Edinboro Fighting Scots (10-6, 5-5 PSAC West) at Clarion Golden Eagles (6-10, 6-4 PSAC West)DATE: Saturday, January 9, 2016
TIME: 1:00 p.m.
LOCATION: Tippin Gymnasium
CITY: Clarion, Pa.
LIVE STATS:
http://www.sidearmstats.com/clarion/wbball/RADIO: http://streamdb4web.securenetsystems.net/v5/WFSEGAME STORYThe Edinboro University women's basketball team will travel to Clarion on Saturday for a PSAC West affair with the Golden Eagles. The game with Clarion marks the start of 12-straight PSAC West matchups for the Fighting Scots to conclude the regular season.
Edinboro comes into the game with a 10-6 overall record and a 4-5 mark in PSAC play. The Fighting Scots got back on the winning track this past week after dropping three games in a row, defeating Bloomsburg 84-58 in McComb Fieldhouse. The Golden Eagles enter the contest at 6-10 overall and 6-4 in the PSAC West. Clarion sits one spot ahead of the Fighting Scots in the West standings. The Golden Eagles have won three of their last five, most recently a 71-66 home win over Kutztown.
The Edinboro offense found it's groove this past Wednesday after struggling from the floor in the previous three outings. After shooting just 29.7 percent over the three-game losing streak, the Fighting Scots shot 52.7 percent (29-of-55) from the field, the second highest percentage all year. Edinboro also shot 47.4 percent (9-of-19) from beyond the arc, led by Hippo's 6-of-13 shooting from three, tying a career-high in 3-pt. field goals and establishing a new career-high in 3-pt. field goal attempts.
The Fighting Scots average 70.1 ppg., good for eighth in the PSAC, while allowing 64.8 ppg., which ranks seventh. Edinboro ranks among the leaders in Division II in several categories. The Fighting Scots are second in total assists (272), sixth in total rebounds (665), and fifth in total blocks (75). Those figures all lead the PSAC.
First-year Fighting Scot
Katie Fischer continues her impressive start at Edinboro. The transfer from Mercyhurst leads the team and ranks fifth in the PSAC in scoring with 16.3 ppg. Fischer also leads the PSAC with 6.4 assists per game and is second in the nation with 103 assists. Fischer dished out a career-high 14 assists in the win over Bloomsburg, falling two short of the single game record held by assistant coach
Callie Wheeler. She also ranks sixth in the PSAC with 36 3-pointers made and is sixth in 3-point field goal percentage (38.3 pct.).
Senior
Aignee' Freeland ranks 14
th on Edinboro's all-time scoring list with 1,319 points. She also recently entered the top three in career rebounds, and is currently third all-time with 834 boards. Heather Gates (1,301) and Montique Wade (1,113) rank first and second, respectively. Freeland is also sixth all-time in career blocks with 109. Freeland set a new career-high with seven blocks in the win over Bloomsburg. She ranks 12
th in the PSAC in scoring (15.3 ppg.) and 12
th in rebounding. (8.1 rpg.)
After beginning her career scorching hot, freshman
Michelle Jahn has cooled off as of late. The guard is shooting just 31.5 percent from the field over the last five games. Despite the rough stretch, Jahn still ranks among the PSAC's best 3-point shooters. Jahn is third in 3-point field goal percentage (43.4 pct.) and fourth in 3-pointers made (36), despite only taking 83 3-pointers.
Senior
Lauren Hippo ranks among the all-time 3-point shooters in Edinboro history. She is ranked first all-time in 3-point percentage, shooting 40.6 percent. Although she struggled to find her shot to begin the season, Hippo is starting to build momentum as of late. She has scored in double figures each of the past three games and tied a career-high with 6 3-pointers this past week. Hippo ranks sixth in career 3-pointers made (155) and eighth in career 3-pointers attempted (382). She has played a solid floor game for the Fighting Scots, with 44 assists and just 19 turnovers. Hippo has been an ironman this season, leading the nation in minutes played (580). Hippo is just 67 points away from joining the 1,000-point club.
ON THE RADIOThe game will be broadcast on WFSE 88.9. Mike Fenner will handle the play-by-play duties with Josh Kaufer on color commentary.
ALL-TIME SERIESEdinboro leads 49-29.The Fighting Scots have won 10 of the last 11 meetings.
