No. 19 EDINBORO Fighting Scots (2-1, 0-0 PSAC West) at WEST CHESTER Golden Rams (4-3, 0-0 PSAC East) 
Saturday, December 1, 2018, 1:00 PM | Hollinger Field House | West Chester, Pa.
LINKS: LIVE STATS | AUDIO-WFSE 88.9 l WATCH
 
No. 19 EDINBORO Fighting Scots (2-1, 0-0 PSAC West) at BLOOMSBURG Huskies (4-2, 0-0 PSAC East) 
Sunday, December 2, 2018, 1:00 PM | Nelson Field House | Bloomsburg, Pa.
LINKS: LIVE STATS | AUDIO-WFSE 88.9 l WATCH

ADDITIONAL LINKS
EDINBORO: ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATS
WEST CHESTER: ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATS
BLOOMSBURG:  ROSTER l SCHEDULE l STATS 

The Game Story

• Edinboro returns to the hardcourt for the first time since November 13 when the Fighting Scots posted a 92-61 win at Wheeling Jesuit. That marked the third game in five days for the Scots. Edinboro opened the season splitting a pair of contests in the Lady Panther Tip-Off Classic. Both games came against 2018 NCAA Tournament teams. In a rematch of a first round Atlantic Region game, the Fighting Scots defeated Virginia State, 67-60, before suffering a 79-58 loss to host and then 18th-ranked Virginia Union. The game with West Chester will mark the third game in the first four contests against a team which won 20 games and played in the NCAA Atlantic Regional for Edinboro. 
• The Fighting Scots opened the season ranked 11th in the WBCA Division II preseason Top 25. The loss to Virginia Union dropped Edinboro to 19th in the rankings.
• The Fighting Scots got off to a slow start at Wheeling Jesuit before going on a 27-2 run to blow the game open. Edinboro held a slim 38-35 margin at the half, with Wheeling Jesuit taking a 39-38 lead early in the third period. A pair of Michelle Jahn three's gave the lead back to the Fighting Scots, but they still led just 59-50 with four minutes left in the third quarter. The Fighting Scots would run off the next 20 points to blow the game open. That was part of a 27-2 run overall as the lead reached 86-52 with 4:57 left.
• Ciara Rosten had her second double-double in three games with 22 and 15 rebounds, leading five players in double digits. Bridgette Shaffer had a career-high 11 points plus 10 rebounds for her first career double-double.
• The Fighting Scots finished with a 27-4 record a year, winning the PSAC championship and advancing to the semifinals of the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional.  Four starters return from that squad. All-American Ciara Rosten leads the way. The 6'2" senior was an honorable mention WBCA All-American, while also being named the PSAC West Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. In addition to Rosten, Jontay Walton was a first team All-PSAC West choice, while Michelle Jahn and Michaela Barnes were second team selections.
• Edinboro looks to extend a streak of eight straight seasons with 20-or-more wins. During that period, the Fighting Scots own a 193-50 record. They won their fifth PSAC championship a year ago, and fourth since 2011.
• Ciara Rosten headlines a group of four returning All-PSAC performers. The senior forward was the PSAC West Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, and went on to earn several All-American accolades. She was joined on the All-PSAC West first team by guard Jontay Walton, while guards Michelle Jahn and Michaela Barnes were accorded second team honors.
• West Chester was picked to finish third in the PSAC East in the coaches' preseason poll, while Bloomsburg was fourth. WCU finished with a 23-6 record a year ago, including a 106-78 loss to Edinboro in the PSAC Tournament semifinals. The Golden Rams are currently 4-3 after an 82-56 at Jefferson on Wednesday. Bloomsburg is 4-2 and last played on Tuesday, claiming a 77-62 win over Chestnut Hill. The Huskies host Gannon on Saturday before playing Edinboro on Sunday.
• Edinboro comes in averaging 72.3 ppg,, good for fifth in the PSAC, while allowing 66.7 ppg., which ranks tenth. West Chester has averages of 73.1 ppg. on offense and 73.0 ppg. on defense, ranking fourth and 14th, respectively, in the PSAC. Finally, Bloomsburg ranks 16th in the conference in scoring offense (62.5 ppg.) and fifth in scoring defense (59.0 ppg.).
• Following this weekend's games, Edinboro will finally play at home. The Fighting Scots debut at McComb Fieldhouse on Saturday, December 8, hosting East Stroudsburg after opening the season with straight games on the road.    

