CLARION, Pa. - George Johnson (Arlington, Va./Wakefield) hit a career-high six three-pointers, but it wasn't enough Saturday afternoon as the Gannon men's basketball team fell 70-51 at Clarion in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division contest.

Clarion shot 51.6 percent (16-31) and committed only three turnovers in the first 20 minutes as the Golden Eagles raced out to a 38-23 halftime lead. The two teams exchanged runs until the home squad took control late in the half.

Lloyd Harrison's three-pointer began a 7-0 run that put Clarion in front 16-9. Gannon answered with three-pointers from Danard Crouch (Syracuse, N.Y./Anthony Henninger) and Johnson.

Clarion led 23-20, before it out-scored Gannon 15-3 during the final 6:16 of the first half. The Golden Knights went 1-for-6 with four turnovers during that time span. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles converted 5-of-6 shots during the middle part of the run.

Gannon was never able to cut the deficit to single digits in the final 20 minutes. The Clarion lead ballooned to 20 points (46-26) 4:02 into the second half. Back-to-back three-pointers from Johnson and Crouch cut the deficit to 57-44 with 8:45 to play, but the Golden Eagles quickly responded with eight straight points to regain control at 65-44.

The same duo of Crouch and Johnson ended the game with back-to-back lay-ups, accounting for the final 70-51 score.

Johnson led all scorers with 26 points and seven rebounds, hitting 6-of-8 three-pointers. The junior guard has scored 26 points or more three times this season. Crouch was the only other Golden Knight in double digits with 11 points off the bench.

Gannon shot 40 percent (20-50) from the field, 38.1 percent (8-21) from three-point range and 42.9 percent (3-7) from the free throw line.

Shameel Carty led four Golden Eagles in double digits, producing 15 points off the bench. Paul McQueen produced 13 points and seven rebounds. Jamar Harrison and Lloyd Harrison chipped in 12 and 11 points, respectively.

Clarion shot 50 percent (25-50) from the floor, 43.8 percent (7-16) from behind the arc and 72.2 percent (13-18) from the charity stripe.

Gannon dropped to 6-8 overall and 1-1 in the PSAC Western Division. Clarion improved to 9-6 overall while balancing its conference record at 1-1. The Golden Knights return to action Wednesday, January 20 at Slippery Rock. Game time is scheduled for 8 p.m.

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