GAME DAY CENTRAL
Edinboro (7-2) at Salem International (1-10)
When: Saturday, December 17, 2016
Where: Salem, WV – T. Edward Davis Gymnasium
Tip-off: 2 p.m.
Live Stats: CLICK HERE
Live Audio: CLICK HERE
Live Video: CLICK HERE
Salem International plays at Davis & Elkins on December 16
Edinboro (7-2) vs. Fairmont State (4-4)
When: Monday, December 19, 2016
Where: Edinboro, Pa. – McComb Fieldhouse
Tip-off: 2 p.m.
Live Stats: CLICK HERE
Live Audio: CLICK HERE
Fairmont State hosts Ohio Valley on December 17
ADDITIONAL LINKS
Edinboro: Roster | Schedule | Stats |
Salem International: Roster | Schedule | Stats |
Fairmont State: Roster | Schedule | Stats|
GAME STORYLINES
- Edinboro is set to tip off against a pair of non-conference opponents before breaking for Christmas. The Fighting Scots head to Salem International on Saturday, December 17, for just the third-ever meeting between the two teams. On Monday, December 19, the Fighting Scots return home looking to give their home fans an early Christmas present when they host Fairmont State.
- Saturday's matchup with Salem International pits a tough defense against an offense that is struggling to produce points on a consistent basis. The Fighting Scots allow just 57.8 ppg., while the Tigers average 50.9 ppg. Salem International is a member of the Bluegrass Mountain Conference.
- On the flipside, Monday's contest has the potential to showcase some big offense. Edinboro enters the weekend averaging 73.4 ppg. while Fairmont State averages 73.1 ppg. Both squads hover around the 40 pct. shooting mark with the Fighting Scots shooting 39.4 pct. from the field and the Fighting Falcons converting 44.1 pct. of the time.
- Fairmont State was picked to finish first in the Mountain East Conference preseason coaches' poll and return all five starters from a squad that went 20-11 last season.
- The Fighting Scots were ranked eighth in D2SIDA Atlantic Region poll this week
- The Fighting Scots enter Saturday's contest looking for their eighth straight victory. Edinboro has run off seven straight wins after an 0-2 start at the Carol Eckman Memorial Tournament against a pair of regionally-ranked opponents in no. 3 Wheeling Jesuit and no. 6 Glenville State.
- The Fighting Scots have started 5-0 in conference play for the first time since the 2011-12 season. They finished that season 30-2 overall and 21-1 in the conference, as well as capturing the PSAC Championship and advancing to the NCAA Atlantic Regional Championship.
- Edinboro has won 12 straight home games in the friendly confines of McComb Fieldhouse, dating back to last season. That is the longest streak since the 2011-12 squad reeled off 18 straight at home. The Fighting Scots are 5-0 at home this year after amassing a 64-11 home record over the past five seasons.
ALL-TIME SERIES BREAKDOWN
EDINBORO VS. SALEM INTERNATIONAL
All-Time Series: Edinboro leads 2-0
First Meeting: 2002-03 – Edinboro 76, Salem International 40
Last Meeting: 2003-04 – Edinboro 69, Salem International 37 (BOX SCORE)
The Fighting Scots held Salem International to just six points in the first 20 minutes to take a 28-6 halftime lead as they cruised to a 69-37 victory over the Tigers. The Edinboro defense smothered Salem International in the first half, holding the Tigers to just 10.0 pct. (2-of-20) shooting and just 28.9 pct. (11-of-38) for the game. The Fighting Scots forced 40 turnovers while committing just 11 themselves. Maria DiVecchio led all scorers with 12 points, while Megan Zitner added 10. Current assistant coach Callie Wheeler, then Callie Iorfido, finished with eight points, six assists, five rebounds and five steals in 22 minutes of action. Keisha Box led Salem International with nine points and 10 boards.
Series Notes: Edinboro has won both meetings with the Tigers by over 30 points.
