ERIE, Pa. – The No. 5 Gannon women's basketball team secured its place in the PSAC Semifinals with a 66–56 victory over Bloomsburg Wednesday evening in a PSAC Quarterfinal contest at the Highmark Events Center.
With all four PSAC West teams defeating their Eastern Division opponents in the quarterfinal round, the No. 1 West seed Golden Knights will host the 2026 PSAC Women's Basketball Championship weekend at the Highmark Events Center on March 7-8.
Earlier in the day, the Golden Knights also moved into the No. 1 spot in the NCAA Atlantic Region rankings, jumping IUP in the latest regional rankings released Wednesday, while also rising to No. 5 in the latest WBCA Division II Top 25 poll.
The Golden Knights led 22-20 at halftime before Bloomsburg tied the game at 41-41 entering the fourth quarter. Gannon pulled away in the final period, outscoring the Huskies 25-15 to secure the win.
Bri Claxon (South Webster, Ohio/South Webster) led Gannon with 17 points while knocking down three three-pointers and adding four assists.
Maddy Wheatley (Canberra, Australia/UCSSC Lake Ginninderra) and
Jordan Popyk (Novi, Mich./Novi) each added 10 points, with Wheatley also pulling down a team-high nine rebounds.
Olivia Pepple (Irwin, Pa./Penn-Trafford) provided a spark off the bench with 10 points while going 8-for-9 from the free-throw line.
Kate Ratliff (Canal Winchester, Ohio/Canal Winchester) added eight points, six rebounds, four assists and three blocks for the Golden Knights.
THE GAME FACTS
Score: No. 5 Gannon 66, Bloomsburg 56
Records: Gannon 27-3, Bloomsburg 16-14
Location: Highmark Events Center – Erie, Pa.
Date: March 4, 2026
THE KNIGHT CAP
- Claxon Leads the Way: Bri Claxon (South Webster, Ohio/South Webster) paced Gannon with 17 points while adding four assists and four rebounds
- Strong Inside Presence: Maddy Wheatley (Canberra, Australia/UCSSC Lake Ginninderra) recorded 10 points and a team-high nine rebounds
- Balanced Scoring: Jordan Popyk (Novi, Mich./Novi) added 10 points and seven rebounds for the Golden Knights
- Bench Spark: Olivia Pepple (Irwin, Pa./Penn-Trafford) finished with 10 points and went 8-for-9 at the free-throw line
- Defensive Effort: Kate Ratliff (Canal Winchester, Ohio/Canal Winchester) contributed eight points, six rebounds, four assists and three blocks
- Fourth Quarter Push: Gannon outscored Bloomsburg 25–15 in the final quarter to secure the win
- Program Milestone: Redshirt senior Maddy Wheatley (Canberra, Australia/UCSSC Lake Ginninderra) set the program record for career games played, appearing in her 143rd contest as a Golden Knight. The Canberra, Australia native reached the milestone in Wednesday's PSAC Quarterfinal win
- All-West Field: With all Eastern Division teams eliminated in the quarterfinal round, the remainder of the PSAC Tournament will feature an all-Western Division field on both the men's and women's sides
Up Next
Gannon will face No. 3 West seed Seton Hill in the PSAC Semifinals on Saturday, March 7 at 2:30 p.m. at the Highmark Events Center. The other semifinal will feature No. 2 West seed IUP against No. 4 West seed Edinboro at 12:00 p.m.
The winners will meet in the PSAC Championship game on Sunday, March 8, with the champion earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Tournament.
This story was written using the support of AI.
