Matt Durisko

Women's Basketball 1/10/2017 2:47:00 PM Matthew Brancato, Sports Information Graduate Assistant

Fighting Scots Host Local PSAC West Rival Gannon on Wednesday Night

Edinboro returns home to McComb Fieldhouse fresh off a hard-fought 63-55 victory at PSAC East opponent Bloomsburg on Monday night. That win represented the 13^th-straight for the Fighting Scots and the ninth in a row in PSAC play. Those are the longest streaks since the 2011-12 team ran off 24 games in a row, including 20 straight in conference play.
Edinboro has run off 13 straight wins after an 0-2 start at the Carol Eckman Memorial Tournament. The 13-game winning streak is the longest since the 2011-12 squad ran off 24 in a row and the third-longest streak in school history.
Gannon enters Wednesday's contest following a thrilling win of their own, scoring a 74-71 victory over Pitt-Johnstown. That win snapped a four-game losing skid for the Lady Knights.
The red-hot Fighting Scots enter Wednesday's matchup with local rival Gannon looking for a bit revenge. The Lady Knights swept the season series last season, the first since 2009-10, but Edinboro has won seven of the last 11 meetings. Five of the Lady Knights' top scorers from last season have departed.
The Fighting Scots will get their first glimpse of the new-look Gannon roster. No Lady Knight on the current roster registered a point in either meeting last season as Gannon features six true freshmen, five sophomores, and just two upperclassmen.
Wednesday's contest also pits one of the top-ranked offense-defense combos against a team on the opposite spectrum. The Fighting Scots rank second in the PSAC in scoring defense and 36^th in the nation at 57.0 ppg and third in scoring offense at 72.9 ppg. The Lady Knights meanwhile, rank 14^th in the PSAC in scoring offense at 58.3 ppg and 15^th in the PSAC in scoring defense, allowing 71.1 ppg. Gannon has given up over 70 points in six straight outings.
The Fighting Scots have started 9-0 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 15 straight home games in the friendly confines of McComb Fieldhouse, dating back to last season, the longest streak since the 2011-12 squad reeled off 18 straight at home. The Fighting Scots are 8-0 at home this year after amassing a 64-11 home record over the past five seasons.

ON THE RADIO

The Edinboro-Gannon game can be heard live on WFSE-FM 88.9, with Joshua Kaufer on the play-by-play and George Schmidt providing the color.

ALL-TIME SERIES BREAKDOWN
EDINBORO VS. GANNON
All-Time Series: Edinboro leads 33-22
First Meeting: 1969-70 – Edinboro 29, Gannon 26
Last Meeting: January 27, 2016 – Gannon 60, Edinboro 48 (RECAP / BOX SCORE)
Despite senior forward Lauren Hippo scoring her 1,000^th career point, the Fighting Scots were swept in the season series by Gannon for the first time since the 2009-10 season. Trailing 44-40 with 6:03 remaining in the game, Hippo hit a 3-pointer, her 1,000^th career point, to bring Edinboro within just one point. Gannon responded with a 16-5 run to end the game, scoring its final nine points from the free throw line. The Fighting Scots shot a season-low 3-of-11 (27.3 pct.) from the charity stripe for the game. Edinboro was dominated on the glass, as Gannon held a 45-32 advantage, the largest margin of the season against the Fighting Scots. Michelle Jahn led the Fighting Scots with 16 points and connected on 5-of-12 3-pointers, while Hippo and Katie Fischer added 11 points each. Gannon's Jennie Thies finished with 17 points and 21 boards. Morgan Neighbors and McKenna Shives added 15 and 10 points, respectively.
Series Notes: Gannon has won three of the last four meetings, including a season-sweep last season for the first time since 2009-10,

THE COACHES
Edinboro: Stan Swank (Purdue '76, 546-294, 30^th year)

Head coach Stan Swank is in his 30^th 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 new 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 546-294 overall mark. Add in four seasons as the head coach at Parkland Junior College, and Swank has 650 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.

