Just as the Erie snow begins to melt, the Gannon University women’s basketball team is heating it up.
For the second straight week, the Knights compiled a 1-1 record against Edinboro and Lock Haven universities, keeping even at .500 on the season.
Despite a 78-73 home loss to Edinboro Wednesday, senior guard Julie Kleber said the match was the team’s best game all year.
Gannon kept the match close with the 18-3 Fighting Scots throughout the first half, trailing by just two after the first 20 minutes.
Edinboro shot 60.9 percent from the field in the second half to slowly build up a 16-point lead with just less than six minutes left, but the Knights stormed back, employing an 18-4 run to cut the lead to 73-71.
The Knights could only muster a pair of free throws in the final minute, dropping their record to 10-11 overall and 2-7 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.
Despite the late lull against Edinboro, Kleber said that she was pleased with how the team played.
“Our rebounding was really working during the entire game,” Kleber said. “We played well throughout.”
Gannon traveled to face the Bald Eagles Saturday, but it was the Knights who appeared to be playing in a safe haven.
Like the Edinboro game, the first half remained close.
This time, Gannon came storming out of the gates in the second frame, mounting a 23-6 run to begin the second half. Any efforts for a Lock Haven comeback were thwarted, as the Knights nailed more than half their shots, including six second-half 3-pointers after failing to convert all nine attempts from long distance in the match against the Fighting Scots.
With a combination of even offensive production, including four Knights scoring double-digits, and some lock-down defense, Gannon coasted to a 72-55 victory to pull back to .500 on the season.
The Knights were led by Kleber’s 18 points, her sixth straight performance with at least 13 points, and freshman forward Jennifer Papich’s 13 points and 11 rebounds, her third double-double of the season.
Kleber said that the key to the second-half surge was the team’s execution. “We weren’t terrible in the first half, but we really kept going and we never let up [in the second half],” Kleber said. “You got to go from second one, because the game is only so long. You can’t afford to wait.”
With three strong games in a row, junior guard Caitlyn Lowe said that the Knights can use the stretch to their advantage.
“We can use it as motivation,” Lowe said. “Our confidence comes from the amount of time we all put together. Any team in this conference can beat any other team on any night.”
The confident Knights will play PSAC foe Mercyhurst College 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, the 75th meeting in the cross-town rivalry.
