GAME DAY CENTRAL
Edinboro Fighting Scots (1-2) at. Millersville (2-0)
DATE: Saturday, November 19, 2016
TIME: 1:00 p.m.
LOCATION: Pucillo Gymnasium
CITY: Millersville, Pa.
LIVE STATS
LIVE STREAM
Edinboro Fighting Scots (1-2) at Shippensburg (2-0)
DATE: Sunday, November 20, 2016
TIME: 1:00 p.m.
LOCATION: Heiges Field House
CITY: Shippensburg, Pa.
LIVE STATS
GAME STORY
The Fighting Scots begin conference play this weekend, traveling east for a pair of PSAC crossover contests. On Saturday, November 19, the Fighting Scots take the court against Millersville at 1 p.m. before returning to the hardwood again on Sunday at 1 p.m., taking on Shippensburg. Edinboro is fresh off their first win of the season, an impressive 90-59 victory over Daemen in their home opener on Wednesday. With that win, the Fighting Scots avoided the first 0-3 start of head coach
Stan Swank's career.
Wednesday's win was highlighted by a monster first-half performance from senior
Katie Fischer. Fischer scored 24 points in the first half and set a new career high, hitting 6-of-8 3-pointers. The 5'7'' guard ended the contest with 29 total points on 11-of-14 shooting, including 7-of-10 from beyond-the-arc. Fischer received plenty of help from her backcourt teammates,
Michaela Barnes,
Michelle Jahn and
Jontay Walton. Barnes, a freshman, finished the night with 14 points and a team-high four assists while Jahn added 12 points on the strength of a 4-for-9 performance from beyond the 3-point arc. Walton came off the bench to finish with 10 points and five rebounds.
The Fighting Scots will open up PSAC play this weekend against a pair of teams they have had the better of as of late. Edinboro has beaten Millersville in each of the past five meetings and they've triumphed over Shippensburg in six straight contests. Both opponents have begun the 2016-17 with undefeated opening weekends.
Millersville seems to be the mirror image of Edinboro in the East. After finishing with identical 14-8 conference records last season, both teams were chosen to finish third in their respective divisions. Like Edinboro, the Marauders also feature a senior player on the preseason all-conference team in Celeste Robinson. Edinboro head coach
Stan Swank will be matched up with one of his closest friends and the coach with the second-most wins in the PSAC, Millersville's Mary Fleig.
Shippensburg was selected as the PSAC East favorite in the preseason coaches' poll after one of the best seasons in recent history last year at 21-7 overall. The Raiders will have the opportunity to prove the coaches' right when they open PSAC play this weekend. They host a pair of top-five preseason selections in the West, beginning with Slippery Rock on Saturday afternoon before the Sunday showdown with the Fighting Scots. The Rock were picked to finish fifth in the West while Edinboro was slated third.
For the first time in four years, Edinboro takes the hardwood without
Aignee' Freeland or
Lauren Hippo. The departed seniors are both members of the 1,000-point club and were staples of Fighting Scots' squads that made the PSAC Tournament each of the past four years. Edinboro will rely on a pair of all-conference honorees a year ago.
Katie Fischer was a second team All-PSAC West selection, while
Michelle Jahn was named the PSAC West Freshman of the Year. The Fighting Scots were picked to finish third in the West in the preseason coaches' poll
The 2016-17 roster features a trio of Division I transfers in 6'2" forward/center
Ciara Rosten (Massachusetts), junior guard
JaVannah Jackson (Bethune Cookman), and redshirt sophomore guard
Jontay Walton (UMass Lowell).
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. MILLERSVILLE
Edinboro leads 10-9
Edinboro has won five straight
Last Meeting: December 17, 2014 – Edinboro 65, Millersville 58 (
BOX SCORE /
FULL RECAP)
Edinboro head coach
Stan Swank has very fond memories of the last time his squad took the hardwood against Millersville. Swank notched his 500
th career victory as his Fighting Scots defeated Millersville, 65-58, in a PSAC contest at McComb Fieldhouse. The win came against one of his closest friends in the profession and the coach with the second-most wins in the PSAC, Millersville's Mary Fleig. Laurel Lindsay nearly stole the spotlight from Swank as she recorded just the fifth triple-double in Edinboro history, finishing the night with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. After leading 29-25 at the half, Edinboro opened up the second half with a 12-3 run to go up 41-28 with 14:32 remaining. Edinboro's lead would grow to 16 points at 56-40 with 7:33 to play when
Lauren Hippo hit her third three of the half.
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. SHIPPENSBURG
Shippensburg leads 28-26
Edinboro has won six straight
Last Meeting: December 20, 2014 – Edinboro 69, Shippensburg 62 (
BOX SCORE /
FULL RECAP)
Lauren Hippo scored a game-high 21 points as the Fighting Scots held off a second half comeback by the Raiders to close out the game with a win. Trailing by four points at 62-58 with just 1:55 left to play, Shippensburg's Morgan Griffith cut the Edinboro lead to 64-62 with just over a minute left to play. Edinboro would clamp down the rest of the way, holding the Raiders scoreless and ending the game on a 5-0 run. Hippo finished shooting 6-for-13 from the floor, including 4-for-7 on 3-pointers. Valerie Majewski added 14 points and six rebounds while
Aignee' Freeland and Laurel Lindsay each contributed ten points. Griffith finished with a double-double to lead the Raiders, totaling 19 points and 14 rebounds.
