ERIE, Pa. - Travis Brannen (Elmira, N.Y./Elmira Free Academy) poured in a career-high 33 points and George Johnson (Arlington, Va./Wakefield) recorded 26 points, eight rebounds, and six assists as Gannon defeated Glenville State 88-80 Saturday night at the Hammermill Center. 

Brannen opened the second half with a spurt, scoring the first seven Golden Knight points, capped by a three-point play with 18:17 remaining to put GU ahead 44-37. Three-pointers by Nick Dent and Marcus Catney of Glenville cut the lead to 48-45 with under 16 minutes left, but Danard Crouch (Syracuse, N.Y./Anthony Henninger) hit a triple at the 14:14 mark to regain a six-point edge. 

Crouch made another three with 11:35 remaining to give Gannon a 57-48 advantage. The Pioneers could not get any closer than six points until the final minute of the game. 

The Knights led throughout the contest, taking a 9-3 lead behind five Johnson points. Gabe Gibbs' layup with 10:19 left in the first half tied the score at 13. Johnson quickly responded with two three-pointers and a jumper in the lane to put GU (2-3) ahead 21-17 with 8:02 remaining in the half. 

The Pioneers hung around though, trailing 27-26 after a Ryan Burts layup with 4:27 left. Brannen closed the first twenty minutes with seven points in the final four minutes, including a tip-in of a Filmore Bouldes (Romulus, Mich./Romulus) miss at the buzzer. Brannen and Johnson each finished the first half with 15 points and six boards as the Knights led 37-33 at the break.

Brannen finished with 33 points and 10 rebounds. He shot 15-21 from the field on his way to the most points for a Gannon player in almost four years. Shelby Chaney scored 37 points in a win over Daemen (N.Y.) on December 29, 2005. 

Johnson contributed with a fine all-around game, hitting on 9 of 15 attempts, including four three-pointers. He played 38 minutes while matching his career-high in assists with six. 

Crouch added 12 points off the bench, handing out four assists and connecting on all four of his free throw attempts. Mark Demski (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) recorded eight points and eight rebounds in his first action of the season. 

GU shot a season-high 55 percent (33-60) from the field, including 68 percent (17-25) in the second half. Gannon outscored Glenville 42-14 in the paint and 18-7 on second chance points. The Knights also outrebounded the Pioneers 40-28 in the game. 

Glenville State (1-6) shot 45.5 percent from the floor, hitting 13 of 23 three-point tries. Nick Dent scored 20 points on 6-11 shooting from downtown. Marcus Catney recorded 16 points and Ryan Burts had 14 points, five assists, and five rebounds. 

Gannon hosts Daemen College Tuesday, December 22, in its next contest. The game is set for a 7:30 p.m. start at the Hammermill Center. 

For a complete box score from Saturday's Glenville State-Gannon game, click here.