Mike Gallagher

Women's Basketball 1/17/2017 1:34:00 PM Matthew Brancato, Sports Information Graduate Assistant

Fighting Scots Look to Keep Rolling in Mid-Week Matchup at Clarion

The first place Fighting Scots continue a three-game road stretch, traveling to Clarion for a mid-week matchup. Edinboro enters Wednesday's contest winners of 15 straight, while the Golden Eagles have won seven of their last 10 outings.
Edinboro is in the midst of a three-game road trip fresh off a 75-65 victory over PSAC West foe Indiana(Pa.) at the Kovalchick Complex this past Saturday. With the win over IUP, the Fighting Scots are in sole possession of first place in the PSAC West with an 11-0 conference mark. Edinboro was picked to finish third in the preseason coaches' poll.
The Fighting Scots have started 11-0 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.
The win over IUP also represented the 15^th straight victory for the Fighting Scots and the 11^th in a row in PSAC play. Those are the longest streaks since the 2011-12 team won 24 games in a row, including 20 straight in conference play. The 15 straight victories is the second-longest win streak in program history.
Wednesday's contest pits one of the best offenses in the PSAC against one of the top defenses in the conference. The Golden Eagles rank second in the PSAC in scoring offense at 74.5 ppg. while the Fighting Scots are third in points allowed at 57.3 ppg. The Edinboro defense has held opponents under 60 points in 12 of their 15 wins, including in eight of the past ten outings.
Clarion is one of the top 3-point threats in the nation, ranking eighth in 3-pointers (166) and eighth in 3-pointers attempted (463) and 3-pointers per game (9.8). The Golden Eagles also lead the PSAC in 3-pt. percentage at 35.9 percent. Senior guard Tyra Polite is one of the most dangerous sharpshooters in the nation, ranking fourth in 3-pointers (54) and 15^th in 3-pt. percentage (35.8).
Not to be outdone, the Fighting Scots boast a high-powered offense of their own. They rank third in the PSAC in scoring at 73.6 ppg. Edinboro has scored over 70 points 11 times, and hit 90 on two occasions. The Fighting Scots are the only team in the PSAC to rank in the top three in both scoring offense and scoring defense.
The Fighting Scots have won each of the past six meetings with the Golden Eagles and 12 of the last 13. Clarion's last victory against the Fighting Scots came in the 2012-13 season when the Golden Eagles narrowly defeated Edinboro, 56-55.

ON THE RADIO

The Edinboro-Clarion game can be heard live on WFSE-FM 88.9, with Joshua Kaufer on the play-by-play and Hayden Thorpe on color.

ALL-TIME SERIES BREAKDOWN
EDINBORO VS. CLARION
All-Time Series: Edinboro leads 51-29
First Meeting: 1969-70 – Edinboro 52, Clarion 25
Last Meeting: February 13, 2016 – Edinboro 80, Clarion 49 (RECAP / BOX SCORE)
In front of a crowd of over 800, Edinboro celebrated its annual Fighting Scots Fighting Cancer Day, handing Clarion an 80-49 defeat to clinch a home PSAC playoff game. Leading 38-27 coming out of the locker room at half time, the Fighting Scots opened the second half on a 16-4 run, including 14 unanswered points, to take a 54-31 lead. Edinboro led the rest of the way by at least 20 points, building the lead to as many as 32 points in the fourth quarter. Four Fighting Scots scored in double figures, led by Aignee' Freeland with 18 points. Lauren Hippo added 17 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including a perfect 3-for-3 3-pointers. Michelle Jahn totaled 13 points, while Katie Fischer finished with 12 points and 10 assists.
Series Notes: Edinboro has won 12 of the last 13 meetings, including six in a row.

THE COACHES
Edinboro: Stan Swank (Purdue '76, 548-294, 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 548-294 overall mark. Add in four seasons as the head coach at Parkland Junior College, and Swank has 651 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.

Clarion: Jana Ashley (North Alabama '03, 19-50, 3^rd year)

Head coach Jana Ashley is in her third season at the helm in Clarion. The Golden Eagles are off to their best start since the 2009-10 season. Clarion's 11 wins this season are tied for the most in the past six years.
Ashley took over a rebuilding Golden Eagles team that won just two games in her debut season before her second season saw Clarion record the most wins since the 2013-14 season, finishing with a 9-19 record.
Prior to Clarion, Ashley was an accomplished NCAA Division I assistant coach. In her 11 years as an assistant (five at Radford, five at George Mason, one at Iona), she was part of three 20-win seasons and two NIT postseason appearances.

