ERIE, Pa. -- With 10 three-pointers and a 49-35 rebounding advantage, the Gannon women's basketball team defended its home court in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament semifinal game tonight. The Knights (23-5) defeated Michigan Tech, 80-60, as the Huskies (19-9) shot their worst field goal percentage (31.7) in 25 games.
Senior Jenna Bartels broke Tech's career three-pointer record and freshman Katie Wysocky tallied a near school-record 19 rebounds in the game, which was the Huskies' first league tournament semifinal appearance since 2002.
Gannon jumped to an early 10-2 lead with a pair of three-pointers in the first two and a half minutes. Tech was back within four at the 14:06 mark before the Knights opened up their largest lead of the half at 3:59. Tech closed within 35-27 at halftime behind Bartels' second three-pointer of the half and buckets from Wysocky and Katie Zimmerman.
Two set plays to start the second half had the Huskies within 37-32 after just a minute. Gannon answered with a three-pointer and layup from league MVP Christina Jackson.
Four consecutive free throws from Sarah Stream cut the deficit to 52-45 at the 12 minute mark before the hosts drained four straight foul shots and three triples during a 13-0 run that left the score, 65-45. MTU could never trim the deficit to less than 14 the remainder of the night.
"Our whole team had a bad shooting night, and when you do that you're not going to beat a good team," said head coach John Barnes. "We got behind early and tried some different things to try to get back into it and they took advantage by getting easy baskets."
Bartels hit her record-breaking third triple (142nd of her career) with 4:31 to play as part of her 13 points for the contest. Stream tallied a team-high 20 points with 16 of those coming in the second half.
Wysocky had her fourth double-double of the season with 10 points to go with the 19 rebounds. She was one board away from tying the school record of 20 (held by Darla Innes and Sharon Walton). Alicia Schneider also tallied twin figures with 11 points to go with six rebounds.
Gannon shot 42 percent (27-of-65) for the game including a 10-of-20 mark from long range. It also turned 14 offensive rebounds into 13 second-chance points. The Huskies were 6-of-20 from behind the arc as part of their 20-of-63 shooting performance.
Michigan Tech entered the week ranked ninth in the NCAA Great Lakes Region Poll. It will now wait until the NCAA Tournament selection show Sunday night to see if it will be one of the eight teams selected for the regional field. The selection show will be available at ncaasports.com on an internet video broadcast at approximately 10:45 p.m.
Notes: Bartels broke Connie Pleshe's record of 141 career three-pointers ... Tech has won eight of its last 10 games, with its two losses coming to #15 Grand Valley State and at Gannon tonight ... Stream finished the week with 42 points in two games.
