GAME DAY CENTRAL
Edinboro (18-6, 14-4 PSAC West) at Gannon (8-17, 8-11 PSAC West)
When:  February 15, 2017
Where:  Erie, Pa. –  Hammermill Center
Tip-off:  5:30 p.m.
Live Stats: CLICK HERE | Live Audio:  WFSE 88.9 |
 
ADDITIONAL LINKS
Edinboro: Roster | Schedule | Stats | 
Gannon: Roster | Schedule | Stats | 
 
PSAC LINKS: PRESEASON POLL | STANDINGS | STATS | ALL-PSAC

GAME STORYLINES

• The Fighting Scots look to turn things around after suffering back-to-back losses and losing three of their last four games. Edinboro had run off 16 straight wins at one point. The Fighting Scots have secured their seventh straight PSAC Tournament bid, and are hoping to finish in the top two in the Western Division and receive a first round bye. Saturday's loss to Indiana(Pa.) dropped Edinboro into a tie for third place with Mercyhurst with four games remaining. California(Pa.) is in first place at 17-1, with IUP moving into second place with a 16-3 league mark.
• A young Gannon team has won three of their last four games to improve to 8-17 overall and 8-11 in PSAC action. The Lady Knights have thrust themselves back into the playoff picture, now two games behind Clarion (10-8) and Seton Hill (10-9) for the last spot.
• Edinboro is two wins shy of their seventh straight 20-win season. Including this year, the Fighting Scots are 163-43.
• Edinboro ranks third in the PSAC in scoring offense (70.8 ppg.) and fifth in scoring defense (59.3 ppg.). The Fighting Scots have scored 70-or-more points just twice in the last seven games, and have allowed 83 and 79 points the last two games after holding 15 of their last 20 opponents to under 60 points.
• After being outrebounded just four times in their first 18 games, the Fighting Scots have been outrebounded in five of the last six contests. Four of those games have been by 10-or-more rebounds. Edinboro has a -12.5 rebounding margin during that period.

ON THE RADIO

• The Edinboro-Gannon game can be heard live on WFSE-FM 88.9, with Drew Patrick on the play-by-play and Gabe Hypes on color.

 
ALL-TIME SERIES BREAKDOWN
EDINBORO VS. GANNON
All-Time Series:  Edinboro leads 34-22
First Meeting:  1969-70 – Edinboro 29, Gannon 26
Last Meeting:  January 11, 2017 – Edinboro 83, Gannon 54 (RECAP / BOX SCORE)
Edinboro pulled away for its 14th straight win and 16th straight games at McComb Fieldhouse thanks to a big second half. Gannon led 20-18 lead midway through the second quarter after scoring the first eight points of the quarter, part of an 11-0 run. A traditional 3-point play by Allison Thompson gave the Fighting Scots the lead for good at 21-20. The Fighting Scots would end the half with a 32-25 lead. The advantage would grow to 42-30 when Michelle Jahn buried a 3-pointer, and Gannon never pulled closer than eight points the rest of the way. Edinboro outscored the Lady Knights 27-15 in the third quarter, then added a 24-14 advantage in the final ten minutes. Edinboro would shoot 57.6 percent (19-of-33) over the final twenty minutes to end the night at 46.9 percent (30-of-64). Gannon, meanwhile, shot 50.0 percent, but took just 16 shots over the final two quarters as they turned the ball over 14 times and were outrebounded 16-10. Edinboro had five players in double figures. Katie Fischer led the way as the senior guard recorded her first double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 assists, adding three steals. Michaela Barnes added 13 points, making 3-of-4 3-pointers. Ciara Rosten had 11 points, five rebounds, and four steals, while Jahn ended the night with 11 points. Thompson scored a career-high 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the floor, plus 2-of-3 free throws. Gannon had four players in double figures, led by Lauren Tewes' 14 points. Lanise Saunders added 13 points and a game-high seven rebounds, with Chelsea Rourke scoring 12 points and Julia Braungart 10. 
Series Notes: Edinboro seeks a sweep in the season series after Gannon posted a season sweep last season for the first time since 2009-10. Edinboro has won 11 of the last 15 meetings with the Lady Knights.
 