All-Time Series vs. West Chester

• Edinboro leads 17-7
• First Meeting: 1975-76 – Edinboro 65, West Chester 64 
• Last Meeting: 2017-18 – Edinboro 106, West Chester 78 at Indiana, Pa.
• Current Streak: Edinboro has won seven of the last nine meetings  
• Wheeler vs. West Chester: 0-0

Last Meeting 
March 9, 2018 -- Edinboro 106, West Chester 78 at Indiana, Pa. BOX SCORE | RECAP

• No. 11 Edinboro reached the PSAC Championship for the first time in four years with a 106-78 win over West Chester in the PSAC Semifinals at IUP's Kovalchick Complex. In the process, the Fighting Scots snapped West Chester's 18-game winning streak.
• Edinboro started the contest on a 9-0 run lasting over five minutes. After a WCU three, the Fighting Scots ran off another nine straight points for an 18-3 lead with 2:40 remaining in the first quarter.  ????
• Edinboro would lead 28-10 after 10 minutes, as the Scots shot 73.3 percent (11-of-15) from the field in the opening period, while the Golden Rams were held to an 18.8 percent (3-of-16) clip. 
• WCU's Alexis Anderson cut the Fighting Scots lead to 16 points at 28-12, but Walton answered with six straight points for Edinboro. She made a layup and converted the old-fashioned three-point play, followed by a 3-pointer. Her 3-pointer put the Fighting Scots up by 22 points at 34-12 with 9:10 left until halftime. 
• Edinboro ended the first half up 60-34 and made 8-of-9 3-pointers. Its lead would increase to 77-47 after three quarters. The Scots led by 20-or-more points until the fourth quarter, when the Golden Rams trimmed the lead to 18 points on four occasions. However, that's as close as West Chester got the rest of the way. The Fighting Scots led by as much as 31 points in the game.
• Edinboro ended the contest shooting 51.5 percent (35-of-68) from the floor, including 9-of-15 on 3-pointers, and  went 27-of-31 at the line. West Chester was held to 35.1 percent (27-of-77) from the floor, making 7-of-26 3-pointers, and was 17-of-28 on free throws. The Fighting Scots also won the battle on the glass, 51-36.
• Michaela Barnes was one of six Fighting Scots in double figures. She scored a career-high 29 points, shooting 7-of-13 from the floor and 15-for-15 at the line. 
• Jontay Walton added 19 points, with 9 assists and 6 rebounds. Ciara Rosten recorded her 18th double-double of the year with 13 points and 13 rebounds, while also blocking three shots. Michele Jahn scored 14 points, making all four of her 3-pointers attempted.
• Ayana Vaughn added 12 points, while Bridgette Shaffer contributed scored 10 points and 5 rebounds. 
• Mia Hopkins led West Chester with 16 points. Porscha Speller added 14 points. Lexi Bruno and Gabrielle Troisi each contributed 13 points, with Troisi grabbing 10 boards. ???????

