CALIFORNIA, Pa. - The No. 3 Gannon women’s basketball team received 46 points from its three starting guards and took firm control of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division Sunday afternoon with a convincing 72-61 victory at No. 22 California (Pa.).
Sunday’s contest was originally scheduled for Saturday afternoon, but was postponed due to inclement weather in southern Pennsylvania. The victory moves Gannon to 24-0 overall and 8-0 in conference play. The Lady Knights now have a two-game lead over Cal and Indiana (Pa.) while also currently holding the tiebreaker (head-to-head) over both teams with six games left. The PSAC Western Division regular-season champion will have home court advantage throughout the PSAC Tournament.
A strong first half and the ability to contain California (Pa.) All-American Brooque Williams were two of the main reasons for Sunday’s victory. Gannon out-scored California (Pa.) 40-20 in the first 20 minutes, holding the Vulcans to their lowest first-half total since January 13, 2007 when they netted 16 points against East Stroudsburg.
Meanwhile, Gannon held Williams to a season-low six points on 3-of-17 shooting. The senior guard entered the game as the PSAC’s leading scorer with 20.3 points per game, but was held to her lowest point total since scoring three points against Edinboro on February 6, 2008.
Gannon came out of the gates on fire, jumping out to a 13-4 lead 3:45 into the game.
Kristina Freeman (Yonkers, N.Y./Pelham Memorial) hit a three-pointer 19 seconds after the opening tip. The Lady Knights hit their first four shots and six of their first eight.
Tiffany Crocker’s (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Coffman) triple pushed the lead to 13-4 at the 16:15 mark.
The two teams then played on even terms until Gannon out-scored California (Pa.) 14-2 over the final eight minutes and 23 seconds.
Carrie Nolan (Girard, Pa./Girard) highlighted the blitz with six points.
Caitlyn Lowe’s (Gettysburg, Pa./Gettysburg) running jumper in the paint as time expired sent the Lady Knights into the break with a 20-point edge. The Vulcans went 0-for-10 with five turnovers in the final 7:37. The home team’s only two points during the half-ending run came at the free throw line.
Gannon shot 53.6 percent (15-28) from the field while limited California (Pa.) to 23.3-percent (7-30) shooting in the first half. The Lady Knights also had a 24-14 rebounding advantage in the first stanza.
California (Pa.) was never able to claw within single digits in the second half. Gannon grabbed its largest lead (42-20) of the afternoon on
Kim Vargas’ (Sterling, Va./Broad Run) jumper 29 seconds after the intermission. Moments later, Nolan drilled a three-pointer for a 45-23 advantage.
The home squad pulled within 11 points on two occasions. Danielle Luckett’s free throw with 1:56 to play brought the Vulcans within 66-55, before Gannon responded with four free throws. Amy Johns’ three-pointer with 17 ticks left on the clock accounted for the final 72-61 score.
Freeman led all scorers with 17 points, four rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks. Nolan narrowly missed her third career double-double with 16 points and nine rebounds. Crocker added a season-high 13 points, four rebounds and three assists.
Gannon shot 45.5 percent (25-55) from the field, 42.1 percent (8-19) from three-point range and 77.8 percent (14-18) from the free throw line.
Kayla Smith headlined the Cal attack with a double-double, recording 10 points and 13 rebounds. Crystal Andrews and Johns added 15 and 12 points, respectively.
California (Pa.) shot 30 percent (21-70) from the floor, 27.3 percent (6-22) from behind the arc and 76.5 percent (13-17) from the charity stripe.
Gannon remained undefeated at 24-0 overall and 8-0 in the PSAC Western Division. The Lady Knights have won 34 consecutive regular-season games and 40 straight contests when leading at halftime. California (Pa.) dropped to 16-5 overall and 6-2 in conference play. Head coach Cleve Wright’s squad returns to action Wednesday, February 10 against Slippery Rock at the Hammermill Center. Game time is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
For a complete box score from Sunday’s Gannon-Cal women’s basketball game, please
click here.