Last Meeting:
2014-15 – Edinboro 81, at Clarion 51Laurel Lindsay matched a career-high with 23 points as the Fighting Scots handled the Golden Eagles on the road, 81-51. Lindsay also flirted with her second career triple-double as she dished out 10 assists and grabbed eight rebounds. After Clarion opened the scoring to take a quick 2-0 lead, Edinboro responded with a 22-3 run beginning with a
Lauren Hippo 3-pointer less than a minute into the game. The Fighting Scots had a commanding 22-5 lead with 9:28 remaining in the first half and never led by less than double digits the rest of the way. The lead grew to as many as 35 points in the second half off an
Anastasia Riabchenko jumper with 2:00 left to play. Three other Fighting Scots scored in double figures to compliment Lindsay's 23 points.
Valerie Majewski had 15 points, while Hippo and
Aignee' Freeland had 13 and 10, respectively. Two Golden Eagles posted a double-double in the losing effort, led by Delrika Jones-Carey's 18 points and 11 rebounds. Jen Straw recorded 10 points and a team-high 13 boards.
LAST TIME OUTJanuary 6, 2016 – at Edinboro 84, Bloomsburg 58The Fighting Scots offense found their rhythm to the tune of 84 points as they snapped a three game losing skid, defeating visiting Bloomsburg 84-58 on Wednesday night. After shooting just 29.7 percent from the field over the past three games, Edinboro shot 52-7 percent (29-of-55) in the victory, the second highest percentage all year. The Fighting Scots also shot 47.4 percent (9-of-19) from beyond the arc, led by
Lauren Hippo's six 3-pointers, matching a career-high. Edinboro took control of the game early, building a double-digit lead less than seven minutes to the game. A Hippo 3-pointer with 6:06 remaining in the opening period sparked a 12-0 run that led to a 20-6 Edinboro lead. Hippo's third 3-pointer of the quarter gave the Fighting Scots a 23-9 advantage before the Huskies added a pair of free throws and a buzzer beater by Morgan Klunk to cut the lead to just 10. That was as close as the Huskies would cut it, however, as the Fighting Scots held a double-digit lead the rest of the way. Hippo finished with 21 points, tying a season-high.
Katie Fischer posted her third double-double of the season, totaling 18 points and a career-high 14 assists, falling two short of the single game record held by assistant coach
Callie Wheeler. The Edinboro defense limited the PSAC's second leading scorer to just 13 points. Hopkins, the conference's fourth leading rebounder was also held to a season low three rebounds.
January 6, 2016 – at Clarion 71, Kutztown 66Led by Delrika Jones-Carey's 19 points and 18 rebounds, the Golden Eagles scored a 71-66 victory over visiting Kutztown. Jones-Carey's 18 boards tied a career-high. Three other Golden Eagles scored in double figures including Tyra Polite's 19 points. Tania Holmes totaled 15 points, including the go-ahead bucket with 48 seconds remaining in the game, while Jordan Bekelja added 10 points. Clarion took a 40-29 lead into the locker room at halftime, but Kutztown rallied with a 23 point third quarter to cut it to just 54-52 entering the final period of -play. Tied 60-60 with 5:56 remaining, the Golden Eagles scored six unanswered points, but Kutztown responded with a 6-0 run of their own to tie it with just over a minute to play. A Holmes layup put Clarion ahead for good with 48 seconds remaining as the Golden Eagles closed out the game on a 5-0 run.
The Head Coaches Edinboro: Stan Swank (Purdue '76, 523-289, 29th year)Swank is in his 29
th season as the head coach at Edinboro and ranks as the all-time winningest coach in PSAC history and is also the longest tenured. He owns a career record of 523-289 at Edinboro, and over the previous five seasons Edinboro had a 125-27 record. The Fighting Scots seek their seventh straight PSAC Tournament appearance and have won three PSAC championships during that five-year span, the last coming in 2014. Swank entered the 2015-16 season tied for 12
th among active Division II coaches in victories. That figure is tied for 24
th all-time in overall victories. He ranks 35
th in career winning percentage (.645). Edinboro finished with a 20-8 record a year ago, the fifth straight season with 20-or-more wins and the 11
th in Swank's career. He guided the Fighting Scots to a 16-6 record in the PSAC West, good for fourth place. Edinboro defeated Seton Hill, 68-53, in the first round of the PSAC Tournament before suffering a 71-63 loss to Indiana(Pa.) in the quarterfinals. The Fighting Scots qualified for the PSAC Tournament for the sixth straight year and 11th time in the last 12 years.