All-Time Series vs. Bloomsburg

• Edinboro leads 16-12
• First Meeting: 1974-75 – Edinboro 84, Bloomsburg 52 
• Last Meeting: 2016-17 – Edinboro 106, West Chester 78 at Indiana, Pa.
• Current Streak: Edinboro has won three of the last four meetings  
• Wheeler vs. Bloomsburg: 0-0

Last Meeting 
January 9, 2017 -- Edinboro 63, Bloomsburg 55 at Bloomsburg, Pa. BOX SCORE | RECAP

• Edinboro pushed its winning streak to 13 games with a 63-55 victory at Bloomsburg. For the twelfth time this season and seventh time in the last eight outings, the Fighting Scots held their opponent to under 60 points and for the sixth time in the last seven games the Edinboro pressure defense forced an opponent into more than 20 turnovers as the Huskies committed 21 errors in the contest.
• Michaela Barnes led a trio of Fighting Scots scorers in double figures, finishing with 15 points. Jontay Walton finished with 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including hitting 2-of-4 3-pointers, and Ciara Rosten made 5-of-7 field goals to total 10 points.
• After leading by just one-point at the conclusion of the first quarter at 17-16, the Fighting Scots took a six-point half time lead at 32-26. Edinboro concluded the first half scoring the final five points of the period while holding the Huskies scoreless for over two minutes.
• Leading 41-37 with just under five minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Fighting Scots orchestrated a 15-6 run to take a double-digit lead at 56-43 with eight minutes left in the contest. The stretch was bookended by a pair of Walton layups and featured seven points from Barnes.
• The Fighting Scots limited the Huskies' leading scorer, Morgan Klunk, to just five points on 2-of-9 shooting. Taylor Sneidman led the Huskies with 14 points while Alex Ross and Alyssa Mack added 11 and 10 points, respectively. Bloomsburg finished the contest shooting 41.5 percent (22-of-53) from the field and 4-of-11 from deep. Edinboro held a narrow 34-32 advantage on the glass, but had 15 offensive rebounds. 

Head Coach Callie Wheeler (Edinboro '06) -- 2-1, 1st year

• Callie Wheeler was officially named Edinboro's fifth head coach on May 23, 2018, replacing long-time head coach Stan Swank. The former Edinboro standout served as Swank's assistant coach for the previous 11 years before assuming the head coaching duties. Edinboro enjoyed great success during Wheeler's 11 seasons at Swank's side, posting a 239-86 record in her 11 seasons on the bench. That includes a string of eight straight 20-win seasons, including last year when the Fighting Scots ended the season with a 27-4 record. Edinboro won its fourth PSAC Championship in her 11 years and went on to reach the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional semifinals. It marked the fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in her tenure as assistant coach, including a trip to the Elite Eight in 2013-14. 
• Any doubts of Wheeler's ability to take over as head coach were alleviated when Wheeler filled in for a pair of games in late January last year. With Swank away from the team for his father's funeral, Wheeler guided the Fighting Scots to a 74-52 win at Slippery Rock, followed by a 73-54 victory over a Mercyhurst team, which had defeated California (Pa.) in its previous game. 
• Wheeler played for the Fighting Scots from 2002-06, and ranks as one of the all-time greatest players in Edinboro history. She became Edinboro's sixth Kodak/WBCA All-American as she earned honorable mention All-American honors. That capped a brilliant senior season in which she was named the PSAC West Athlete of the Year and was a first team All-PSAC West selection. In addition, she was selected as the Nancy Acker Award winner in 2006.
• The 5'5" guard finished as Edinboro's second-leading scorer at 12.5 ppg. as a senior, and also added 5.1 rpg. More importantly, she set a school record with 249 assists while turning the ball over just 89 times. She led the PSAC in both assists and steals, finishing with 95 in the latter category.
• Edinboro had had just one triple-double in its history prior to 2005-06, when Wheeler accomplished the fete twice. The first came against Seton Hill (20 points, 11 rebounds, 14 assists), followed by 29 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in her final home appearance vs. Shippensburg.
• As a junior, Wheeler earned second team All-PSAC West accolades after averaging 10.4 ppg. and handing out 225 assists, along with recording 91 steals. The assists ranks third all-time. She led the Fighting Scots to a 21-10 record that season, along with the team's first berth in the NCAA Division II Playoffs since 1998.
• Wheeler likely ranks at the top in a long line of standout point guards at Edinboro. While not taking over as the starter until her junior season, she concluded her career with 682 assists, despite missing the final seven games of the 2003-04 campaign due to an injury. That figure is second all-time in the PSAC. In addition, Wheeler finished with 283 career steals, a figure which ranks fourth all-time at Edinboro. She fell just shy of reaching 1,000 points for her career, finishing with 932.
• The Iorfido name (Wheeler's maiden name) is well known in Edinboro Athletics, where her family has had quite an impact. Her father, Rich, was a standout linebacker for the Edinboro football team from 1970-72, and was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame in April 2007. Callie joined her father as a member of the Edinboro Hall of Fame in October 2016. Younger sister Mandie was a standout catcher on the softball team, and a two-time All-PSAC West performer.

