ERIE, Pa. - The Gannon men's basketball team has been making life difficult for most teams this season with the nation's top-ranked defense. Wednesday night was no different for the hard-nosed Golden Knights. Gannon held Slippery Rock, who entered the game as the PSAC's second-best offense with 85.8 points per game, 26 points below its average en route to an 80-60 victory at the Hammermill Center.

Slippery Rock scored the game's first six points and seemed poised to make Wednesday's game a battle after Denell Stephen's fast-break dunk caused head coach John T. Reilly to call time-out 1:23 into the contest.

However, Gannon responded out of the time-out with a 16-5 run. Four different Golden Knights scored during the run, capped by Cory Knight's (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) jumper and three-pointer on consecutive possessions.

Slippery Rock momentarily stopped the momentum on Erroll Robinson's three-pointer at the 10:40 mark, before Gannon followed with a 16-3 run over the next 4:34. The Golden Knights hit three triples during the blitz, including two by Joe Lindsey (Spring Valley, N.Y./Spring Valley). Alfonso Scandrett's (Greensboro, N.C./Northwest Guilford) lay-up with 6:06 left in the first half capped the run and gave the Golden Knights a 32-16 lead. Gannon later went to halftime with a 38-21 advantage.

Gannon played the majority of the second half with a lead in excess of 20 points. Slippery Rock got closest on Kyle Camper's three-pointer with 2:08 to play, cutting the deficit to 74-59. A pair of free throws by Pierre Howard (Chicago, Ill./Bloom) provided the final 80-60 score.

Four players reached double digits in scoring for the Golden Knights. Lindsey's 18 points, eight assists, and five rebounds led the way. Howard added 16 points, including a 7-of-7 chart from the free throw line.

Tyler Stoczynski (Erie, Pa./McDowell) and George Johnson (Arlington, Va./Wakefield) contributed 12 points each.

Gannon shot 50.9 percent (29-57) from the field, 37.5 percent (6-16) from three-point range, and 94.1 percent (16-17) from the free throw line.

Maron Brown headlined the Slippery Rock offensive unit with 18 points. Stephens had a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Slippery Rock shot 37.3 percent (22-59) from the floor, 29.2 percent (7-24) from behind the arc, and 60 percent (9-15) from the charity stripe.

Gannon, ranked No. 8 in NCAA Division II, improved to 13-2 overall and 2-1 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division with its second consecutive victory. Slippery Rock dropped to 10-6 overall and 1-2 in conference play. The Golden Knights return to action Saturday, January 24 at Indiana (Pa.). The Crimson Hawks are among others receiving votes in the latest NABC/Division II Top 25. Game time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

For a complete box score from Wednesday's Gannon-Slippery Rock men's basketball game, please click here.