ERIE, Pa. - Good teams always come through in the clutch, in times of adversity, and when its top players are not at the top of their games. The Gannon men's basketball team is pretty good.

Gannon, playing without All-America candidate Kyle Goldcamp, used another tenacious effort on defense and got an unbelievable performance from its bench to post a convincing 88-58 victory over Kutztown in a battle of Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) unbeatens.

Head coach John T. Reilly's club looked to be in a dog fight with Kutztown, who was picked to win the PSAC Eastern Division in the preseason coaches poll. The Golden Bears led 21-20 late in the first half after an 8-0 run.

That's when Gannon went to its bench. Joe Lindsey (Spring Valley, N.Y./Spring Valley) combined with four so-called bench players in Cory Knight (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep), Tyler Stoczynski (Erie, Pa./McDowell), Mark Demski (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep), and Preston Harris (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) as the Golden Knights blitzed Kutztown over the final five minutes of the half.

Knight started the rally by drilling a three-pointer, giving the Golden Knights a 28-27 lead with 3:46 left in the half. Stoczynski then tallied five consecutive points on a three-pointer and two-point basket, before Knight added another three-pointer and free throw. In all, it was a 12-0 run that gave the Golden Knights a 37-27 lead. Stephen Dennis' jumper with 19 seconds left cut the deficit to 37-29 at halftime and was Kutztown's first field goal in three minutes and 52 seconds.

Using its bench extensively, Gannon exploded for a 20-1 second-half run that put the game out of reach. Lindsey capped the run with eight consecutive points on back-to-back three-pointers and a pair of free throws. The Golden Knights held Kutztown without a field goal for eight minutes and 50 seconds at one point of the second half. The Golden Bears converted only eight free throws between Dave Ben's lay-ups at the 16:46 and 7:56 marks. The final 88-58 score marked Gannon's largest lead of the afternoon.

Lindsey led Gannon with an unbelievable performance at point guard, tying a career-high with 24 points. The senior hit five three-pointers while adding eight assists and four steals. He has not committed more than two turnovers in a game this season, producing 36 assists and only seven turnovers in 171 minutes over the last six games.

Knight was just as effective, recording 10 points, seven assists, six rebounds, and two steals off the bench. The duo of Knight and Lindsey also did a great job defending Dennis, the PSAC's leading scorer who was held nine points below his scoring average and committed six turnovers.

Stoczynski netted a season-high 14 points off the bench for the second consecutive game. He added seven rebounds, five assists, and took several charging calls on defense. Dave Wilson (Vidalia, La./Vidalia) and Alfonso Scandrett (Greensboro, N.C./Northwest Guilford) completed Gannon's group of double-digit scorers with 12 and 11 points, respectively.

Gannon shot 53.2 percent (33-62) from the field, 57.1 percent (12-21) from three-point range, and 55.6 percent (10-18) from the free throw line. The Golden Knights have now won 19 consecutive home games, have won 30 consecutive games when leading at halftime, and have out-rebounded their opponent 24 consecutive times.

Ben led Kutztown with 21 points. Ryan Washington and Dennis chipped in 15 and 14 points, respectively. Dennis was held without a point for the first 12 minutes and 42 seconds of the second half.
Kutztown shot 33.9 percent (20-59) from the floor, 15 percent (3-20) from behind the arc, and 78.9 percent (15-19) from the charity stripe. The Golden Bears were held 34.9 points below their 92.9 season scoring average.

Gannon, ranked No. 4 in NCAA Division II, improved to 9-0 for the first time since the 2001-02 squad opened the season with 14 consecutive victories. Kutztown dropped to 9-1. The Golden Knights conclude the weekend Sunday, January 4 against East Stroudsburg at the Hammermill Center. The PSAC crossover game is scheduled for 3 p.m.

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