LAST TIME OUT
Edinboro: January 14, 2017 – Edinboro 75, Indiana(Pa.) 65 (RECAP / BOX SCORE)

Behind Ciara Rosten's career night and a dominant second half, the Edinboro women's basketball team notched its 15th straight victory with a 75-65 win at Indiana(Pa.) on Saturday night in the Kovalchick Complex.
Rosten dropped in a career-high 32 points on a near perfect 14-of-15 shooting. The 6'2'' forward also pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds to record her second double-double on the season and swatted away four shots in just 25 minutes, tying a career-best in denials.
The Fighting Scots took their first lead of the game at 48-46 with 3:32 remaining in the third quarter on a Michelle Jahn layup before IUP quickly drew the contest even again at 48-48. A Katie Fischer 3-pointer with 2:11 remaining in the quarter gave Edinboro the lead back for good.
Edinboro outscored the Crimson Hawks 45-29 in the final 20 minutes of action.
Jontay Walton finished with 15 points and a career-high six steals off the bench. Fischer totaled 11 points, all in the second half, and dished out five assists. Jahn added 10 points.

Clarion: January 14, 2017 – Clarion 75, Gannon 71 (RECAP / BOX SCORE)

Clarion needed a late rally to overcome a road deficit and defeat Gannon, 75-71, on Saturday afternoon.
Trailing 63-60 late in the fourth quarter, the Golden Eagles orchestrated an 9-1 run to take the lead for good at 69-64 with just 30 seconds remaining in the contest. Jordan Bekelja scored all nine points during the stretch.
Bekelja led the Golden Eagles with 23 points on 7-of-12 shooting and dished out six assists. Taylor Moltz finished with 16 points and Tyra Polite added 13 points and six rebounds. Delrika Jones-Carey also score in double figures, finishing with 10 points and six boards.

EDINBORO STORYLINES

The Fighting Scots have won 15 straight games since an 0-2 start to the season, including starting PSAC play with a 11-0 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 in sole possession of first place in the PSAC West following a 75-65 victory at Indiana(Pa.) this past weekend. The Fighting Scots were picked to finish third in the preseason coaches' poll.
The 15-game winning streak is the longest since the 2011-12 squad won 24 in a row and tied for the second-longest streak in school history. The 1989-90 Fighting Scots also reeled off 14 victories in a row. The eleven-game PSAC winning stretch is also the longest since the 2011-12 team won 20 conference games in a row.
The Fighting Scots rank third in the PSAC in scoring defense and 38^th in the nation at 57.3 ppg. The Edinboro defense has held opponents under 60 points in 12 of their 15 wins, including in eight of the past ten outings.
The Fighting Scots rank sixth in turnover margin (+8.18). and 14^th in the nation in turnovers forced per game (23.29). Edinboro has recorded at least 10 steals in all but four games this season. Edinboro's 213 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.
The Fighting Scots are the only team in the PSAC to rank in the top three in both scoring offense and scoring defense as the high-pressure Edinboro defense is complimented by a high-scoring offense. The Fighting Scots rank third in the PSAC in scoring at 73.6 ppg. Edinboro has scored over 70 points 11 times, and hit 90 on two occasions.
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 11^th in the PSAC at 14.7 ppg. The senior leads the team and ranks fourth in the PSAC with 82 assists and 40 steals. Fischer also ranks fourth in the conference with 40 3-pointers. Fischer recently scored her 1,000^th career point. The 5'7'' point guard scored 309 points as a Laker and has totaled 729 points in two seasons as a member of the Fighting Scots for a total of 1,038 career points.
Sophomore Michelle Jahn also ranks among the top 3-pt. shooters in the PSAC. Jahn ranks sixth in 3-pointers (36) and 3-pt. percentage (36.4 pct.). She is averaging 9.8 ppg. and has hit a 3-pointer in all but three contests this season.
Junior transfer Ciara Rosten has scored in double figures in 11 of the past 12 outings, and has scored in double figures in all but four contests this season. Rosten is second on the team, averaging 11.9 ppg., and leads the squad with 6.8 rpg. The 6'2'' forward is fresh off the best game of her career. Rosten poured in a career-high 32 points on a near perfect 14-of-15 shooting. In addition, she pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds to record her second double-double on the season and swatted away four shots in just 25 minutes, tying a career-best in denials.
Led by the duo of Jontay Walton and Maggie Moore, bench play has been a huge advantage for the Fighting Scots this season. Jontay Walton is fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 9.8 ppg. off the bench. The 5'5'' guard also ranks second on the squad and sixth in the PSAC with 36 steals. Moore has registered 3.9 ppg. and is second on the team with 5.9 rpg. in 16.9 mpg. and provides a dependable mid-range game. The bench has scored over 15 points in all but two games this season.

