ERIE, Pa. - Pierre Howard's (Chicago, Ill./Bloom) 19 points and Kyle Goldcamp's (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic) double-double against his former team lifted the Gannon men's basketball team to a 76-53 victory over Pitt-Johnstown Saturday night in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional hosted by Gannon University.

The first 20 minutes were almost identical to last Saturday's PSAC Championship first half. The visitors held a lead for the first 12 minutes, before Gannon got its offense rolling. Goldcamp's tip-in at the 7:20 mark gave the Golden Knights their first lead of the evening at 22-21.

Leading 33-30, Gannon got back-to-back lay-ups from Howard and George Johnson (Arlington, Va./Wakefield) in the final 34 seconds to grab a 37-30 halftime lead. Johnson's lay-up came at the buzzer after Howard blocked a shot on the defensive end.

The second half belonged to Gannon. The Golden Knights out-scored the Mountain Cats 39-23 in the final 20 minutes. The home squad owned a double-digit lead the entire second half. Tyler Stoczynski's (Erie, Pa./McDowell) lay-up with 1:27 showing on the clock gave Gannon its biggest lead of the night at 76-52.

Howard led all scorers with 19 points. Goldcamp recorded his 15th double-double in two seasons at Gannon with 14 points and a career-high 18 rebounds. In the process, he reached double digits in scoring for the 25th consecutive game dating back to last season.

Stoczynski and Johnson netted 13 points each. Cory Knight (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) added 10 markers off the bench.

Gannon shot 47 percent (31-66) from the field, 38.5 percent (10-26) from three-point range, and 100 percent (4-4) from the free throw line.

Marcus Tullis headlined the UPJ attack with 17 points. Danny Branch chipped in 11 points off the bench while Quinton Davis added 10 points.

Pitt-Johnstown shot 41.3 percent (19-46) from the floor, 40 percent (6-15) from behind the arc, and 81.8 percent (9-11) from the charity stripe.

Gannon, ranked No. 5 in NCAA Division II, improved to 28-3 overall with its ninth consecutive victory. In the process, the Golden Knights tied the school record for victories in a season and extended their unbeaten home playoff streak to 17 games. Pitt-Johnstown concluded its season at 24-8.

Head coach John T. Reilly's squad will face No. 17 Alderson-Broaddus Sunday, March 15 in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional semifinals. The Battlers defeated Johnson C. Smith 92-83 in Saturday's last quarterfinal. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

For a complete box score from Saturday's Gannon-UPJ NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional men's basketball quarterfinal game, please click here.