ERIE, Pa. - Guess what carried the Gannon men's basketball team to the 35th annual Porreco Cup championship game Tuesday evening at the Hammermill Center. The same things that have carried it to eight consecutive victories --- unbelievable defensive pressure and hustle.

Gannon forced 14 turnovers and limited Shippensburg to 31.8-percent (7-22) shooting in the first half and coasted to an easier-than-expected 76-45 victory in the Christmas tournament championship.

Head coach John T. Reilly's club has been dominant during its best start since 2002-03. The Golden Knights have not trailed since 9:35 left in the first half against Lake Erie in the second game of the season, a span of 270 minutes and 25 seconds. The squad has trailed for only 11:52 of 320 minutes this season.

Gannon jumped out to an early lead for the second consecutive night with defense leading to offense. Pierre Howard (Chicago, Ill./Bloom) sandwiched four points around a Kyle Goldcamp (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic) jumper, before Shippensburg called timeout 2:23 into the contest.

George Johnson's (Arlington, Va./Wakefield) three-pointer at the 15:02 mark capped a brief 8-0 run that put Gannon in front 14-4. The Golden Knights then gradually increased their lead throughout the remainder of the half, before heading to the intermission with a 45-21 lead.

Gannon had a halftime lead of at least 17 points for the eighth consecutive game after shooting 62.1 percent (18-29) in the first 20 minutes.

Shippensburg cut the deficit to 18 points on two occasions in the second half, but a 16-2 run late in the contest iced the victory. A pair of free throws by Justin Minter were the only points for Shippensburg during the run that lasted from the 7:24 mark until 3:07 remained in the contest. In all, the Red Raiders converted only two field goals in the final eight minutes.

Goldcamp led Gannon with his fourth double-double, posting a game-high 20 points and 14 rebounds. The tournament MVP added five steals and four assists.

Howard, who landed a spot on the all-tournament team, reached double digits for the eighth consecutive game with 15 points. Tyler Stoczynski (Erie, Pa./McDowell) chipped in a season-high 14 points off the bench.

Joe Lindsey (Spring Valley, N.Y./Spring Valley) was also named to the all-tournament team. The senior point guard recorded 22 points and six assists in two games. He committed only two turnovers in 59 minutes.

Gannon shot 46.2 percent (30-65) from the field, 20 percent (2-10) from three-point range, and 66.7 percent (14-21) from the free throw line.

Stephon Draper, an all-tournament selection, was Shippensburg's only double-digit scorer with 10 points. The Red Raiders shot 32.6 percent (15-46) from the floor, 28.6 percent (2-7) from behind the arc, and 81.3 percent (13-16) from the charity stripe.

Gannon, ranked No. 4 in NCAA Division II, improved to 8-0 while extending its home winning streak to 18 games. The Golden Knights have won 29 consecutive games when leading at halftime and have out-rebounded their opponent 23 straight times. Shippensburg dropped to 7-2.

Gannon returns to action Saturday, January 3 against Kutztown at the Hammermill Center. The Golden Bears are off to a 9-0 start after being picked to win the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division. Game time is scheduled for 3 p.m.

For a complete box score from Tuesday's Gannon-Shippensburg men's basketball game, please click here.

Seton Hill defeated Caldwell (N.J.) 73-63 in the consolation game. For a complete box score from Tuesday's Seton Hill-Caldwell men's basketball game, please click here.