ERIE, Pa. - The Mercyhurst men's basketball team had a chance to clinch a post-season bid and guarantee Gannon no better than a fourth-place finish in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division. However, the Golden Knights placed all five starters in double digits and posted a 71-59 victory over their rival Wednesday night at the Hammermill Center.

The victory earned Gannon a season split with Mercyhurst. More importantly, it moved the Golden Knights into a tie with the Lakers for third place in the PSAC West.

Head coach John T. Reilly's squad can clinch a PSAC Tournament spot Saturday with a victory against Lock Haven or a California (Pa.) loss at Mercyhurst. The Golden Knights can finish third in the PSAC West with a victory and a California (Pa.) win. If both Gannon and Mercyhurst win, the Lakers would win the tiebreaker and enter the tournament as the third seed and the Golden Knights would be the fourth seed. If both teams lose, it would create a three-way tie with Cal and the tiebreaker would be broken based on where other PSAC teams finish in the standings.

Jeremiah Wise put the visitors on the board first with a jumper 23 seconds into the contest. However, it turned out to be the only time Gannon trailed the entire night. The Golden Knights ripped off a 24-4 run over the next 9:19 and assumed a commanding 24-6 lead with 9:18 left in the first half.

Gannon entered the contest averaging 58.5 points per game, but hit 10 of its first 16 shots. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights' stingy defense held the Lakers to 2-of-11 shooting with seven turnovers during the blitz.

Tanner Furno (Columbus, Ohio/Whetstone) and Travis Brannen (Elmira, N.Y./Elmira Free Academy) accounted for 18 of the 24 points. Furno made his presence know early against Division I transfer Jordan Armstrong, netting 10 points. Brannen added eight points, including two three-pointers after hitting only two all season long. Steve Piotrowicz (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) and George Johnson (Arlington, Va./Wakefield) also hit three-pointers during the opening run.

Mercyhurst answered with a 9-0 run, drawing within 24-15 at the 5:44 mark. But Gannon began a trend of answering the call. Johnson stopped the momentum with a three-pointer, bumping the lead back into double digits. The Golden Knights eventually went to halftime with a 36-23 lead on Brannen's jumper from the left baseline at the buzzer.

Neither team was able to gain an edge during the first 10 minutes of the second half. Mercyhurst then started to slowly climb back into the game. Trailing 53-39, the Lakers went on a 15-4 run during a five-minute span.

Nnamdi Nnadili's three-pointer with 3:28 showing on the clock brought Mercyhurst within 61-59. Forty-two seconds later, the entire game swung into Gannon's favor. The Lakers went to the free throw line with a chance to tie the game, but missed both free throws.

Gannon grabbed the rebound and Piotrowicz converted a lay-up while being fouled. His free throw pushed the Gannon lead to 64-59 with 2:25 to play. It was the start of a game-ending 10-0 run over the last 2:25. Brannen nailed a jumper after a Mercyhurst turnover and then scored off a lay-up after two Mercyhurst missed free throws. Three free throws in the final 36 seconds accounted for the final 71-59 score. The Lakers went 0-of-2 from the field and 0-of-6 from the free throw line in the game-clinching stretch.

All five Gannon starters reached double digits in scoring. Furno led all scorers with 18 points and eight rebounds, hitting 7-of-11 field goals and 4-of-4 free throws. Johnson recorded his second career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Brannen added 14 points and six rebounds, converting 6-of-8 shots. Piotrowicz and Alfonso Scandrett (Greensboro, N.C./Northwest Guilford) chipped in 13 and 10 points, respectively. Those five players accounted for 67 of the team's 71 points.

Gannon shot 52 percent (26-50) from the field, representing its best shooting performance since hitting 56.6 percent of its shots January 20 at Slippery Rock. The Golden Knights shot 46.7 percent (7-15) from three-point range and 70.6 percent (12-17) from the free throw line.

Nnadili and Christian Cornelius headlined the Mercyhurst scoring attack with 16 points each off the bench. The Lakers received only 16 points from their starters.

Mercyhurst shot 40 percent (20-50) from the floor, 20 percent (4-20) from behind the arc and 65.2 percent (15-23) from the charity stripe. The Lakers missed their first 12 three-point attempts and were 15-of-17 from the free throw line, before missing their final six free throw attempts.

Gannon snapped a three-game losing streak while improving to 12-14 overall and 7-6 in the PSAC Western Division. Mercyhurst dropped to 17-9 overall and 7-6 in conference play. The Golden Knights conclude the regular-season Saturday, February 27 against Lock Haven at the Hammermill Center. Game time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. It will be Senior Night as Tyler Batts (Homestead, Pa./Penn-Trafford), Robert Buckner (Louisville, Ky./Eastern), Mark Demski (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep), Preston Harris (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) and Scandrett will be honored prior to the tip-off.

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