal in the opening round of the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional before the pandemic canceled the tournament.

Saturday's doubleheader is part of Hall of Fame Day. Later in the evening Gannon will induct nine new members into its Athletics Hall of Fame. Included in that group is former women's basketball standout Nettie Blake.

Gannon recently reached 20 wins for the ninth time under head coach Cleve Wright with a convincing 69-44 win over Mercyhurst. The 19-game winning streak is the second-longest in school history. The longest winning streak is 37 games in 2009-10.

It certainly doesn't get any easier for the Golden Knights as they are in the midst of a three-game homestand. Following Saturday's showdown with Cal the Golden Knights host local rival Edinboro on Wednesday, February 7.

Gannon features an impressive defense that ranks first in the PSAC and sixth in Division II in scoring defense, allowing just 52.6 ppg. The Golden Knights have held nine opponents to 50 points or less. In addition, they lead the PSAC in field goal percentage defense (34.6 pct.), and turnover margin (+4.41) while ranking second in the PSAC in steals (10.5) and turnovers forced per game (20.23). Gannon is also third in scoring offense averaging 73.0 ppg.  

THE LAST TIME OUT
Gannon 79, Seton Hill 56 – Gannon never trailed in the game while rolling to its 19th straight victory. The win came against a Seton Hill team that had won the last two times at Gannon. But on Wednesday the Gannon defense put a strangle-hold on a Seton Hill attack that came in leading the PSAC in scoring offense. The Griffins were limited to 34.0 pct. shooting from the field (18-of-53), including just 3-of-18 on 3-pointers. In addition, the Golden Knights forced 22 turnovers that led to an 18-7 advantage in points off turnovers. Sam Pirosko once again led Gannon with 24 points in 25 minutes. She made 8-of-14 field goals, including a 3-pointer, along with going 7-of-9 at the line.

Edinboro 57, California (Pa.) 51 – Edinboro trailed by as much as 11 points in the second half but outscored the Vulcans 17-7 in the final quarter to win at Cal. The final quarter saw five lead changes before Edinboro took the lead for good with 1:27 remaining. Cal scored just two points over the final four-plus minutes as Edinboro scored the final seven points. Cal shot 32.1 percent from the floor (17-of-53) and committed 20 turnovers. Dejah Terrell led the Vulcans with 22 points and 10 rebounds.

Gannon Remains Second, Third in Latest National Polls
Gannon remained in the same spot in the national rankings this week after climbing into second in the WBCA Division II Top 25 along with third in the D2CSC Media Poll. 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 second place ranking is the highest attained by the Golden Knights since they were also second throughout the first half of the 2013-14 season. The WBCA poll at that time was the USA Today Sports Division II Top 25. Gannon held down the top spot in that poll in the USA Today Sports Top 25 for two weeks at the end of the 2009-10 season.

Pirosko Named PSAC West Athlete of the Week
Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) was recognized as the PSAC West Athlete of the Week for the third time this season by the conference on Monday. It marks the 11th time in her career she has been honored by the PSAC as either the Athlete of the Week or Defensive Athlete of the Week. She was selected after leading Gannon to wins over Mercyhurst and Pitt-Johnstown last week. The 5-foot-10 redshirt senior opened the week with a career-high 35 points to lead the Golden Knights to a 69-44 win over Mercyhurst. She made 12-of-18 field goals, including a pair of 3-pointers, along with 9-of-10 free throws. She added eight rebounds. On Saturday her 24-point effort paced the Golden Knights to a 73-58 win at Pitt-Johnstown. She made 7-of-10 field goals with a 3-pointer, and went 9-of-11 at the line. Pirosko added five rebounds, four assists and four steals. She is looking to become the third Golden Knight to score 2,000 career points. She currently has 1,972 career points, moving into third place in career scoring. She is seventh in career rebounds with 768.

Former Standout Blake to be Inducted into Hall of Fame
Gannon will hold its Hall of Fame induction ceremonies on Saturday night following the California (Pa.) doubleheader. One of the nine individuals being inducted is former women's basketball standout Nettie Blake. Nettie Blake was a force in the post for four years at Gannon as she became one of only three players in GU history with 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. Blake ranks seventh on Gannon's all-time scoring list with 1,536 points and ranks third with 1,029 rebounds. The 6-foot-1 forward/center was a three-time All-PSAC West selection, making the first team as a junior and senior after landing a spot on the second team as a sophomore. For her career she averaged 12.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.
 