Clarion: Jana Ashley (Radford '05, 8-35, 2nd year)Ashley is in her second season at the helm in Clarion. Ashley was tasked with guiding the Golden Eagles through a rebuilding campaign, taking control of the program prior to the 2014-15 season, which saw just 2 wins. Clarion has already tripled their win total this season as Ashley continues to revitalize the Golden Eagles program. Prior to joining the Clarion staff, Ashley was an accomplished NICAA Division I assistant coach. In her 11 years as an assistant, she was part of three 20-win seasons and two NIT postseason appearances.
SCOUTING THE FIGHTING SCOTS PROBABLE STARTERS TOP RESERVESPLAYERS TO WATCHAignee' Freeland (F, 6'3", Sr.) – a two-time All-PSAC West selection, Freeland joined the 1,000-point club as a junior, and ranks 14
th in career scoring with 1,319 points and third in career rebounds with 834. Freeland leads Edinboro in rebounding and is second in scoring, averaging 15.3 ppg. and 8.1 rpg. She ranks 12
th in the PSAC in scoring and 12
th in rebounding. Freeland established a new career-high this past Wednesday, swatting away seven shots. In addition, she totaled 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
Lauren Hippo (G, 5'10", Sr.) – the 5'10" senior is one of the top 3-point threats in the PSAC and school history, ranking first in career 3-point field goal percentage (40.6), sixth in career 3-pointers made (155), along with eighth in career 3-pointers attempted (382). Hippo has played a solid floor game, managing 44 assists and just 19 turnovers. Hippo is fourth on the team in scoring at 11.9 ppg. while making 32-of-107 3-pointers. She also ranks third on the team with 4.7 rpg. and her 2.93 assists per game rank second on the squad. Hippo tied a career-high in 3-pt. field goals made with six in the win over Bloomsburg. In addition, she tied a season-high with 21 points. Hippo has now scored in double figures in three straight games after doing so just once in the previous six outings. Hippo leads Division II with 580 minutes played.
Katie Fischer (G, 5'7", Jr.) – the transfer from Mercyhurst is in her first season at Edinboro and is off to an impressive start as a Fighting Scot, averaging 16.3 ppg. That figure is good for fifth in the PSAC. In addition, Fischer leads the PSAC with 6.4 assists per game and ranks second in the nation with 103 total assists. In the win over Bloomsburg, Fischer dished out a career-high 14 assists, falling two short of the single game record held by assistant coach
Callie Wheeler. She ranks sixth in the PSAC in 3-point percentage at 38.3 percent. Fischer also ranks fifth in the PSAC with 36 3-pointers made.
Michelle Jahn (G, 5'8", Fr.) – the three-time PSAC West Freshman of the Week is one of the most dangerous 3-point threats in the conference. The General McLane High School product ranks third in the PSAC in 3-point percentage (43.4 pct.) and fourth in 3-pointers made (36). She is third on the team in scoring, averaging 11.9 ppg.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLESSelected to finish in last place in the PSAC West Preseason Poll, the Golden Eagles are off to a surprising start in the 2015-16 season. Clarion has already tripled their win total from the previous season and sits in fourth place in the PSAC West. The Golden Eagles average 64.8 ppg. while giving up 70.8 ppg., the former figure ranks 11
th while the latter is 17
th.
The Golden Eagles have experience on their side as they returned four starters to the squad this season, including the team's leading scorer Tania Holmes. Holmes ranks 11
th in the PSAC averaging 15.6 ppg.
Delrika Jones-Carey also returns this season. The Golden Eagles leading rebounder last season, Jones-Carey leads the team again this year, averaging 8.8 rpg. She ranks third in the PSAC with 141 total rebounds.
The Golden Eagles boast a pair of the most proficient pickpockets in the conference. Holmes ranks fifth in the PSAC with 28 steals, while freshman Jordan Bekelja ranks seventh with 26.
PROBABLE STARTERS | | | | | | PPG | RPG |
| F | 22 | Delrika Jones-Carey | 5-10 | Jr. | North Versailles, Pa. | 12.3 | 8.8 |
| G | 1 | Tania Holmes | 6-1 | Sr. | Dorchester, Mass. | 15.6 | 7.1 |
| G | 5 | Amesha Harden-Pullium | 5-3 | So. | Erie, Pa. | 3.8 | 1.9 |
| G | 11 | Jordan Bekelja | 5-6 | Fr. | Solon, Ohio | 9.5 | 2.9 |
| G | 24 | Tyra Polite | 5-8 | Jr. | Philadelphia, Pa. | 13.3 | 5.0 |
NEXT FOR THE FIGHTING SCOTS: Saturday, January 16, 2016 vs. Pitt-Johnstown
