Women's NCAA Atlantic Region Bracket

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

Game Preview: Long Winning Streaks Collide as Gannon Hosts Fayetteville State in Atlantic Regional Final

Winner moves on to Elite Eight

No. 3 FAYETTEVILLE STATE BRONCOS (29-2, 17-1 CIAA) at No. 1 GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS (34-2, 21-1 PSAC West)
NCAA Div. II Atlantic Regional -- Finals
DATE/TIME: Tuesday, March 19, 2024 | 5:00 p.m.
ARENA/LOCATION: Hagerty Family Events Center l Erie, Pa.
ATLANTIC REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
LIVE VIDEO ($)
LIVE STATS

GAME NOTES

RADIO:  Gannon basketball fans can catch all of the exciting action of Golden Knights' basketball on 90.5 WERG FM. Sean Amicucci and Trevor Kubeja will have the call of the game.

THE GANNON-FAYETTEVILLE STATE SERIES
Gannon leads 1-0
Gannon and Fayetteville State have met on one occasion, and that also came in the Atlantic Regional. The two played in the opening round of the 2009 regional with Gannon coming away with a 68-53 win at California, Pa.

The Last Meeting
March 13, 2009 – Gannon 68, Fayetteville St. 53
Gannon advanced to the semifinals of the Atlantic Regional in a game played at California, Pa. The Golden Knights led by just two points at the half at 33-31 but limited the Broncos to just 7-of-27 from the floor (25.9 pct.) in the second half and 26.7 pct. for the game (16-of-60). Brittany Tabron led Gannon with 17 points and 13 rebounds and Kim Vargas added 15 points and nine rebounds.
 

ERIE, Pa. – Gannon and Fayetteville State will meet in the Atlantic Regional final on Tuesday, March 19 at the Hagerty Family Events Center. Tipoff is set for 5:00 p.m. with the winner advancing to the Elite Eight.

The two teams advanced to the Sweet Sixteen through the split regional with Gannon, the top seed in the region, defeating No. 8 West Virginia State (73-53) and No. 4 Lock Haven (91-72). Fayetteville State came in as the number three seed and won the Fairmont State portion of the regional. The Broncos handed No. 6 Indiana (Pa.) a 72-63 defeat and upset No. 2 seed Fairmont State 70-62.

Both teams are riding extensive winning streaks with Gannon having won 10 games in a row after previously running off 21 straight wins, the second-longest winning streak in school history. Fayetteville State has won its last 15 games to improve to 29-2, a school record for wins.

Gannon comes in at 34-2 overall, the second-highest win total in school history. The Golden Knights were ranked fourth in the final regular season WBCA Division II top 25. Fayetteville State was ninth in the same poll.

The Atlantic Regional final will pit the champions of the PSAC and CIAA. Gannon won its fourth PSAC championship just over a week ago while Fayetteville State was crowned the CIAA champion a week before that.

Gannon head coach Cleve Wright is concluding his 16th season at the helm and is in his second go-around with the Golden Knights. He coached Gannon from 2002-13 then returned in 2019-20. He was recently named the PSAC West Coach of the Year for the third time. He has guided Gannon to nine 20-win seasons and nine NCAA Tournaments, including Atlantic Region championships in 2010 and 2013. They reached the regional final in 2009.

Fayetteville State inserted former assistant coach Tyreece Brown as the interim head coach last March. All the former Bronco men's basketball player has done is lead Fayetteville State to a school record for wins and the CIAA championship. He was named the CIAA Coach of the Year.

Tuesday's championship game will also feature the two conference's Players of the Year. Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) was named the PSAC West Athlete of the Year for the second straight year. The redshirt senior post player leads the PSAC in scoring at 19.7 ppg. and is Gannon's second all-time leading scorer with 2,249 career points.
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Fayetteville State senior guard Aniylah Bryant was named the CIAA Player of the year and teammate Morgan Graham was the CIAA Defensive Player of the Year.

