ERIE, Pa. – Bowie State used a strong third quarter surge, outscoring the Lady Knights 22-6 en route to a 59-46 victory over Gannon on Saturday afternoon at the Hammermill Center. The Bulldogs went 17-of-27 (63 percent) from the floor in the decisive third frame while the Lady Knights were just 7-of-24 (29 percent) overall in the third period.
 
After two minutes had elapsed into the contest, Gannon scored its first basket on a layup from Lauren Tewes at 7:46. Nicole LaCava followed with Gannon's next basket, taking a feed from L. Tewes and drawing a foul on a made layup for a 5-2 lead.
 
Sydney Mitchell drained a three at the 4:01 mark in the first quarter to stretch the Gannon lead to 12-4. Each team went through a scoring drought to start the second quarter, with Bowie State breaking the ice on a layup by Amel Duggins with 6:54 left in the quarter.
 
Ivana Twumasi knocked down a three accounting for the Lady Knights first points of the second quarter with 4:15 showing on the second quarter clock. Holding a 20-15 lead, Tori Obenrader extended the Gannon advantage with a jumper with 3:08 left in the first half. Obenrader pushed the Gannon lead to 24-20 on a layup with less than one minute left in the opening half.
 
Bowie State (3-1) surged ahead, building a double-digit lead with a 22-6 edge in scoring during the third quarter. The Lady Knights endured a scoreless drought that spanned about four minutes of game action to begin the third quarter.
 
Sam Pirosko made a free throw, cutting the Bulldogs' lead to 36-28 in the third quarter. Bowie State responded with a 7-2 scoring run to close the third quarter for a 43-30 lead.
 
Bowie State maintained a double-digit lead throughout much of the fourth quarter, keeping the Lady Knights at bay offensively.
 
The Bulldogs dominated Gannon in the paint, holding a 42-16 advantage, converted 20 Gannon turnovers into 19 points and held a decisive 40-27 advantage on the glass.
 
Kyaja Williams led the Bulldogs in scoring with 12 points while Chyna Butler flirted with a double-double, contributing 10 points and a game-high eight rebounds.
 
Gannon (3-1) was led by Chelsea Rourke with 10 points to go along with five rebounds, two assists and one steal. Sydney Mitchell and Nicole LaCava combined for 17 points for the Lady Knights.
 
The Bulldogs will have a short turnaround time as Bowie State returns to action on Sunday (November 18) for a 3 p.m. con-conference contest at Slippery Rock.