Gannon: Jim Brunelli (Clarion '00, 70-34, 4^th year, 152-100, 9^th season overall)

Head coach Jim Brunelli is in his fourth year at the helm of the Lady Knights. He entered the 2016-17 campaign ranked 47^th among active coaches with a .624 winning percentage. Brunelli has won more games during his first three seasons than any coach in program history.
Under Brunelli, Gannon has made the PSAC Tournament in each of the last three seasons and earned a pair of NCAA Tournament berths.
Brunelli's 28-4 debut season is the best first-year performance by a Gannon women's basketball head coach in program history.
Under Brunelli Gannon has been among the nation's top 25 in team grade point average every year with Brunelli on the sideline. The Lady Knights ranked 20th in 2013-14, 20th in 2014-15, and 24th in 2015-16.
Prior to Gannon, Brunelli served as the head coach at Anderson for five seasons. The Trojans won three Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference championships and earned three NCAA Tournament bids during his tenure.

LAST TIME OUT
Edinboro: January 9, 2017 – Edinboro 63, Bloomsburg 55 (RECAP / BOX SCORE)

The Fighting Scots led 41-37 late in the third quarter before using a 15-6 run to separate themselves from the Huskies at 56-43 with just eight minutes left in the contest.
Freshmen Michaela Barnes led a trio of Fighting Scots scorers in double figures with 15 points, her second-highest output of the season. Redshirt sophomore Jontay Walton came off the bench to contributed 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting and junior Ciara Rosten added 10 points.
Seniors Nicole Johnson and Maggie Moore provided solid inside presences. Johnson finished with seven points, five boards and a pair of blocks while Moore dropped in six points and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds and also turned away a pair of shots.
The Edinboro defense forced the Huskies into 21 turnovers and limited Bloomsburg's leading scorer Morgan Klunk to just five points on 2-of-9 shooting, snapping a string of five straight outings in double figures.

Gannon: January 9, 2017 – Gannon 74, Pitt-Johnstown 71 (RECAP / BOX SCORE)

Leading 68-62 with just over two minutes remaining, the Lady Knights saw their cushion cut to just one point thanks to five unanswered points from Pitt-Johnstown before a Lanise Saunders layup stopped the rally.
Gannon iced the contest with free throws to snap a four-game losing streak and notch their second conference win of the season.
The Lady Knights were led by the duo of Lanise Saunders and Maggie Mitchell with 19 points and 17, respectively. Both added six boards as well.
Gannon got a boost off their bench, outscoring the Lady Cats 29-10.

