Father-daughter duo savor Gannon's postseason chance
The last time Cleve Wright coached a postseason tournament game, he and the Gannon women's basketball team left IUP with a PSAC championship.
The Golden Knights were getting ready to host the Atlantic Regional. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the cancellation of the 2020 NCAA Tournament.
Wright's daughter, Emma, also missed her chance to experience Nationals that year as a member of Grand Valley State's team. The Lakers were scheduled to open regional play that year in Springfield, Missouri.
Now together at Gannon, the Wrights – and the rest of the Golden Knights – enjoyed a night of tournament basketball for the first time in two years.
Emma Wright and Samantha Pirosko had double-doubles as Gannon defeated Pitt-Johnstown 70-44 in a PSAC Tournament quarterfinal at Highmark Events Center.
Pirosko led the way with 19 points and 13 rebounds while Wright added 17 points and 10 rebounds. Tori Obenrader totaled 13 points and nine rebounds for the Knights (22-6).
Gannon advanced to the PSAC Tournament semifinals at Kutztown. The Knights will take on the host Bears on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Shepherd and Cal U will play the opener that day at 1 p.m.
Emma Wright grew up around father's Gannon teams
Emma Wright remembers watching her father's old Gannon teams when she was growing up in Erie. Coach Wright's previous stint at Gannon spanned 2002 until 2013 before he returned in 2018.
"I definitely looked up to those girls a lot when I was young," Emma Wright said. "I didn't realize how much that every person on the floor has to work and has to care and has give to each other. I'm so lucky to be part of it now."
The younger Wright had decided to transfer from Grand Valley after the 2019-20 school year and found herself getting recruited by her father to Gannon.
"I told her I would love to have her on our team because she would make us better," Cleve Wright said.
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Emma Wright made an immediate impact in her first year with the team in 2020-21. She started all 14 games, averaging 10.6 points and 4.9 rebounds. She was second on the team in scoring as the Knights went 13-1 but did not receive an invitation to NCAAs.
In 2021-22, Wright, now a graduate student, has similar numbers with averages of 10.3 points and 4.8 rebounds.
"Emma handles everything so very well," Cleve Wright said. "She loves her teammates dearly. She loves playing basketball. She works extremely hard like a lot of our players do and she fits in well."
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Emma Wright says she has plenty of childhood memories from her time spent at the gym formerly known as the Hammermill Center. The feel inside the place has changed a bit now that she runs the floor herself.
"I thought it would feel like I'm at the 'mill when I was super young," she said. "But when I spent more time with team, now, it's just wow. I'm with my team in our gym and it's a lightning sort of energy."
GU overwhelmed UPJ over final 3 quarters
The Knights trailed 17-13 through the first quarter before outscoring the Mountain Cats 57-27 over the final three quarters.
"We really just wanted to come together and get stops," Pirosko said. "We really just focused in on our defense and that fueled our offense."
Gannon closed the third quarter on a 13-2 run. Obenrader and Faith Williams had four points apiece in that stretch.
The Knights held their lead in double-figures the rest of the way. They closed the contest on an 11-0 run; Obenrader had seven points and Wright scored the other four.
Gannon shot 48.0 percent from the field, making 24 of 50 shots, and dominated the inside game. The Knights held the UPJ offense to 28.3 percent (15 of 53).
Olivia Fasick led UPJ (12-17) with 11 points.
Contact Josh Reilly at jreilly@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNreilly.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Father-daughter duo cherish Gannon's postseason opportunity