Edinboro Probable Starters

						PPG	RPG	OTHER
F	15	Ciara Rosten	6-2	Jr.	Buffalo, N.Y.	11.9	6.8	25 BLKS, 29 STLS
F	21	Nicole Johnson	5-10	Sr.	Pittsburgh, Pa.	4.4	5.0	19 STLS, 7 BLKS
G	2	Michaela Barnes	5-6	Fr.	Chagrin Falls, Ohio	8.5	1.9	24 ASTS, 19 STLS
G	4	Katie Fischer	5-7	Sr.	Ambridge, Pa.	14.7	3.5	82 ASTS, 40 STLS
G	20	Michelle Jahn	5-8	So.	Edinboro, Pa.	9.8	2.2	21 STLS

Top Reserves

						PPG	RPG	OTHER
F	5	Maggie Moore	6-2	Sr.	Olean, N.Y.	3.9	5.9	17 BLKS
F	32	Allison Thompson	6-0	So.	Erie, Pa.	2.4	1.4
G	0	JaVannah Jackson	5-4	Jr.	Cleveland, Ohio	2.2	1.2	12 STLS
G	1	Jontay Walton	5-7	R-So.	Buffalo, N.Y.	9.9	3.2	36 STLS, 49 ASTS
G	11	Cheniya Sharpe	5-11	So.	Springfield, Va.	2.6	4.1	14 STLS

CLARION STORYLINES

The Golden Eagles are off to their best start since the 2009-10 season after being picked to finish eighth in the PSAC West preseason coaches' poll. Clarion's 11 wins are already tied for the most in the past six years.
The Golden Eagles rank second in the PSAC in scoring offense at 74.5 ppg., relying heavily on the three-ball. Clarion is one of the top 3-point threats in the nation, ranking eighth in 3-pointers (166) and eighth in 3-pointers attempted (463) and 3-pointers per game (9.8). The Golden Eagles also lead the PSAC in 3-pt. percentage at 35.9 percent.
Senior guard Tyra Polite is one of the most dangerous sharpshooters in the nation, ranking fourth in 3-pointers (54) and 15^th in 3-pt. percentage (35.8). Polite ranks third in the PSAC in scoring at 18.0 ppg.
Former Villa Maria standout Amesha Harden-Pullium is also a threat from long range, ranking eighth in the PSAC with 34 3-pointers and ninth with a 33.7 shooting percentage from beyond the arc. Haren-Pullium averages 11.2 ppg. from her guard spot.

Clarion Probable Starters

						PPG	RPG
F	22	Delrika Jones-Carey	5-10	Sr.	Pittsburg, Pa.	6.6	6.9
F	34	Taylor Moltz	5-9	So.	Oil City, Pa.	4.3	4.2
G	5	Amesha Harden-Pullium	5-3	Jr.	Erie, Pa.	11.2	1.9
G	11	Jordan Bekelja	5-6	So.	Solon, Ohio	11.5	3.9
G	24	Tyra Polite	5-8	Jr.	Upper Darby, Pa.	18.0	4.8

UP NEXT

The Fighting Scots conclude a three-game road trip on Saturday, January 21 traveling to Slippery Rock for a PSAC West contest at 5:30 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

#13 Aignee' Freeland: F; 6' 3"; Senior

#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

#32 Allison Thompson: G/F; 6' 0"; Sophomore

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

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

Players Mentioned

#13 Aignee' Freeland
: 6' 3"; Senior
: F

#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

#32 Allison Thompson
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: G/F

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

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

Edinboro University Athletics

Scoreboard

Scoreboard

Fighting Scots Look to Keep Rolling in Mid-Week Matchup at Clarion

Players Mentioned

#13 Aignee' Freeland

#00 Lauren Hippo

#4 Katie Fischer

#20 Michelle Jahn

#21 Nicole Johnson

#5 Maggie Moore

#11 Cheniya Sharpe

#32 Allison Thompson

#2 Michaela Barnes

#0 JaVannah Jackson

Players Mentioned

#13 Aignee' Freeland

#00 Lauren Hippo

#4 Katie Fischer

#20 Michelle Jahn

#21 Nicole Johnson

#5 Maggie Moore

#11 Cheniya Sharpe

#32 Allison Thompson

#2 Michaela Barnes

#0 JaVannah Jackson