THE COACHES
Edinboro: Stan Swank (Purdue '76, 551-298, 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 163-43 record the past seven seasons, including seven 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 551-298 overall mark. Add in four seasons as the head coach at Parkland Junior College, and Swank has 653 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 22 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, 74-40, 4^th year, 156-106, 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: February 11, 2017 – Indiana(Pa.) 79, Edinboro 63 (RECAP / BOX SCORE)

• For the second game in a row, Edinboro lost after a nearly recording a frantic comeback.   The loss to IUP, coming with several players battling illness, was the third in four games for the Fighting Scots
• IUP scored the first eight points of the game and eventually led 37-28 at the half as the Fighting Scots closed the half with a 7-1 run. In the first twenty minutes, IUP shot a sizzling 58.6 percent from the floor (17-of-29), while Edinboro made just 11-of-35 shots (31.4 pct.).
• The Crimson Hawks would open up a 58-45 lead after three quarters. That's when Edinboro began its rally. Trailing 63-51 with 7:12 to play, Edinboro scored seven straight points to pull to within five points at 63-58 with just over five minutes to play.  The score was still 66-60 with 3:36 remaining, but IUP ran off the next nine points over a two-and-a-half minute span to take a commanding 75-60 lead.
• Edinboro would shoot 34.4 percent from the floor (22-of-64), while IUP ended at 59.6 percent (31-of-52), the top shooting performance by an opponent against Edinboro this year. The Crimson Hawks finished 7-for-15 on 3-pointers while Edinboro was 4-of-19. They also held a 39-31 rebounding advantage. Edinboro forced IUP into 19 turnovers while committing just eight.
• Katie Fischer led Edinboro with 14 points, adding four assists. Ciara Rosten posted her third double-double of the year with 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Michaela Barnes also finished with 10 points.
• The Fighting Scots also received a strong effort from Lindsey Jahn. The senior guard came off the bench to play 23 minutes, finishing with three points, two rebounds, three steals, and plenty of floor burns.

 
Gannon: February 11, 2017 – Gannon 73, Clarion 68 OT (RECAP / BOX SCORE)

• A tight contest that featured a total of seven ties and 10 lead changes was sent into overtime when Gannon's Maggie Mitchell hit a jumper with three seconds left to tie the game at 60-60. The Lady Knights took the lead for good at 67-65 on Kelsey Herbert's layup with just over a minute to play.  Gannon would pull away with four free throws in the final 24 seconds.
• Maggie Mitchell recorded her third straight game of at least 25 points with a game-high 26 markers, adding a career-best eight rebounds. Lauren Tewes posted her first career double-double with 12 points and a career-best10 rebounds in the game, while Herbert also scored 12 points.

EDINBORO STORYLINES

• The Fighting Scots clinched a PSAC Tournament appearance for a seventh consecutive season last week. This is the 22^nd time Edinboro has qualified for the postseason under head coach Stan Swank.
• Earlier this season, the Fighting Scots ran off 16 straight wins before seeing their streak snapped in a loss at Slippery Rock. The 16-game winning streak was the longest since the 2011-12 squad won 24 in a row and the second-longest streak in school history.
• Edinboro is in a third place tie with Mercyhurst in the PSAC West with 14-4 records. California(Pa.) holds down first place at 17-1, with Indiana(Pa.) second at 16-3. The Fighting Scots have split the season series with California(Pa.) and IUP, and defeated Mercyhurst earlier in the year. The two will meet again on Saturday. Edinboro wraps up the regular season with home games against Slippery Rock (Feb. 22) and Clarion (Feb. 25). The top two seeds in each division receive first round byes in the PSAC Tournament.
• The Fighting Scots were among "others receiving votes" in the latest WBCA Coaches' Poll and were ranked 25^th in this week's D2SIDA Media Poll a week ago. The two losses dropped Edinboro to sixth in the latest D2SIDA Atlantic Region poll. The first NCAA regional rankings are due out on Wednesday.
• Edinboro ranks third in the PSAC in scoring offense (70.8 ppg.) and fifth in scoring defense (59.3 ppg.). The Fighting Scots have scored 70-or-more points just twice in the last seven games, and have allowed 83 and 79 points the last two games after holding 15 of their last 20 opponents to under 60 points. Edinboro has scored over 70 points 13 times and hit 90 points on two occasions.
• The Fighting Scots rank fifth in the nation in turnover margin (+8.79) and 10^th in turnovers forced per game (22.92). Edinboro's 296 total steals ranks second in the PSAC and ninth in Division II. In addition, Edinboro has forced opposing teams into 20-or-more turnovers in all but six games.
• After being outrebounded just four times in their first 18 games, the Fighting Scots have been outrebounded in five of the last six contests.

 
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Katie Fischer (G, 5'7'' Sr.)