Tuesday's winner will advance to play in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight in St. Joseph's, Mo. Quarterfinal games are set for Monday, March 25, with the semifinals on Wednesday, March 27 and the Division II National Championship game on Friday, March 29.

How They Reached the Atlantic Regional Final
With Gannon hosting both the men's and women's Atlantic Regional the NCAA split the regional with No. 1 seed Gannon hosting four teams and No. 2 seed Fairmont State hosting four. Gannon fell behind West Virginia State 21-8 in the first seven minutes of its quarterfinal game as the Yellow Jackets ran off 15 straight points. The Golden Knights rallied from their largest deficit of the season to close to 23-16 at the end of the first quarter. Gannon then outscored West Virginia State 23-8 in the second quarter to grab a 39-31 lead at the half. They controlled the third period 17-6 and at one point Gannon's run was 60-22. The Golden Knights ended up winning 73-53 while holding the Yellow Jackets to 26.9 percent from the floor (14-of-52). Gannon ended up forcing 23 turnovers. Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) and Bri Claxon (South Webster, Ohio/South Webster) led Gannon with 17 points apiece. On Saturday night Gannon found itself in a physical tussle with Lock Haven in a rematch of the previous weekend's PSAC Championship. The Golden Knights held a narrow 43-39 lead at the half but proceeded to dominate the Bald Eagles in the third quarter. Gannon outscored Lock Haven 30-12 with Pirosko scoring 13 of her game-high 34 points. Gannon went on to win 91-72 behind 34 points from Pirsosko (9-of-16 FGs, 3-of-5 3's, 13-of-15 free throws). Fayetteville State, meanwhile, journeyed to Fairmont, W.Va. as the number three seed. The Broncos opened with a 72-63 win over No. 6 seed Indiana (Pa.) after trailing by two points at halftime. Aniylah Bryant led the way with 23 points as Fayetteville State forced 29 turnovers. On Saturday the Broncos reached the Sweet 16 thanks to an upset of No. 2 seed Fairmont State, 70-62. Bryant again led the way with 26 points.
 
Pirosko Named D2CCA Atlantic Region Player of the Year
Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) was named the D2CCA Atlantic Region Player of the Year for the second straight season last week. Pirosko is joined on the D2CCA Atlantic Region first team by Aniylah Bryant of Fayetteville State, Alyssa DeAngelo of Fairmont State, West Chester's Leah Johnson and Emilee Weakley of Frostburg State. A 5-foot-10 redshirt senior, Pirosko was recently named the 2023-24 PSAC West Athlete of the Year, earning the honor for the second straight year.  She leads the PSAC and ranks 12th in Division II in scoring (19.7 ppg) and fourth in the nation with 239 field goals. Pirosko also ranks second in the nation with 204 made free throws and 13th in the nation with a free-throw percentage of 87.9. All of these totals lead the PSAC. She also leads the Golden Knights with 8.1 rpg. and is shooting 54.6 percent from the floor (239-of-438), good for second in the conference.
 
Gannon in First Regional Final Since 2013
Gannon has reached the NCAA Atlantic Regional Final for the first time since the 2012-13 season and the fourth time overall. The 2013 Golden Knight edition defeated California (Pa.) in the Atlantic Region championship game to advance to the Elite Eight for the second time. They would lose to Ashland in the quarterfinals by a 74-63 score. Gannon also won the 2010 Atlantic Region title with a 65-48 win over Millersville. They posted a 70-66 win over Tusculum in the national quarterfinals before falling in overtime to Emporia State 97-94 in the semifinals. Gannon also reached the 2009 Atlantic Regional finals but lost to California (Pa.) 64-40 with a trip to the Elite Eight on the line.

