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Sharpe, Cheniya VS slippery rock
Sean Gallagher

Women's Basketball Bob Shreve, Sports Information Director

Fighting Scots Head Out on the Road Looking for Sixth Straight Win at UPJ

EDINBORO Fighting Scots (12-7, 10-5 PSAC West) at PITT-JOHNSTOWN Mountain Cats (12-10, 7-9 PSAC West)
Saturday, February 8, 5:00 p.m. | UPJ Sports Center | Johnstown, Pa.
LINKS: LIVE STATS | AUDIO-WFSE 88.9 l WATCH
 
ADDITIONAL LINKS
EDINBORO: ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATS
PITT-JOHNSTOWN:  ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATS 

ON THE RADIO/VIDEO 
  • The Edinboro-Pitt-Johnstown game can be heard on WFSE-FM 88.9, with Chase Rowland and Nathaniel Taylor providing the commentary. 
THE GAME STORIES   
  • Edinboro has run off five straight wins and won eight of its last nine games to move into third place in the PSAC West. The lone loss in that stretch is a 66-63 loss to nationally-ranked Indiana(Pa.). The Fighting Scots are 12-7 overall after handing Gannon a 56-52 defeat on Wednesday. They now look to match the longest winning streak under second-year head coach Callie Wheeler. Last year's squad ran off six wins in the middle of the season. Pitt-Johnstown has a 12-10 overall record and is 7-9 in conference play. The Mountain Cats are tied for fifth place in the PSAC West with Seton Hill. UPJ dropped a 76-51 decision to California(Pa.) on Wednesday, and is looking to snap a two-game losing streak.
  • Michaela Barnes and Rana Elhusseini have accounted for 87 percent (117 of 134 points) of Edinboro's scoring over the last two games, wins over Mercyhurst and Gannon. Barnes has accounted for 69 points and Elhusseini 48. At one point against Mercyhurst, the backcourt duo combined to score 37 straight points. They accounted for 50 of Edinboro's 56 points vs. Gannon.  
  • Michaela Barnes was named the PSAC West Athlete of the Week for the second straight week and the fourth time this year on Monday. She broke her own school record with 43 points in last Wednesday's win at Mercyhurst and is on an incredible run of late. The 5'5" guard has scored 25-or-more points in five straight games, averaging 30.2 ppg. during that stretch. She has had 12 games of 20-or-more points and six games with 30-or-more points this season. Barnes is averaging a PSAC-leading 24.6 ppg., a figure which also ranks second in Division II. She ranks third in career points with 1,750. Her 43-point game is the sixth-highest in Division II this year.  
  • Barnes adds 5.0 rpg., ranks second on the team with 56 assists, and has made 118-of-144 free throws (81.9 pct.). In addition, she has made 24-of-63 3-pointers. The senior was an honorable mention WBCA Division II All-American, along with honorable mention Division II Bulletin All-American honors. She was also a first team All-PSAC West selection and is a two-time All-PSAC West selection and the 2017 PSAC West Freshman of the Year. A year ago, Barnes averaged a team-leading 21.0 ppg., ranking fourth in the PSAC and 15th in Division II.
  • Elhusseini was a highly-regarded recruit from Michigan who has taken over as the starting point guard. She is averaging 9.7 ppg., but has scored 24-or-more points in three of the last four games, averaging 20.8 ppg. during that stretch. The 5'3" freshman has a team-leading 63 assists. She has made 21-of-69 3-pointers and is shooting a team-leading 87.3 percent from the line (48-of-55), second in the PSAC.
  • The Fighting Scots were picked to finish third in the PSAC West in the coaches' preseason poll. They are averaging 74.1 ppg., good for fourth in the PSAC, while allowing 64.7 ppg., which ranks eighth. Pitt-Johnstown ranks seventh in scoring at 70.1 ppg., and 11th in scoring defense at 68.1 ppg. The Mountain Cats were picked to finish fourth in the preseason poll.
  • Barnes and Elhusseini are hardly Edinboro's lone offensive threats. Bridgette Shaffer stands second on the team in scoring and rebounding at 13.3 ppg. and 6.7 rpg. She has made 60-of-141 3-pointers, ranking first in the PSAC 3-pointers made per game (3.2) and third in 3-point field goal percentage (42.6 pct.). A year ago, she made 49-of-118 3-pointers. The 5'10" graduate student posted a career-high 25 points against Indiana(Pa.) recently, making seven 3-pointers. She had made at least one 3-pointer in every game this year and 20 straight games dating back to last year before missing all three attempts on Wednesday.
  • Cheniya Sharpe has had five double-doubles in the last eight games, along with pulling down 10-or-more rebounds in six of the last eight games. That includes a 12-rebound effort vs. Gannon. The 5'11" redshirt senior is averaging 7.2 ppg. and 9.3 rpg. She is second in the conference in rebounding. Over the last eight games, she is averaging 10.0 ppg. and 11.6 rpg. She is shooting 53.8 percent from the floor. Sharpe sat out the 2018-19 season with an injury. She has been named the PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Week twice.
  • Monica Brown has started the last 16 games and plays a key role defensively. The 5'8" sophomore spearheaded a pressing defense against Indiana(Pa.) that keyed Edinboro's comeback, forcing IUP into turnover after turnover. The Crimson Hawks finished the night with 25 turnovers, with Brown registering four steals. She is averaging 4.7 ppg. and has a team-high 36 steals.
  • The Edinboro bench features Madison Amalia and Bella Burrelli. Amalia, a junior guard, started the first four games at point guard, but missed the next five games with an injury. She is averaging 6.0 ppg. and has made 19-of-68 3-pointers. Burrelli, a standout on the volleyball team, did not join the basketball team until after the volleyball campaign ended. A 6'0" freshman, she contributes 4.4 ppg. and 3.6 rpg, in 15 contests.
ALL-TIME SERIES vs. PITT-JOHNSTOWN
  • Edinboro leads 18-11
  • First Meeting: 1978-79 – Edinboro 89, Pitt-Johnstown 58
  • Last Meeting: 2019-20 – Edinboro 86, Pitt-Johnstown 55
  • Current Streak: Edinboro has won 13 of the last 14 meetings 
  • Wheeler vs. UPJ: 2-1
THE LAST MEETING – January 8, 2020 – Edinboro 86, Pitt-Johnstown 55 at Edinboro, Pa.
Edinboro used a relentless performance on the glass and defensively to defeat Pitt-Johnstown for the 13th time in the last 14 meetings. UPJ shot just 35.8 percent (19-of-53), including 4-of-25 on 3-pointers. The rebounding battle would end up going to Edinboro by a wide 47-25 margin, with the Fighting Scots pulling down 18 on the offensive end. They also forced UPJ into 27 turnovers. Edinboro held a 54-24 advantage on points in the paint and 27-17 in points off turnovers.  Cheniya Sharpe paced the effort, scoring a career-high 19 points while pulling down 12 rebounds (six offensive). She made 7-of-11 field goals and was 5-of-6 at the line, while adding three steals. Edinboro finished the night with 19 steals. Michaela Barnes led all scorers with 24 points, making 10-of-15 field goals and 4-of-5 free throws. She added four assists. Madison Amalia came off the bench to contribute 10 points and three steals. Bella Burrelli was another strong bench contributor, as the freshman forward totaled eight points and eight rebounds. Monica Brown totaled nine points, with freshman point guard Rana Elhusseini contributing six assists, five rebounds, and five steals. Makalyn Clapper came off the bench to finish with 12 points for UPJ, with Gabrielle Smith also in double figures with 10 points.
 
