The Gannon University women’s basketball team split four games before taking on Daemen College Tuesday in a nonconference game in Amherst, N.Y.
The Knights beat Daemen, 68-64, and will bring a 4-4 overall record into Saturday’s 1 p.m. Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference matchup on the road against Shippensburg.
Gannon stands at 2-0 in PSAC play after sweeping its first conference weekend Nov. 18-19 at the Hammermill Center.
The Knights opened conference play with a 76-73 win over West Chester and followed that by beating Cheyney, 79-70, the following day.
Prior to the PSAC opener, the Knights fell to the University of Findlay, 73-55, and in Gannon’s most recent outing, the team dropped a 65-51 decision to Virginia Union in Richmond, Va., on Saturday.
Gannon’s win over West Chester was the 700th victory in program history.
Maggie Mitchell led the win with 20 points while Nicole LaCava and Haley Tewes each contributed 12 points.
LaCava also led all Knight rebounders with nine.
Gannon led 41-31 at halftime and extended its margin to 62-41 going into the final quarter.
But in the fourth quarter, West Chester turned up the heat and pressed Gannon into nine turnovers, nibbling away at the lead.
With 54 seconds remaining the Knights led 70-69. But in the final minute Gannon made six free throws to seal the win. Overall, the Knights converted 17 of 22 free-throw attempts.
The next day, Gannon took on Cheyney, and the visitors jumped out of the gate early, staking a 10-2 lead in the first four minutes.
But this was not going to last. Gannon came back and led by three points after one quarter and maintained a lead the rest of the way after being ahead, 31-27, at halftime.
Cheyney closed to within one at 36-35 in the third quarter before the Knights ripped off a 13-5 run to pull out to a 49-40 lead. With 1 minute, 20 seconds remaining Gannon had its largest lead of the game at 79-64.
Chelsea Rourke and Mitchell finished the game with 15 points each while Rourke had 11 rebounds and Mitchell contributed four assists.
Rourke recorded her first career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds and Mitchell compiled 21 points and six rebounds in the loss to Findlay. A subpar second quarter hurt Gannon in that game as the Knights were outscored 24-12 and trailed by 14 at halftime, 40-26.
Gannon gave Virginia Union all it could handle in Saturday’s nonconference loss.
Rourke led the Knights with a season-high 17 points and Maggie Mitchell hit four threes, lifting her to second among PSAC athletes in three-pointers made with 16 this season.
Following Saturday’s meeting with Shippensburg, Gannon will take on Kutztown on the road at 1 p.m. Sunday.
CRISTINA DEL DIEGO
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