• All-PSAC West Preseason selection Katie Fischer leads the Edinboro offense from her point guard spot. Fischer ranks 12^th in the PSAC in scoring at 14.3 ppg.
• Ranks fifth in the PSAC with 111 assists and eighth in steals with 50. Fischer also ranks fifth in the conference with 51 3-pointers.
• Recently scored her 1,000^th career point. The 5'7'' point guard scored 309 points as a Laker and has totaled 809 points in two seasons as a member of the Fighting Scots for 1,118 career points.

Michelle Jahn (G, 5'8'', So.)

• Ranks ninth in the PSAC with 46 3-pointers and seventh in 3-pt. percentage (32.2 pct.). Has hit a 3-pointer in all but four contests this season.
• Fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 9.9 ppg.

Ciara Rosten (F, 6'2'', Jr.)

• Second on the team in scoring, averaging 11.8 ppg., and leads the squad with 6.6 rpg.
• Scored a career-high 32 points on 13-of-14 shooting in the season's first meeting with IUP.
• Ranks fifth in the PSAC with 37 blocks. Has recorded multiple blocks in five of the past eight contests

Michaela Barnes (G, 5'6'', Fr.)

• Has started every game this season, averaging 9.3 ppg. and 2.3 rpg.
• Named the PSAC West Freshman of the Week three times.

Jontay Walton (G, 5'7'', R-So.)

• Third on the team in scoring, averaging 10.0 ppg. while coming off the bench.
• Has scored in double figures 11 times.
• Second on the squad and sixth in the PSAC with 50 steals.

 

						PPG	RPG	OTHER
F	15	Ciara Rosten	6-2	Jr.	Buffalo, N.Y.	11.8	6.6	45 STLS, 37 BLKS
F	21	Nicole Johnson	5-10	Sr.	Pittsburgh, Pa.	3.8	4.7	23 STLS
G	2	Michaela Barnes	5-6	Fr.	Chagrin Falls, Ohio	9.3	2.3	30 ASTS, 27 STLS
G	4	Katie Fischer	5-7	Sr.	Ambridge, Pa.	14.3	3.4	111 ASTS, 51 STLS
G	20	Michelle Jahn	5-8	So.	Edinboro, Pa.	9.9	2.6	36 STLS

 

						PPG	RPG	OTHER
F	5	Maggie Moore	6-2	Sr.	Olean, N.Y.	3.3	4.8	19 BLKS
F	32	Allison Thompson	6-0	Sr.	Erie, Pa.	2.5	1.5	5 STLS
G	1	Jontay Walton	5-7	R-So.	Buffalo, N.Y.	10.0	3.0	50 STLS, 28 ASTS
G	11	Cheniya Sharpe	5-11	So.	Springfield, Va.	2.2	3.8	19 STLS

 
GANNON STORYLINES

• The improving Lady Knights made it three wins in their last four games with a 73-68 overtime win at Clarion on Saturday.
• Gannon averages 60.1 ppg., good for tenth in the PSAC, while allowing 70.0 ppg., which ranks 13^th.  The Lady Knights are last in the conference in turnover margin (-7.36).
• Ashland transfer Maggie Mitchell ranks as one of the leading scorers in the PSAC at 17.2 ppg. The junior guard has made 59-of-155 3-pointers, ranking second in 3-pointers made per game (2.4). Mitchell has boosted her average thanks to a three-game stretch in which she scored 33 points at Seton Hill, 27 points vs. California(Pa.), and 26 at Clarion. In addition to averaging 28.7 ppg. over the three games, she has made 16 of 26 3-pointers.  

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Maggie Mitchell (G, 5'7'', Jr.)

• Ranks fourth in the PSAC in scoring at 17.2 ppg. after averaging 28.7 points over her last three games.
• Has made 59-of-155 3-pointers, good for second in the PSAC in 3-pointers made per game (2.4).

Lanise Saunders (C, 6'2", R-Sr.)

• Stands second on the team in scoring at 10.1 ppg. and is first on the team and eighth in the PSAC in rebounding at 8.1 rpg.
• Has 36 blocked shots, which is sixth in the PSAC.

 
 

						PPG	RPG
F	34	Lauren Tewes	5-11	So.	Waterford, Mich.	5.5	4.6
C	54	Lanise Saunders	6-2	R-Sr.	Pittsburgh, Pa.	10.1	8.1
G	10	Maggie Mitchell	5-7	Jr.	Newark, Ohio	17.2	4.2
G	13	Chelsie Rourke	5-11	Fr.	Gibsonia, Pa.	7.2	3.4
G	4	Julia Braungart	5-6	Fr.	Southampton, N.J..	5.3	2.3

 
 

UP NEXT

• The Fighting Scots return to Erie once again for a showdown with Mercyhurst on Saturday, February 18. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m.