EDINBORO STORYLINES

The Fighting Scots have won 13 straight games since an 0-2 start to the season, including starting PSAC play with a 9-0 ledger for the first time since the 2011-12 season. That team finished the season at 30-2 overall and 21-1 in the conference, as well as capturing the PSAC Championship and advancing to the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional Championship.
Edinboro is tied for the PSAC West lead with Indiana(Pa).
The 13-game winning streak is the longest since the 2011-12 squad ran off 24 in a row and the third-longest streak in school history. The nine-game PSAC winning stretch is also the longest since the 2011-12 team won 20 conference games in a row.
Edinboro has won 15 straight home games in the friendly confines of McComb Fieldhouse dating back to last season. The Fighting Scots are 8-0 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 11 of their 13 wins, including in seven of the past eight outings. The Fighting Scots rank second in the PSAC in scoring defense and 36^th in the nation at 57.0 ppg.
The Fighting Scots feature a pair of the top shot blockers in the PSAC. Junior Ciara Rosten ranks eighth with 20 blocks while senior Maggie Moore is 14^th with 16 denials. Rosten has five games with multiple blocks, including a career-high four in a win over Millersville. Moore has swatted away at least one shot in eight of the last nine games.
The Fighting Scots rank 12^th in the nation in turnovers forced and sixth in turnover margin (+8.20). Edinboro has recorded at least 10 steals in all but four games this season. Edinboro's 186 total steals ranks second in the PSAC and seventh in Division II. In addition, Edinboro has forced the opposing team into 20-or-more turnovers all but twice. Opponents average 23.3 turnovers per game against Edinboro while the Fighting Scots average just 15.1.
The high-pressure Edinboro defense is complimented by a high-scoring offense. The Fighting Scots rank third in the PSAC in scoring at 72.9 ppg. Edinboro has scored over 70 points nine times, and hit 90 on two occasions.
The Edinboro offense is benefited by active play on the glass on the offensive end. The Fighting Scots rank first in the PSAC and 15^th in Division II with 17 offensive rebounds per game. Edinboro has recorded at least 15 second chance points in eight of their 13 wins this season, including two games with over 20 points on second chance possessions.
All-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 14^th in the PSAC at 14.9 ppg. The senior leads the team and ranks sixth in the PSAC with 67 assists and fifth with 34 steals. Fischer also ranks fourth in the conference with 35 3-pointers. In last Friday's victory over Pitt-Johnstown, Fischer scored her 1,000^th career point. The 5'7'' point guard scored 309 points as a Laker and has totaled 702 points in two seasons as a member of the Fighting Scots for a total of 1,011 career points.
Sophomore Michelle Jahn also continues to rank among the top 3-pt. shooters in the PSAC. Jahn ranks seventh in 3-pointers (31) and sixth in 3-pt. percentage (35.6 pct.). She finished her freshman campaign third in the PSAC with 71 3-pointers and second with a 40.8 3-pt. percentage. Jahn is averaging 10.5 ppg.
Junior transfer Ciara Rosten has scored in double figures in nine of the past ten outings, including recording her first double-double as a member of the Fighting Scots with 10 points and 12 rebounds in a win over Cheyney. The 6'2'' forward has scored in double figures in all but four contests this season. She ranks second on the team with 10.7 ppg. and leads the squad with 6.7 rpg.
Sophomore Jontay Walton is tied for fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 9.7 ppg. off the bench. Over the past seven games, Walton is averaging 13.1 ppg. The 5'5'' guard also ranks second on the squad and sixth in the PSAC with 30 steals and averages 3.4 rpg.
Led by the duo of Walton and Maggie Moore, bench play has been a huge advantage for the Fighting Scots this season. Moore has registered 4.1 ppg. and 5.9 rpg. in 16.6 mpg. and provides a dependable mid-range game. Sophomore Cheniya Sharpe and junior JaVannah Jackson have also provided sparks off the bench. Sharpe is averaging 2.6 ppg. and 4.3 rpg., while Jackson provides crucial defensive minutes. The bench has scored over 15 points in all but two games this season and has totaled 30-or-more points in three of the past six outings.

Edinboro Probable Starters

						PPG	RPG
F	15	Ciara Rosten	6-2	Jr.	Buffalo, N.Y.	10.7	6.7
F	21	Nicole Johnson	5-10	Sr.	Pittsburgh, Pa.	4.6	5.4
G	2	Michaela Barnes	5-6	Fr.	Chagrin Falls, Ohio	8.7	1.9
G	4	Katie Fischer	5-7	Sr.	Ambridge, Pa.	14.9	3.5
G	20	Michelle Jahn	5-8	So.	Edinboro, Pa.	9.7	2.2

Top Reserves

						PPG	RPG
F	5	Maggie Moore	6-2	Sr.	Olean, N.Y.	4.1	5.9
G	0	JaVannah Jackson	5-4	Jr.	Cleveland, Ohio	2.5	1.2
G	1	Jontay Walton	5-7	R-So.	Buffalo, N.Y.	9.7	3.4
G	11	Cheniya Sharpe	5-11	So.	Springfield, Va.	2.6	4.3

