EDINBORO, Pa. – In a heated PSAC West rivalry matchup, No. 5 Gannon Women's Basketball held on to secure its first PSAC West win of the season, outlasting Edinboro, 63–56, in overtime Wednesday night.

The Fighting Scots staged a late comeback, but it was not enough as the Golden Knights escaped with the victory.

With the win, Gannon improved to 15–1 overall and 7–0 in PSAC play, while Edinboro dropped to 9–7 overall and 6–1 in conference action.

THE KNIGHT CAP

• Fast Start Sets the Tone: Mia Slater (Canberra, Australia/Canberra Grammar School) scored Gannon's first nine points and finished with 12 in the opening quarter as the Golden Knights jumped out to a 20–9 lead.
• Defensive Identity: Entering the contest ranked first in Division II in scoring defense, Gannon held Edinboro to just 1-for-16 shooting in the second quarter.
• Slater Leads the Way: Slater finished with a game-high 20 points, just three shy of her career high set earlier this season against Millersville.
• Second-Half Push: Edinboro outscored Gannon 29–13 in the second half, including a 15–5 advantage in the third quarter to cut the deficit to six entering the final frame.
• Drought Tested: The Fighting Scots opened the fourth quarter with a three-pointer as Gannon went through a nine-minute scoring drought before Olivia Cernuto's (Scottdale, Pa./Southmoreland) jumper made it 39–36.
• Late Drama: Edinboro erased a 19-point deficit and tied the game with 19.5 seconds remaining, forcing overtime.
• Overtime Response: Gannon controlled the extra session, outscoring Edinboro 18–11 in overtime.
• Balanced Scoring: Jordan Popyk (Novi, Mich./Novi) added 13 points, Olivia Cernuto (Scottdale, Pa./Southmoreland) scored 12, and Kate Ratliff (Canal Winchester, Ohio/Canal Winchester) chipped in 10, going a perfect 10-for-10 from the free-throw line.
• All-Around Effort: Maddy Wheatley (Canberra, Australia/UCSSC Lake Ginninderra) contributed five rebounds and five assists for Gannon.
• By the Numbers: The Golden Knights finished the game shooting 37.5 percent from the field and 24-of-28 from the free-throw line, including 12 makes in overtime.
• Conference Picture: Following Wednesday's results, Gannon remains one of three unbeaten teams in the PSAC West, joined by Seton Hill and IUP, all sitting at 7–0.
• Opposition Leaders: Hope Garrity and Rachael Manfredo paced the Fighting Scots with 15 points apiece.

Up Next
Gannon concludes its road swing on Saturday, January 10, with a 1:00 p.m. tip-off at California (Pa.) inside the Convocation Center.

This story was written using the support of AI.