The Head Coaches
Edinboro: Stan Swank (Purdue '76, 534-294, 30th year)
Like a fine wine,
Stan Swank is getting better with age. As he enters his 30th season as Edinboro's women's basketball head coach, he has guided the Fighting Scots to six of the best seasons in school history the last six years. All told, Edinboro is an incredible 145-37 the last six seasons. Of course, winning is nothing new to Swank, as the winningest coach in Fighting Scot women's basketball history has had 23 winning seasons during his 29-year tenure while compiling a 534-294 overall mark. Add in four seasons as the head coach at Parkland Junior College, and Swank has 638 career collegiate victories. All told, he has had four PSAC championship teams and ten teams selected for the NCAA Division II Tournament.
Edinboro women's basketball has enjoyed 14 20-win seasons, with Swank directing the Fighting Scots to 12 of those. All told, ten of his Fighting Scot editions have reached the NCAA Division II playoffs, with Edinboro qualifying for the PSAC postseason tournament 21 times. On ten of those occasions, the Fighting Scots have advanced to the championship game, winning the PSAC title in 1989-90, 2010-11, 2011-12, and 2013-14. In the NCAA Division II Tournament, Swank has guided Edinboro to the Final 32 four times, the Sweet 16 three times, and the Elite Eight twice. Swank enters the 2016-17 campaign tied for 11th among active Division II coaches in wins with 533. That figure is tied for 22nd all-time in overall victories. He ranks 37th in active career winning percentage (.646). Swank is the longest-tenured coach in the PSAC and is also the all-time leader in wins among PSAC coaches. Swank picked up career win number 500 on December 17, 2014, handing Millersville a 65-58 defeat.
Millersville: Mary Fleig (Lock Haven '79, 477-251, 27th year, 599-311, 34th year overall)
Head coach Mary Fleig has built up quite the resume in her 27 years at the helm of the Marauders. She has guided Millersville to 18 consecutive PSAC Tournament berths, 22 overall, and has won at least 16 games in 18 of her 26 seasons. Fleig has been named the PSAC East Coach of the Year six times, more than any other coach in conference history. Under Fleig's watch, the Marauders have earned NCAA Division II Tournament berths in nine of the last 18 seasons including four straight years from 2007 to 2011. Fleig entered the 2016-17 season with 597 victories in her career, ranking 31st among all active women's basketball coaches regardless of division. She is the current owner of the seventh-most wins amongst active coaches in Division II and the 14th-most all-time. Her career winning percentage places her 28th among active Division II coaches.
Shippensburg: Kristy Trn (Shippensburg '94, 300-185, 18th year, 300-185, 18th year overall)
Head coach Kristy Trn is now in her 18
th season at the helm of her alma mater. She is the winningest coach in Raiders' history and ranks among the Top 40 active Division II coaches for career coaching victories. Shippensburg has recorded winning seasons in all but six seasons under Trn. Under Trn, Shippensburg has appeared PSAC Tournament 12 times, winning two championships (2000 & 01). She was named PSAC Western Division Coach of the Year in 2001 and 2002 and the PSAC Eastern Division Coach of the Year in 2013. As a player, Trn ranks fifth in school history with 1,765 career-points as well as ranking eighth in rebounds (656) and assists (348) and tenth in steals (180).
SCOUTING THE FIGHTING SCOTS
ROSTER /
SCHEDULE /
STATS
PROBABLE STARTERS
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Katie Fischer (G, 5'7", Sr.) – is in her second season at Edinboro after transferring from Mercyhurst. She was a second team All-PSAC selection last year after starting all 30 games, finishing second on the team in scoring at 16.0 ppg. and leading the PSAC in assists with 188, good for sixth in Division II and tied for the sixth-most in a season at Edinboro. She also made 51-of-156 3-pointers. Fischer recorded five double-digit assist games last season and posted six double-doubles. The senior is coming off one of her most impressive performances as a Fighting Scot. In Wednesday's win over Daemen, Fischer finished the night with 29 points, 24 of which came in the first half. She was 11-of-14 from the floor, including a career-high 7-of-10 3-pointers in just 27 minutes.
Michelle Jahn (G, 5'8", So.) – the reigning PSAC Freshman of the Year emerged as a standout early last season. The 5'8" guard from nearby General McLane High School went on to average 12.6 ppg. while making 71 of 174 3-pointers. She ranked second in the PSAC in 3-point percentage (.408) and third in 3-pointers made. Her 71 3-pointers tied Hippo for the fifth-most in a season while her .408 3-point percentage tied Hope Mancini for the seventh-highest percentage in a season. Jahn recorded a 3-pointer in all but six contests last season. The sophomore found her shooting stroke in Wednesday night's win against Daemen, hitting on 4-of-9 3-pointers for 12 points.