GANNON STORYLINES

Youth and inexperience is prominent on the newest edition of the Lady Knights as the Gannon roster features just two upperclassmen, neither with starting experience for the Lady Knights entering the 2016-17 campaign. The Lady Knights boast six true freshmen and five sophomores.
The Lady Knights swept the Fighting Scots last season for the first time since 2009-10, but none of the Lady Knights on the current roster registered a point in either meeting last season.
The Lady Knights rank 14^th in the PSAC in scoring offense at 58.3 ppg. Gannon has been held under 55 points six times this season and are shooting just 37.4 percent from the floor, the 4^th lowest percentage in the conference, while turning the ball over 21.9 times per game.
On the flipside, the Lady Knights are 15^th in the PSAC in scoring defense, allowing 71.1 ppg. Gannon has given up over 70 points in six straight outings.
Junior transfer Maggie Mitchell ranks fourth in the PSAC in scoring at 16.8 ppg. The 5'7 guard came to Gannon prior to the season from Ashland. Mitchell has scored in double figures in all but two games this season and has had five 20-point outings. Mitchell ranks third in the PSAC and 15^th in Division II with 74 points from the charity stripe and sixth in the conference with 32 3-pointers.
Redshirt senior Lanise Saunders is the only other Lady Knight to score in double figures, averaging 10.5 ppg. The 6'2'' forward ranks eighth in the PSAC at 8.3 rpg. Saunders leads the PSAC and ranks 25^th in the nation with six double-doubles.

Gannon Probable Starters

						PPG	RPG
F	31	Nicole LaCava	6-0	So.	Hermitage, Pa.	5.1	3.7
F	54	Lanise Saunders	6-2	R-Sr.	Pittsburgh, Pa.	10.5	8.3
G	4	Julia Braungart	5-6	Fr.	Southampton, N.J.	5.3	2.1
G	10	Maggie Mitchell	5-7	Jr.	Newark, Ohio	16.8	3.9
G	34	Lauren Tewes	5-11	So.	Waterford, Mich.	4.2	4.4

UP NEXT

The Fighting Scots travel to Indiana(Pa.) on Saturday, January 14, for a PSAC contest against the Crimson Hawks at 5:30 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

#00 Lauren Hippo: G/F; 5' 10"; Senior

#4 Katie Fischer: G; 5' 7"; Senior

#20 Michelle Jahn: G; 5' 8"; Sophomore

#21 Nicole Johnson: F; 5' 10"; Senior

#5 Maggie Moore: F; 6' 2"; Senior

#11 Cheniya Sharpe: F; 5' 11"; Sophomore

#2 Michaela Barnes: G; 5' 6"; Freshman

#0 JaVannah Jackson: G; 5' 4"; Junior

#15 Ciara Rosten: F/C; 6' 2"; Junior

#1 Jontay Walton: G; 5' 5"; Redshirt Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#00 Lauren Hippo
: 5' 10"; Senior
: G/F

#4 Katie Fischer
: 5' 7"; Senior
: G

#20 Michelle Jahn
: 5' 8"; Sophomore
: G

#21 Nicole Johnson
: 5' 10"; Senior
: F

#5 Maggie Moore
: 6' 2"; Senior
: F

#11 Cheniya Sharpe
: 5' 11"; Sophomore
: F

#2 Michaela Barnes
: 5' 6"; Freshman
: G

#0 JaVannah Jackson
: 5' 4"; Junior
: G

#15 Ciara Rosten
: 6' 2"; Junior
: F/C

#1 Jontay Walton
: 5' 5"; Redshirt Sophomore
: G

Edinboro University Athletics

Scoreboard

Scoreboard

Fighting Scots Host Local PSAC West Rival Gannon on Wednesday Night

Players Mentioned

#00 Lauren Hippo

#4 Katie Fischer

#20 Michelle Jahn

#21 Nicole Johnson

#5 Maggie Moore

#11 Cheniya Sharpe

#2 Michaela Barnes

#0 JaVannah Jackson

#15 Ciara Rosten

#1 Jontay Walton

Players Mentioned

#00 Lauren Hippo

#4 Katie Fischer

#20 Michelle Jahn

#21 Nicole Johnson

#5 Maggie Moore

#11 Cheniya Sharpe

#2 Michaela Barnes

#0 JaVannah Jackson

#15 Ciara Rosten

#1 Jontay Walton