Scouting the Fighting Scots

• Edinboro opened the season spiltting a pair of contests in the Lady Panther Tip-Off Classic, hosted by Virginia Union. The Fighting Scots posted a 67-60 win against Virginia State before losing a 79-58 decision to Virginia Union. Both teams competed in last year's NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional, as did Edinboro. Fueled by a big second half, Edinboro improved to 2-1 with 92-61 win at Wheeling Jesuit.
• The Fighting Scots feature four returning All-PSAC performers, led by Ciara Rosten. The 6'2" senior was named to three All-American teams a year ago. She earned WBCA honorable mention All-American accolades, along with being named a D2CCA second team All-American and third team Division II Bulletin All-American. In addition, she was selected the D2CCA Atlantic Region Player of the Year, and the PSAC Athlete of the Year and Defensive Athlete of the Year. Rosten is a preseason Division II Bulletin honorable mention All-American A year ago, she averaged 15.8 ppg., second on the team, while leading the team in rebounding at 12.2 rpg. and ranking second in assists (108). She led the PSAC and ranked third in Division II in rebounds per game, along with leading the country in rebounds with 377, the third-highest total in a season at Edinboro. She also led the PSAC and was fifth in Division II in blocks per game (3.77), along with ranking fourth in the country in total blocks with a school-record 117. Rosten would end the season with eight consecutive double-doubles and had 21 for the season, leading the PSAC and ranking second in Division II. After three games, Rosten is averaging 16.0 ppg. and 11.7 rpg. She has had double-doubles against Virginia State and Wheeling Jesuit. She currently ranks second in career blocks (175) and 16th in career rebounds (604). She ranks eighth in career rebounds per game (9.4). She has scored 895 points in two-plus seasons.
• Jontay Walton joined Rosten as a first team All-PSAC West selection after leading the Fighting Scots in scoring (16.5 ppg.), assists (132), and steals (73). She scored 512 points, which ranks 16^th in a season at Edinboro, and was also sixth in a season in 3-point percentage (43.1 pct.). The 5'6" graduate student ranked ninth in the PSAC in scoring, along with third in assists (4.3 apg.), tied for sixth in steals (2.4 spg.), 11^th in free throw percentage (79.9 pct.), and tied for 14^th in 3-pointers made per game (1.7 per game). Walton is averaging a team-leading 17.3 ppg. after three contests, making 23-of-25 free throws. She has 870 career points in two-plus seasons.
• Michelle Jahn  and Michaela Barnes were accorded second team All-PSAC West honors. Jahn finished fourth on the team in scoring at 12.9 ppg. The 5'8" senior is one of the top 3-point threats in the PSAC, making 64-of-182 (35.2 pct.) from beyond the arc. She ranked fifth in the PSAC in 3-point field goal percentage and was seventh in 3-pointers made per game (2.1).  The 64 3-pointers made ranks seventh in a season at Edinboro, and the 182 3-pointers attempted is sixth. She is averaging 12.0 ppg. Jahn went over 1,000 career points in last year's PSAC playoff game vs. California(Pa.), and ranks 26th in career scoring with 1,104 points. She is also fourth in career 3-point field goals made (203), fifth in 3-pointers attempted (569), and sixth in 3-point field goal percentage (.357).
• After earning PSAC West Freshman of the Year honors in 2016-17,Barnes was the MVP of last year's PSAC Tournament. The 5'4" junior ended the year third on the team in scoring at 14.2 ppg., while finishing fourth on the team in assists (65) and third in steals (36). She comes in to the  weekend averaging 12.7 ppg.