Keeping It in the Family
Saturday's doubleheader reunites a former Gannon women's basketball player with a current GU women's assistant coach and a member of the California (Pa.) men's team. Jeanette Whitehead is a former Golden Knight who went on to enjoy an outstanding coaching career at Hickory High School. In fact, she is expected to take part in Gannon's alumni game on Saturday morning. Her daughter Neely Whitehead is now following in her footsteps while in her second season as an assistant coach on the Gannon women's basketball team. When the women's game ends they will watch Neely's brother Donald Whitehead, Jr. perform for the Cal men's team.    

Mayes Steps in With Stellar Effort at the Point
With injuries plaguing the point guard position early in the season Tori Mayes (Lake City, Pa./Cathedral Prep) stepped in and helped lead the Golden Knights to wins over Texas A&M Kingsville, Angelo State and Tampa. Since that time she has seen limited action but has proven ready when called upon. That time came on Saturday at Pitt-Johnstown with both Trinitee Harris (Elkhart, Ind./Elkhart Central) and Olivia Cernuto (Scottdale, Pa./Southmoreland) sitting out the game. The freshmen stepped up to match her season high of 32 minutes, finishing with six points, four rebounds, an assist and a steal. Most importantly she did not commit a turnover.

Now Third in Career Scoring, Sam Nears 2,000 Career Points
Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) has been on a roll of late, averaging 26.0 ppg. over the last four games. She scored a career-high 35 points last Wednesday vs. Mercyhurst to move into third place in career scoring at Gannon, moving past Christina Jackson. She has since added back-to-back 24-point efforts at Pitt-Johnstown and vs. Seton Hill, boosting her total to 1,972 points. She now needs 28 points to become the third Golden Knight to reach 2,000 points. Pirosko looks to join Rona Nesbit (2,340 points) and Kristina Roseberry (2,147) in the 2,000-point club. The 35-point outing vs. Mercyhurst was her sixth game of 30-or-more points in her career. She also ranks seventh in career rebounds with 768. Pirosko ranks among Gannon's career leaders in several other categories including one that recognizes her longevity. She has now appeared in 128 career games, fourth all-time. Sydney Mitchell holds the career record with 132 games.  

Golden Knights Achieve Ninth 20-Win Season Under Wright
Gannon recently reached 20 wins with a 69-44 win over Mercyhurst. The 22-1 record marks the ninth 20-win season under head coach Cleve Wright and the third in a row. In fact, factor out the abbreviated 2020-21 COVID-19 season when Gannon finished at 13-1 and it is four straight 20-win seasons since Wright returned for his second tenure as Gannon's head coach. He departed after the 2012-13 season with back-to-back 20-win campaigns. In other words, Wright has now led the Golden Knights to six straight 20-win seasons when factoring out the COVID season.

Lineup Continues to Undergo Adjustments
A year ago head coach Cleve Wright employed the same starting lineup in all 34 games as Gannon finished with a 29-5 record. This season has been a different story, however. The veteran coach has used nine different starting lineups this year, partially due to injuries. He has tinkered with the lineup of late using six different lineups in the last nine games. After inserting freshman Olivia Cernuto (Scottdale, Pa./Southmoreland) into the lineup at Clarion last Saturday Wright returned to the lineup he had used in the previous game with Trinitee Harris (Elkhart, Ind./Elkhart Central) back in at point guard. However, injuries to both point guards left freshman Tori Mayes (Lake City, Pa./Cathedral Prep) starting the last two games for yet another different lineup. Four different first-year players have started a combined 16 games this year.
 
Game 1 – Dunham, Mayes, Nation, Pirosko, Wheatley
Game 2 – Dunham, Mayes, Pirosko, Ratliff, Wheatley
Game 3 – Dunham, Mayes, Nation, Pirosko, Wheatley
Games 4-15 -- Dunham, Harris, Nation, Pirosko, Wheatley
Game 16 – Claxon, Dunham, Harris, Maibach, Pirosko
Game 17-18 – Claxon, Harris, Maibach, Pirosko, Ratliff
Game 19 – Claxon, Harris, Nation, Pirosko, Ratliff
Game 20 – Cernuto, Claxon, Nation, Pirosko, Ratliff
Game 21 – Claxon, Harris, Nation, Pirosko, Ratliff
Games 22-23 – Claxon, Mayes, Nation, Pirosko, Ratliff
 
Streaks Nothing New for Wright's Teams
Gannon extended its winning streak to 19 games with Wednesday's 79-56 win over Seton Hill. It is now the second-longest streak in school history, bettered only by a run of 37 straight games to open the 2009-10 season. 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. The 1977-78 team also won 18 straight games, which was previously the second-longest until Wednesday.