Ciara Rosten (F, 6'2", Jr.) – is in her first season as a Fighting Scot after transferring from Division I UMass. Rosten finished as the team's leading scorer in both games in the opening weekend, totaling 11 points in her Edinboro debut against Wheeling Jesuit and 15 points in Sunday's contest against Glenville State. She had a complete game against the Lady Pioneers, finishing with eight boards, three steals, two blocks, and two assists to go along with her team-high 15 points. In her freshman year at UMass, the 6'2'' forward played in 28 games, averaging 2.5 ppg. and 2.9 rpg. in 12 mpg.
SCOUTING THE MARAUDERS
ROSTER / SCHEDULE / STATS
After finishing with the most wins since 2012-13 a year ago, the Marauders were slated to finish third in the PSAC East. Millersville finished with a 19-9 overall ledger last season and earned a berth in the PSAC Tournament before falling in the quarterfinals. Under head coach Mary Fleig's leadership, the Marauders rebounded from a 1-4 conference start last season to finish 14-8 in PSAC competition.
Millersville returns eight players from last season's squad, led by All-PSAC East selection Celeste Robinson. Robinson averaged 13.9 ppg. and 6.7 rpg. as a redshirt-junior. The 5'8'' guard ranked fifth in the PSAC last season, averaging 2.0 steals per game.
The Marauders were ranked tenth in the latest D2SIDA Atlantic Region poll after being unranked in the initial rankings. Millersville opened the season with a pair double-digit victories in the CIAA – PSAC Challenge this past weekend. The Marauders opened the 2016-17 campaign with a 76-55 victory over host Lincoln on Friday night before notching a 75-62 win against Virginia State on Saturday afternoon.
PROBABLE STARTERS
|
|
|
|
|
|
PPG |
RPG |
| F |
14 |
Courtney Hinnant |
5-10 |
Sr. |
Schwenksville, Pa. |
8.0 |
5.0 |
| F |
15 |
Aunjel Van Brakle |
5-11 |
R-Sr. |
Shippensburg, Pa. |
10.0 |
8.5 |
| G |
4 |
Janelle Robinson |
5-4 |
R-So. |
Allentown, Pa. |
7.0 |
3.5 |
| G |
5 |
Alayah Hall |
5-5 |
Jr. |
Dover, Pa. |
16.5 |
5.5 |
| G |
25 |
Celeste Robinson |
5-8 |
R-Sr. |
Jim Thorpe, Pa. |
21.0 |
6.0 |
SCOUTING THE RAIDERS
ROSTER / SCHEDULE / STATS
A year has passed, but not much has changed for the Raiders. Shippensburg was voted as the top team in the PSAC East in the preseason coaches' poll after finishing with a 21-7 overall record and advancing to the PSAC semifinals a season ago. The Raiders return every starter from last year's squad that won the most games since 2000-01. The Shippensburg starting five has no shortage of experience as all five players are in their senior year. The Raiders were ranked fourth in the latest D2SIDA Atlantic Region poll.
Morgan Griffith, the 2016 PSAC East Athlete of the Year and a first team All-PSAC East selection leads the group of returners. The 6'0'' forward led the Raiders averaging 16.9 ppg. and 11.3 rpg. last season, the latter figure ranked third in the PSAC. Griffith was tabbed as a PSAC East Preseason All-Conference selection.
Returning beside Griffith is another PSAC East Preseason All-Conference member, Logan Snyder. The 5'6'' guard was also a second team All-PSAC East selection last season after averaging 12.3 ppg. Snyder shot 53.7 pct. (122-of-227) from the field and was sixth in the PSAC with 82.7 pct. (91-of-110) free throw percentage.
Senior guard Lauren Gold is the newest member of the Raiders' 1000-point club after scoring her 1000
th career-point in Shippensburg's win over Bowie State last weekend. She is just the 21
st player in school history to eclipse the milestone.
PROBABLE STARTERS
|
|
|
|
|
|
PPG |
RPG |
| F |
22 |
Stephanie Knauer |
6-0 |
Sr. |
Hatfield, Pa. |
12.5 |
4.0 |
| F |
34 |
Morgan Griffith |
6-0 |
Sr. |
Hollidaysburg, Pa. |
9.5 |
8.0 |
| G |
13 |
Colleen Young |
5-8 |
Sr. |
Huntingdon Valley, Pa. |
9.0 |
4.0 |
| G |
14 |
Logan Snyder |
5-6 |
Sr.. |
Lewistown, Pa. |
8.0 |
6.5 |
| G |
24 |
Lauren Gold |
5-5 |
Sr. |
Elkins Park, Pa. |
17.0 |
2.5 |
NEXT FOR THE FIGHTING SCOTS: Monday, November 28 vs. West Liberty