HEAD COACH
Callie Wheeler (Edinboro '06) – 32-16, 2nd Year
  • Callie Wheeler was 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. In her first season as head coach, she led Edinboro to a 20-9 record, the ninth straight 20-win campaign. The Fighting Scots made the PSAC Tournament for the tenth straight season and earned a berth in the NCAA Division II Tournament for the second straight year.   
  • 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. As a senior, the 5'5" guard set a school record with 249 assists. She led the PSAC in both assists and steals, finishing with 95 in the latter category.
  • 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 PITT-JOHNSTOWN
  • UPJ (12-10, 7-9 PSAC West) has been through an up-and-down campaign after being picked to finish fourth in the PSAC West. After opening the season with seven wins in their first eight games, the Mountain Cats lost six straight games, the last an 86-55 decision at Edinboro. They proceeded to win five of their next six games, but have since dropped back-to-back games to Gannon and Cal U. Head coach Mike Drahos' team is 8-3 at home. UPJ features three players scoring in double figures, led by All-PSAC West performers Gabrielle Smith and Alli McGrath. Smith, a 6'0" senior, was a first team selection and comes in averaging 16.5 ppg. and 4.8 rpg. She has made 131-of-157 free throws (83.4 pct.). She ranks tenth in the PSAC in scoring and is ninth in career scoring at UPJ with 1,440 points. McGrath, a former transfer from UMBC who was a second team All-PSAC West selection a year ago, adds 15.7 ppg. and 5.1 rpg. A 5'10" senior, she has made 36-of-115 3-pointers. Olivia Fasick, a 5'8" freshman guard, is also in double digits at 10.5 ppg. and has made 31-of-112 3-pointers. She leads the team with 90 assists and 52 steals, leading the PSAC in steals and ranking seventh in assists. Maddie Shanahan is the team's leading rebounder at 6.1 per game. She is a 6'1" junior.              
EDINBORO CAREER SCORING LEADERS
  1.  Samantha Reimer (2006-10) – 1,926 points
  2. Jessica Rowe (1996-2000) – 1,846 points
  3. Montique Wade (1986-90) -- 1,775 points
  4. Michaela Barnes (2016-pres.) – 1,750 points
  5. Sarah Jay (1986-90) – 1,652 points
 
NEXT FOR THE FIGHTING SCOTS:  Wednesday, February 12 at Clarion – 5:30 p.m.
 
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Players Mentioned

Michaela Barnes

#2 Michaela Barnes

G
5' 5"
Senior
Monica Brown

#3 Monica Brown

G
5' 8"
Sophomore
Bridgette Shaffer

#1 Bridgette Shaffer

G/F
5' 10"
Redshirt Senior
Cheniya Sharpe

#11 Cheniya Sharpe

F
5' 11"
Redshirt Senior
Rana Elhusseini

#0 Rana Elhusseini

G
5' 3"
Freshman
Madison Amalia

#21 Madison Amalia

G
5' 5"
Junior
Bella Burrelli

#5 Bella Burrelli

F
6' 0"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Michaela Barnes

#2 Michaela Barnes

5' 5"
Senior
G
Monica Brown

#3 Monica Brown

5' 8"
Sophomore
G
Bridgette Shaffer

#1 Bridgette Shaffer

5' 10"
Redshirt Senior
G/F
Cheniya Sharpe

#11 Cheniya Sharpe

5' 11"
Redshirt Senior
F
Rana Elhusseini

#0 Rana Elhusseini

5' 3"
Freshman
G
Madison Amalia

#21 Madison Amalia

5' 5"
Junior
G
Bella Burrelli

#5 Bella Burrelli

6' 0"
Freshman
F