• West Chester suffered huge losses from last year's team which finished 23-6. The Golden Rams lost four out of their five starters from last year and top-four leading scorers who accounted for 1,592 out of West Chester's 2,384 points. Even still, WCU was picked to finish third in the PSAC East in the coaches' preseason poll. The Golden Rams come in with a 4-3 record after an 82-56 loss at Jefferson on Wednesday.
• 2018 PSAC East Coach of the Year Kiera Wooden is in her fifth season as the head coach at her alma mater, with an 82-40 record. She had led the Golden Rams to four straight PSAC Tournament appearances, and three NCAA playoff berths. Wooden has won at least 20 games in three of her four years. She led the Golden Rams to the 2015 PSAC Championship Game, just the second time WCU has reached the title game. While playing for legendary coach Deirdre Kane, Wooden was a three-time All PSAC East first team selection who scored 1,378 points in her career.
• WCU is led by Destiny Jefferson, a 5'6" guard. The sophomore is averaging a team-high 17.7 ppg. along with 4.7 rpg. She has made 14-of-33 3-pointers, adding 24 assists and 10 steals.
• Jefferson leads a trio of Golden Rams scoring in double figures. Multi-talented Gabrielle Troisi (5'7" junior) comes in at 15.4 ppg. and a team-leading 9.3 rpg. She also leads the team in assists (28) and steals (12). Troisi is shooting 50.0 percent from the floor (39-of-78) and spends a great deal of time at the free throw line, making 29-of-42 from the charity stripe.
• Freshman Zhane Snow is also in double figures at 11.1 ppg. The 5'7" guard has made 9-of-22 3-pointers.

• Bloomsburg finished with a 13-16 record a year ago and was picked to finish fourth in the PSAC east in the coaches' preseason poll.  Bloomsburg returns two All-PSAC East second team selections from a year ago in senior Alyssa Mack and junior Taylor Montana. Mack led the team in scoring (10.6 ppg.) and assists 59). The 5'7" guard is averaging a team-high 14.5 ppg. and has made 15-of-35 3-pointers. 
• Montana, a 5'11" forward, led the team in rebounding (6.1 rpg.) and was second in scoring at 9.0 ppg. She is the other Husky scoring in double figures in 2018-19 at 12.3 ppg. She adds 8.2 rpg.
• Head coach Alison Tagliaferri is in her third season at Bloomsburg and has an overall record of 24-33. She has guided the Huskies to back-to-back postseason appearances which included an upset win at West Chester in the opening round of the 2017 PSAC Tournament.  She previously served as the head coach at Mansfield for four seasons, compiling a 56-117 record at Mansfield. Tagliaferri is a member of Mansfield's Hall of Fame after finishing her playing days as the all-time leader in points, field goal percentage, blocks and free throws made.
• Former McDowell standout Marissa Molnar is a threat from beyond the 3-point arc. The 5'9" senior has only made 3-of-19 2-point attempts, but she is 15-of-41 on 3-pointers. Molnar is averaging 8.5 ppg.
• Sophomore guard Emma Saxton is averaging 9.2 ppg. and has 15 assists. Darcy Lee is a 6'1" sophomore who pulled down 9.0 rpg. over the first three contests, but she has not played in the last three games.
• Bloomsburg specializes in low-scoring games. The Huskies average 62.5 ppg., but allow just 59.0 ppg.