Pirosko Third Among Active Scorers in Division II
Samantha Pirokso is currently third in Division II in active scoring. Pirosko has scored 1,972 career points. Carson-Newman's Braelyn Wykle is the leading active scorer in Division II with 2,471 points, with Annie Roshak of Ashland is next with 2,148 points.

Gannon D Among the Elite
Gannon continues to play outstanding defense. The Golden Knights rank first in the PSAC and fifth in Division II in scoring defense at 52.8 ppg. They have held nine opponents to 50 points or less. In addition, the Golden Knights lead the PSAC in turnover margin (+4.61) while ranking second in the PSAC in field goal percentage defense (34.5 pct.), steals (10.4) and turnovers forced (20.30). Gannon is also third in scoring offense averaging 73.2 ppg.  

Double-Figure Streaks Continue for Pirosko, Claxon
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 56 games with 23 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. Bri Claxon (South Webster, Ohio/South Webster) scored 14 points on Wednesday vs. Seton Hill. Last year's PSAC West Freshman of the Year has now reached double digits in 14 straight games.

Dominance Continues Over Mercyhurst
Gannon's 69-44 win over Mercyhurst extended its winning streak to 11 straight games and 13 of the last 14 over the Lakers. It was the 101st meeting between the two local rivals with Gannon owning a 71-30 advantage.
 
Scouting California (Pa.)
California (Pa.) was picked as the preseason favorite in the PSAC West but has had an up-and-down season. The Vulcans won eight of their first nine games but then dropped three of their next four contests. That was followed by a five-game winning streak, but Cal has dropped a pair of games this week – 61-51 at Indiana (Pa.) on Monday and 57-51 to Edinboro on Wednesday. That leaves the Vulcans at 14-6 overall and 9-5 in the Western Division, fourth in the conference. Dejah Terrell leads the Vulcans in scoring and rebounding at 14.4 ppg. and 8.6 rpg. with a team-high 36 blocks, second in the conference. The 6-foot-1 redshirt senior earned All-American honors in 2021-22 before missing the 2022-23 season with an injury. Iyahnna Williams adds 9.2 ppg. and 4.5 rpg. The 5-foot-9 junior was a second-team All-MEC honoree a year ago while playing at Alderson-Broaddus. Allycia Harris and Sierra Bermudez average 8.8 ppg. each. Harris is a 5-foot-9 junior who proved she is a ferocious rebounder a year ago when she pulled down 20 missed shots in the PSAC Championship game against Gannon. She is currently averaging 7.8 rpg. Bermudez, a transfer from Clarion, has made 41-of-106 3-pointers, accounting for almost half of Cal's 87 3-pointers.

Next for the Golden Knights
Gannon wraps up a three-game homestand with the renewal of its rivalry with Edinboro. That contest is set for Wednesday, February 7 with tipoff set for 5:30 p.m. Gannon won the first meeting this season at Edinboro 90-76 on January 10.
 
 
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Players Mentioned

Bri Claxon

#12 Bri Claxon

G
5' 7"
Sophomore
Andrea Maibach

#34 Andrea Maibach

P
6' 2"
Redshirt Freshman
Samantha Pirosko

#44 Samantha Pirosko

P
5' 10"
Redshirt Senior
Olivia Cernuto

#5 Olivia Cernuto

G
5' 7"
Freshman
Trinitee Harris

#11 Trinitee Harris

PG
5' 7"
Junior
Tori Mayes

#15 Tori Mayes

PG
5' 4"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Bri Claxon

#12 Bri Claxon

5' 7"
Sophomore
G
Andrea Maibach

#34 Andrea Maibach

6' 2"
Redshirt Freshman
P
Samantha Pirosko

#44 Samantha Pirosko

5' 10"
Redshirt Senior
P
Olivia Cernuto

#5 Olivia Cernuto

5' 7"
Freshman
G
Trinitee Harris

#11 Trinitee Harris

5' 7"
Junior
PG
Tori Mayes

#15 Tori Mayes

5' 4"
Freshman
PG