STORYLINEThe Edinboro women's basketball team hosts Gannon in a battle for first place in the PSAC West Saturday afternoon. Each team is undefeated in divisional play, the Fighting Scots at 5-0 and the Lady Knights at 6-0. Gannon is 17-0 this season and has won 20 of its last 21 games, the only loss being to eventual national champion Ashland in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. At least one of these teams has been ranked in the top ten in each of the last four meetings. Edinboro is 11-3 this year and is on a six-game winning streak. These two teams have split the last four PSAC West regular season titles, including Edinboro winning two PSAC Tournament titles and Gannon one. Gannon was picked to win the PSAC Western Division before the season, while Edinboro was voted to finish second.
DATE: Saturday, January 18, 2014
TIP-OFF: 1:00 p.m.
SITE: McComb Fieldhouse (3,000)
RADIO: WFSE 88.9 FM
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/edinboro/wbball
Edinboro Game Notes Edinboro Season Stats,
Gannon Season StatsProbable Starters| Edinboro (11-3 Overall, 5-0 PSAC West) | Gannon (17-0 Overall, 6-0 PSAC West) |
| #30 Valerie Majewski (G, 5-7, Jr.) | #3 Kelly Sundberg (G, 5-7, Sr.) |
| #3 Darche' Jackson (G, 5-8, Sr.) | #15 Mollie Sebald (G, 5-10, Jr.) |
| #11 Laurel Lindsay (G/F, 5-11, Jr.) | #20 Brittany Batts (G, 5-8, Jr.) |
| #20 Morgyn Patterson (F, 6-0, Sr.) | #11 Jen Papich (F, 6-1, Sr.) |
| #13 Aignee' Freeland (F/C, 6-3, So.) | #44 Nettie Blake (F/C, 6-1, Jr.) |
Head Coaches| Edinboro | Gannon |
| Stan Swank (Purdue 1976) | Jim Brunelli |
| Record at Edinboro: 477-272, 27th year | Record at Gannon: 17-0, 1st year |
| Career Record: Same | Career Record: 99-66 |
Key PlayersEdinboro#30 Valerie Majewski (G, 5-7, Jr.) – Majewski was named PSAC West Women's Basketball Athlete of the Week for the second consecutive week. She had the fourth career triple-double in Fighting Scots history versus Shippensburg with 25 points, 12 assists, and 11 rebounds. The junior guard followed that with a career-high 27 points against Slippery Rock. She has led the Scots in scoring in five of the six games during the winning streak and is averaging 21.0 points per game during the streak.
#3 Darche' Jackson (G, 5-8, Sr.) – Averaging 14.0 points per game over the last three games,
Darche' Jackson is beginning to find her groove. She sat out the first five games of the season and missed a sixth due to injury. In the final meeting versus Gannon last year, the senior guard scored 17 points and added six rebounds and five assists.
Gannon#11 Jen Papich (F, 6-1, Sr.) – Jen Papich was the PSAC Western Division Athlete of the Year last season. Papich is top three for the Lady Knights in multiple categories. She checks in third on the team in scoring (12.6 ppg) and second in rebounding (6.3 rpg). She leads the team and is fourth in the PSAC in blocks per game (1.5 bpg). She has averaged 15 points per game versus the Fighting Scots in her career, including a game-high 26 in the final meeting of last season between the two.
#44 Nettie Blake (F/C, 6-1, Jr.) – Nettie Blake pairs with Papich in the frontcourt to form a formidable presence in the paint. The junior forward/center is the team's leading scorer (14.6 ppg) and rebounder (8.5 rpg). Blake was quiet scoring the last time the Scots and Lady Knights met, finishing with four points, but did add seven rebounds.
SCOUTING GANNONGannon is off to a 17-0 start with only five of the Lady Knights games decided by less than 10 points. Jim Brunelli took over for Cleve Wright who departed for Miami (Ohio) after 11 seasons at Gannon. Brunelli inherits a veteran squad that lost only one player from a team that finished 31-5 last year. Offensively, the undefeated squad is efficient, ranking in the top five of every statistical category in the PSAC. Gannon is second in scoring at 78.9 ppg., which is also good for 29th in the nation. The Lady Knights are shooting 44.5 percent from the floor, third-best in the conference. Additionally, they are second in the conference and 33rd nationally in scoring defense (61.1 ppg) and fourth in the conference in field goal percentage defense (39.3 percent). They also take care of the ball, ranking second in the conference in turnover margin (+4.94) and first in assist/turnover ratio (1.19). The Lady Knights have three players that scoring in double-digits, led by Nettie Blake. The junior frontcourt player is pacing the team with 14.6 ppg. and also leads the team in rebounding at 8.5 rpg. Brittany Batts comes into the game averaging 14.3 ppg. The junior guard ranks first in the conference shooting 51.9 percent on 3-pointers. Batts also leads the conference with 4.0 3-pointers made per game. The reigning PSAC West Division Athlete of the Year is Jen Papich, who is third in scoring for the Lady Knights with 12.6 ppg. The senior forward is also second on the team in rebounding, pulling down 6.3 rpg, and leads team with 1.5 bpg, which is fourth in the conference. Senior guard Kelley Sundberg leads the team and conference with 5.2 apg and an assist/turnover ratio of 2.8.
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE LADY KNIGHTS
Edinboro leads 29-19• Edinboro had won five in a row in the series before the most recent meeting.
Last Meeting - Gannon 71, Edinboro 62 (February 13, 2013)Edinboro saw its five-game winning streak in the series come to an end in the Hammermill Center in the second meeting between the two last year, losing to Gannon 71-62. The Fighting Scots never trailed in the first half, leading by as much as 12 with 3:19 to go in the half. However, the Lady Knights only trailed by five at the break following an 11-4 run to close out the half. The Fighting Scots built their lead to as many as eight in the second half, but Gannon would eventually tie it with 11:24 to play due to an 11-3 run. The Lady Knights pieced together a 9-0 run to go ahead 56-48 with 5:58 left, a lead they would not relinquish. Jen Papich led all players with 26 points. She scored 15 of those in the second half, going 5-for-8 from the field.
Samantha Blazetic led Edinboro in scoring, finishing with 22 points and six rebounds.
Darche' Jackson and
Kiara Brown each added 17 points. Jackson also contributed six rebounds while Brown had seven steals.
LAST TIME OUT
Edinboro 80, Mercyhurst 69The Fighting Scots continued their six-game winning streak with an 80-69 victory against Mercyhurst Wednesday night. Up by two at halftime, Edinboro outscored the Lakers 45-36 in the final twenty minutes.
Laurel Lindsay scored a career-high 20 points, 14 of which came in the second half.
Valerie Majewski added 15 points and
Aignee' Freeland had 14 points, 12 in the second half. The Fighting Scots shot 50.8 percent, the fourth time they have hit over half their shots in a game.
Gannon 78, Indiana (Pa.) 69Gannon continued its impressive home winning streak against Indiana (Pa.), knocking off the Crimson Hawks 78-69. It was the Lady Knights' 23rd consecutive home win, the fourth-longest streak in Division II. After being tied at half, Gannon took a lead less than a minute into the second half and would lead the rest of the way. Three Lady Knights scored in double-figures, led by Nettie Blake's 23 points. Jen Papich scored 19 while Mollie Sebald had 14. Gannon limited the PSAC's leading scorer Lindsay Stamp to seven points.