EDINBORO VS. FAIRMONT STATE
All-Time Series: Edinboro leads 8-2
First Meeting: 1981-82 – Fairmont State 54, Edinboro 49
Last Meeting: December 31, 2010 – Edinboro 87, Fairmont State 80 (RECAP / BOX SCORE)
The Fighting Scots overcame a 13-point first half deficit en route to a, 87-80, New Year's Eve victory at Fairmont State's New Year's Classic. Trailing 63-61 with 8:35 remaining in the game, the Fighting Scots orchestrated an 18-7 run to take a 79-70 lead with just over three minutes remaining. The Fighting Falcons would get no closer than seven points the rest of the way. Renee' Brown led the Fighting Scots with 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Darche' Jackson added 14 points and grabbed ten rebounds to complete the double-double. Kiara Brown totaled 14 points while Samantha Blazetic and Micki Cerchiaro contributed 12 apiece. Edinboro held a 39-27 advantage on the glass and got a huge boost off the bench, holding a 49-6 edge in bench scoring.
Series Notes: Head coach Stan Swank is 6-0 all-time against Fairmont State. The Fighting Falcons last win came in the 1983-84 season.
THE COACHES
Edinboro: Stan Swank (Purdue '76, 540-294, 30th year)
- Head coach Stan Swank is in his 30th year as head women's basketball coach at Edinboro.
- Swank has guided the Fighting Scots to a 145-37 record the past six seasons, including six PSAC Tournament appearances, three PSAC Championships, three NCAA Tournament berths and a trip to the Elite Eight.
- Winning is nothing to Swank as he is the winningest coach in Fighting Scots history and has had 23 winning seasons during his 29-year tenure while compiling a 540-294 overall mark. Add in four seasons as the head coach at Parkland Junior College, and Swank has 644 career collegiate victories.
- All told under Swank, Edinboro has reached the NCAA Division II playoffs ten times, 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 Tournament, Swank has guided the Fighting Scots to the Final 32 four times, the Sweet 16 three times and the Elite Eight twice.
- Swank entered 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.
Salem International: Michael Bari (East Stroudsburg '84, 1-10, 1st year, 12-53, 3rd year overall)
- Head coach Michael Bari is in his first year at the helm of Salem International. The Erie native has more than 30 years of coaching experience at various institutions and divisions.
- Bari is fresh off a two-year stint as head coach at West Virginia Wesleyan where he took over a two-win team and improved the teams' record in each of his two seasons, including a seven-win campaign in 2015-16.
- Prior to West Virginia Wesleyan, Bari had a nine-year run as the head women's basketball coach at Louisiana State-Eunice. He compiled a 154-113 record and reached the NJCAA District Finals six times, including an appearance in the NJCAA Final Four in 2007.
- Bari has also had stints at Penn State-Behrend, Alderson Broaddus, Gannon and Colorado Northwestern CC as an assistant coach.
Fairmont State: Steve McDonald (West Virginia Wesleyan '89, 323-158, 17th year, 363-175, 19th year overall)
- Head coach Steve McDonald is the winningest coach in program history at Fairmont State. He has led the Fighting Falcons to 14 straight winning seasons and nine 20-win seasons in the past 14 years.
- Under McDonald, the Fighting Falcons made their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2005. He has guided Fairmont State back to the tournament three more times since them.
- Now a member of the Mountain East Conference, Fairmont State captured WVIAC Championships in 2008, 2010, and 2013.
- Prior to Fairmont State, McDonald coached at West Virginia Wesleyan for three seasons where he compiled a 55-35 record and was named the WVIAC Coach of the Year in 1990-91. He also led the Bobcats to a WVIAC championship in 1990-91.
LAST TIME OUT
Edinboro: December 10, 2016 – Edinboro 78 Cheyney 38 (RECAP / BOX SCORE)
- The Fighting Scots cruised to a dominant 78-38 victory over Cheyney for their eighth straight win this past Saturday.
- Jontay Walton led an Edinboro bench that scored a season-high 43 points. Walton finished with a season-high 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting and picked up five steals and three assists.
- Edinboro forced Cheyney into a season-high 34 turnovers and held a 37-6 advantage in points off turnovers.
- The Fighting Scots blew the game open in the third quarter, outscoring Cheyney 21-5. The Edinboro lead grew to as many as 46 points in the final quarter.