Gannon Wins Fourth PSAC Championship
Gannon faced a West Chester team that came in riding a 16-game winning streak in the PSAC Semifinals. The Golden Rams led Gannon by a point at 33-32, just the third time this year the Golden Knights trailed at the half. But West Chester had no answers for Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) all day. Pirosko finished with a monster effort with 40 points and 19 rebounds, both career highs. She even managed four assists. Pirosko made 19-of-20 free throws, going 8-for-8 in the final minute. Bri Claxon (South Webster, Ohio/South Webster) added 17 points and Kate Ratliff (Canal Winchester, Ohio/Canal Winchester) 10. That left Gannon facing Eastern Division regular season champion Lock Haven in the championship game on their home court. Playing in the PSAC Championship game for the fourth straight year the Golden Knights faced a Lock Haven team riding a nine-game winning streak and undefeated at home. Once again the Bald Eagles were no match for Pirosko and the Golden Knights. Tied at 15-15 after one quarter, Gannon dominated play the next two quarters, outscoring Lock Haven 22-15 in the second quarter and 24-17 in the third. Pirosko had 23 points at the half and would finish the day with 32 points to lead Gannon to an 80-65 win. Three other players – Claxon, Ratliff, and Andrea Maibach (Creston, Ohio/Norwayne) – contributed 10 points apiece. Pirosko was named the PSAC Tournament's MVP.

Pirosko Fourth Golden Knight Named PSAC Tournament MVP
Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) has earned countless awards during her playing career, including two-time All-American and back-to-back PSAC West Athlete of the Year accolades. Just over a week ago the redshirt senior added a new honor to her resume'. Pirosko scored 72 points and grabbed 25 rebounds in the two games at Lock Haven while leading Gannon to its third PSAC title in four years and fourth overall. She becomes the fourth Golden Knight to be named the PSAC Tournament MVP.   

Gannon PSAC Tournament MVPs
2010 – Tiffany Crocker
2020 – Tori Obenrader
2022 -- Emma Wright (Fairview, Pa./Talawanda)
2024 – Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North)

Wright, Pirosko Receive Major PSAC Postseason Awards
A little over a week ago the PSAC announced its postseason award winners with Gannon receiving two of the major awards for the Western Division. Cleve Wright was named the PSAC West Coach of the Year for the third time. He previously earned the honor in 2010 and 2013. Wright has guided Gannon to its third 30-win season at 32-2 with the Golden Knights winning the Western Division regular season title for the fourth time. The Golden Knights are currently ranked third in Division II. Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) repeated as the PSAC West Athlete of the Year. The 5-foot-10 redshirt senior has climbed into second place in career scoring with 2,249 points and leads the PSAC in scoring at 19.7 ppg. She has scored in double figures in her last 69 games. Pirosko was joined on the All-PSAC West first team by Bri Claxon (South Webster, Ohio/South Webster). The sophomore guard was named the PSAC West Freshman of the Year last season. She is averaging 13.3 ppg. and has made 50-of-122 3-pointers.
 
Gannon PSAC West Athletes of the Year
2010 -- Kristina Freeman
2013 – Jen Papich
2023 – Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North)
2024 – Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North)   
 
Claxon Joins Pirosko on All-PSAC West First Team
A year ago Bri Claxon (South Webster, Ohio/South Webster) was named the PSAC West Freshman of the Year after averaging 7.8 ppg. while playing just under 18 minutes per game in a reserve role. This year the sophomore guard stepped into the starting lineup in game number 16 and is currently Gannon's second-leading scorer at 13.3 ppg. while averaging 25 minutes per game.  She joined teammate Samantha Pirosko (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) on the All-PSAC West first team. Claxon is shooting 47.3 percent from the floor (192-of-406) and has made 50 of 122 3-pointers. She also stands fourth on the team with 44 steals.

Gannon Finishes Regular Season Third in D2CSC Poll, Fourth in WBCA
After sitting as high as second in the Division II national rankings for three weeks the Gannon women's basketball team slipped back slightly following a one-point loss at Indiana (Pa.). The Golden Knights fell three spots in both the WBCA Top 25 and D2CSC Media Poll at the time, but since then they have been inching back up the polls. Gannon moved up two spots to third two weeks ago in the D2CSC Media Poll and remained third in the D2CSC and fourth this week in the WBCA Top 25. The second-place ranking had been 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.

