ERIE, Pa. – A total of six Lady Knights reached double figures in scoring during Gannon's 113-31 rout of Penn State Greater Allegheny in the 2011-12 season opener Monday night at the Hammermill Center. Gannon also set a new single-game record for assists, recording 37 as a team.
The 37 assists broke the previous record of 34 set back on February 10, 1994 when Gannon recorded 34 assists against Hilbert. The Lady Knights were also just four points shy of tying the single-game scoring record (117) also set against Hilbert.
Gannon shot 52.6 percent from the field, including hitting 12-of-31 long-range shots. The Lady Knights held Penn State Greater Allegheny to a 12-of-42 performance from the floor, not allowing a three on the night.
Gannon jumped out to an early 19-0 first half lead after holding the Lady Lions scoreless for the first five minutes of the contest. Jennifer Papich (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Fox Chapel) and
Nettie Blake (New Jersey City, N.J. / Marist) combined for 10 of the game's first 13 points, all coming in the paint.
Mollie Sebald (Broadview Heights, Ohio / Holy Name) and
Brittany Batts (Leesburg, Va. / Loudoun County) then added the next nine points to give Gannon a 27-1 lead. Sebald added a pair of lay-ups while Batts added two points in the paint before hitting the first of her five three pointers in the game. The Lady Knights continued to add to the lead, eventually holding a 59-12 edge at the break.
The Lady Lions added five of the first seven points to start the second half, however, Gannon answered with another big run, out-scoring Penn State Greater Allegheny 20-0 during a six-minute span.
The Lady Knights reached the 100-point mark with 6:51 left to play after a pair of free throws from
Jeni Jordan (Plain City, Ohio / Marysville). Gannon finished out the game on a 24-6 stretch to account for the 113-31 final score.
Batts' 21 points led the way offensively for the Lady Knights. In her collegiate debut the freshman was 8-of-13 from the floor, draining five of her 10 long-range attempts. She also added five steals, three assists and three rebounds.
Blake narrowly missed a double-double in her first game in a Gannon uniform, finishing with 18 points and seven of her eight rebounds coming off the offensive glass. She also finished with a team-high six steals.
Candice Hendricks (Randallstown, Md. / McDonogh) poured in 19 points, hitting nine of her 10 shots from the field. She racked up five assists, two blocks, and four rebounds in 26 minutes of action.
Papich hit eight of her 10 shots, adding 16 points. She finished with three steals, two blocks and one assists in just 13 minutes of work.
Caitlyn Lowe (Gettysburg, Pa. / Gettysburg) and Sebald were the other two Lady Knights to reach double digits with 12 and 10 points respectively. Lowe tied with Blake for a team-high eight rebounds. Jordan added seven assists, while
Kelley Sundberg (Mansfield, Conn. / E.O. Smith) dished out six.
The Gannon women's basketball team opened the 2011-12 season with a 1-0 record, while Penn State Greater Allegheny fell to 1-1.
Gannon will open the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference schedule on the road at East Stroudsburg on Saturday, November 19. The Lady Knights are set to take on the Warriors at 1 p.m.