- Edinboro held Cheyney's second leading scorer, TaKayla Ellis, to just 3 points on 1-of-11 shooting and forced her into eight turnovers.
Salem International: December 13, 2016 – West Liberty 109, Salem International 59 (RECAP / BOX SCORE)
- The Tigers were unable to overcome a disastrous start as an 18-5 first-quarter deficit turned into a 44-16 halftime margin.
- Salem International shot just 18.2 pct. (6-of-33) in the first half compared to 41 pct. (14-of-34) in the second, including hitting 6-of-12 3-pointers.
- Keishla Gilmore led the Tigers with 14 points while Jiahna Flood-Francis finished with 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting.
- Salem International lost the battle of the boards by a 43-22 margin. The Tigers have been outrebounded in all 11 games this season.
Fairmont State: December 10, 2016 – Davis & Elkins 74, Fairmont State 67 (RECAP / BOX SCORE)
- Fairmont State saw its six-point lead evaporate in the fourth quarter as the Fighting Falcons were outscored by Davis & Elkins, 21-10, in the final stanza.
- Davis & Elkins opened the fourth quarter with back-to-back 3-pointers to tie the game up at 57-57 before reeling off a 12-6 run to take a 69-63 lead, one that they never relinquished.
- The Fighting Falcons were unable to overcome the hot-shooting of Davis & Elkins as the Senators shot 45.2 pct. (28-of-62) from the field, including hitting 10-of-24 from beyond the arc.
- A quartet of Fighting Falcons finished in double figures scoring, led by Makenzie White with 16 points. Emily Puskarich added 12 points while Deidra Combs and Amanda Ruffner totaled 10 each.
EDINBORO STORYLINES
- The Fighting Scots have won seven straight since an 0-2 start to the season, including starting PSAC play with a 5-0 ledger for the first time since the 2011-12 season. The Fighting Scots finished that season 30-2 overall and 21-1 in the conference, as well as capturing the PSAC Championship and advancing to the NCAA Atlantic Regional Championship.
- Edinboro has won 12 straight home games in the friendly confines of McComb Fieldhouse dating back to last season. The Fighting Scots are 5-0 at home this season after amassing a 64-11 record at home over the past five seasons.
- The Edinboro defense has held opponents under 60 points in six of their seven wins. The Fighting Scots rank third in the PSAC in scoring defense at 57.8 ppg.
- The Fighting Scots rank 13th in the nation in forcing turnovers and fifth in turnover margin (9.4). They have recorded at least 10 steals in all but two games this season. Edinboro's 113 total steals ranks second in the PSAC and 20th in Division II. In addition, Edinboro has forced the opposing team into 20-or-more turnovers all but twice, as well. Opponents average 23.8 turnovers per game against Edinboro while the Fighting Scots average just 14.3.
- PSAC West Preseason selection Katie Fischer leads the Edinboro offense from her point guard spot. A 2015-16 PSAC West second team selection, Fischer ranks 13th in the PSAC at 15.0 ppg. The senior leads Edinboro with 31 assists and is second with 18 steals.
- Sophomore Michelle Jahn continues to rank among the top 3-pt. shooters in the PSAC. Jahn ranks fifth in 3-pointers (23) and sixth in 3-pt. percentage (37.7 pct.). She finished her freshman campaign third in the PSAC with 71 3-pointers and second with a 40.8 3-pt. percentage.
- Freshman Michaela Barnes has garnered a pair of PSAC West Freshmen of the Week honors so far this season. The 5'6'' guard has started every game this season, averaging 8.9 ppg. and 2.0 rpg., as well as dishing out 1.9 assists per game. Barnes also ranks third on the team with 13 steals. She has scored in double-figures in four contests this year.
- Although averaging 10.9 ppg. and 7.1 rpg. for the season, Ciara Rosten has averaged 13.5 ppg. and 8.5 rpg. over the past four contests, including her first double-double with 10 points and 16 boards against Cheyney.