34 Wins Second All-Time 
Gannon's 34-2 record exceeds last year's 29-win total. The 34 wins rank second in victories by a women's basketball team. The 2009-10 squad holds the school record for victories finishing at 37-1. The 2012-13 team also topped 30 wins, finishing at 31-5. One thing in common with the top four win totals in Gannon history. All came with Cleve Wright at the helm.

Most Victories in a Season
1. 2009-10 -- 37-1*
2. 2023-24 -- 32-2*
3. 2012-13 -- 31-5*
4. 2022-23 -- 29-5*
5. 2013-14 -- 28-4
* coached by Cleve Wright 

Pirosko Holds Top Two Season Scoring Totals  
Sam Pirosko has boosted her season total to 708 points. That gives the 5-foot-10 redshirt senior the top two scoring seasons all-time. A year ago she set the school record with 693 points, which she broke this season. She is one of three players to hold multiple seasons in the top ten and the only player with two 600-point seasons. All-time leading scorer Rona Nesbit has three of the top seven scoring figures while Kristin Roseberry and Christina Jackson have two each. 

2K for Sam
On February 7 Sam Pirosko made the first of two free throws against Edinboro for her 2,000th career point. The redshirt senior joined Rona Nesbit (2,340 points) and Kristin Roseberry (2,147) as the third Gannon women's basketball player to reach the milestone. She has continued her hot streak since then and has boosted her career total to 2,249 points while moving into second place in career scoring. In addition, she has climbed into sixth in career rebounds with 896. Pirosko ranks among the Gannon career leaders in many other statistical categories, including holding the record for career free throws made (537) while ranking third in career free throws attempted (633). She has also now played in a school-record 141 career games.

Streaks Nothing New for Wright's Teams 
Gannon is currently on a ten-game winning streak following Sunday's 91-72 win over Lock Haven in the Atlantic Region semifinal game. Earlier in the season the Golden Knights ran off 21 straight victories before suffering a 53-52 loss at Indiana (Pa.). Gannon's two losses have come by a total of five points. The 21-game winning streak was 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. Wright's Gannon teams have now had nine winning streaks of ten games or more.

Scouting Fayetteville State
Fayetteville State enters the Atlantic Regional final with a 29-2 record after claiming the CIAA Championship. With wins over Indiana (Pa.) and Fairmont State the No. 3 seed Broncos have won 15 straight games. Fayetteville State has set a program record for wins under an interim head coach as FSU alum Tyreece Brown was appointed interim head coach at the conclusion of the 2022-23 season. The former men's basketball player for the Broncos was named the CIAA Coach of the Year. He has enjoyed great success thanks to two of the top players in the CIAA. Aniylah Bryant was named the CIAA Player of the Year and comes in averaging 17.,7 ppg. and 3.9 rpg. A 5-foot-7 senior, Bryant leads Division II in steals with 130. She is also the Bronco's top 3-point threat with 60 on 206 attempts and is second on the team with 79 assists. The former transfer from Louisburg College reached 1,000 career points in her third season at Fayetteville State. Morgan Graham was named the CIAA Defensive Player of the Year, with both players earning first team All-CIAA honors. The 6-foot-0 junior leads the CIAA and ranks third in Division II in blocks with a total of 87. She averages 6.9 ppg. and 7.0 rpg. Talia Trotter, a 5-foot-5 sophomore, is the other Bronco scoring in double figures at 10.8 ppg. and has a team-high 90 assists.  Fayetteville State averages 68.0 ppg. but allows just 58.5 ppg. to lead the CIAA. 


 
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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
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
Samantha Pirosko

#44 Samantha Pirosko

5' 10"
Redshirt Senior
P
Kate Ratliff

#23 Kate Ratliff

6' 0"
Freshman
G