- Led by the duo of Jontay Walton and Maggie Moore, bench play has been a huge advantage for the Fighting Scots this season. Walton is averaging 7.6 ppg. and 3.3 rpg. Walton also leads Edinboro and ranks fifth in the PSAC with 22 steals. Moore has registered 6.4 rpg. and 4.4 ppg. in 16.3 mpg. The bench has scored over 15 points in all but one game this season and is coming off a season-high 43 points against Cheyney.
Edinboro Probable Starters
SALEM INTERNATIONAL STORYLINES
- Salem International is off a tough start to the 2016-17 season. The Tigers enter the weekend looking for their second win of the season and just their fifth in the past three seasons. The Tigers finished 4-24 in 2015-16 and 0-28 in 2014-15.
- The Tigers are under new management as Erie native Michael Bari was hired to right the ship prior to this season. Bari brings more than 30 years of coaching experience to the program.
- Pittsburgh native Jiahna Flood-Francis is the Tigers leading scorer at 13.3 ppg. The 5'7'' guard has totaled 20 points on three occasions this season, including scoring a career-high 24 points in back-to-back outings.
- Backcourt mate Keishla Gilmore provides some additional scoring from her guard spot, averaging 10.0 ppg. The 5'4'' sophomore has scored in double digits in five games this season, including each of the past four outings.
Salem International Probable Starters
|
|
|
|
|
|
PPG |
RPG |
| F |
20 |
Franchessca Gill |
5-5 |
Sr. |
Chicago, Ill. |
4.7 |
2.1 |
| F |
23 |
Quamilla Jackson |
5-10 |
So. |
Apopka, Fla. |
6.0 |
3.0 |
| G |
1 |
Keishla Gilmore |
5-4 |
So. |
Philadelphia, Pa. |
10.0 |
3.5 |
| G |
2 |
Jiahna Flood-Francis |
5-7 |
So. |
Pittsburgh, Pa. |
13.3 |
3.3 |
| G |
11 |
Dorina Barrett |
5-5 |
Sr. |
Detroit, Mich. |
5.9 |
3.0 |
FAIRMONT STATE STORYLINES
- Seniority is the Fighting Falcons specialty this season. All five senior starters have returned from a Fairmont State team that went 20-11 last season and made a trip to the Mountain East Conference semifinals. The Fighting Falcons were picked to finish first in the MEC preseason coaches' poll.
- Fairmont State boasts four double figure scorers in the lineup. Leading the returners is a pair of All-MEC second team selections in Makenzie White and Amanda Ruffner. White, a 5'9'' guard, leads the Fighting Falcons in both scoring (14.6 ppg.) and rebounds (8.0 rpg.), while Ruffner is second in scoring at 14.4 ppg. The 5'10'' forward also grabs 4.3 rpg.
- The Fighting Falcons feature another pair of double figure scorers in guard Emily Puskarich and forward Deidra Combs. Puskarich averages 13.0 ppg. while Combs sits at 11.8 ppg. Puskarich also leads Fairmont State with 19 3-pointers and 28 steals.
- Fairmont State opened their season participating in the MEC/PSAC Challenge, taking on a pair of PSAC opponents. The Fighting Falcons scored a 69-54 victory over Clarion in the opener, before turning in a dominant, 92-53, victory over Lock Haven.
Fairmont State Probable Starters
|
|
|
|
|
|
PPG |
RPG |
| F |
14 |
Amanda Ruffner |
5-10 |
Sr. |
Proctorville, Ohio |
14.4 |
4.3 |
| F |
32 |
Deidra Combs |
5-10 |
Sr. |
Beverly, Ohio |
11.8 |
5.4 |
| G |
3 |
Makenzie White |
5-9 |
Sr. |
Madison, WV |
14.6 |
8.0 |
| G |
5 |
Gabrielle Etter |
5-10 |
Sr. |
Kettering, Ohio |
7.9 |
2.3 |
| G |
10 |
Emily Puskarich |
5-8 |
Sr. |
Wheeling, WV |
13.0 |
3.5 |
UP NEXT
- The Fighting Scots return to action after Christmas on Friday, December 30, hosting PSAC West leading California(Pa.) to close out the 2016 portion of their schedule. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
