ERIE, Pa. - Seniors Travis Brannen (Elmira, N.Y./Elmira Free Academy) and Danard Crouch (Syracuse, N.Y./Anthony Henninger) combined for 35 points, 21 rebounds, five assists and four blocks as the Gannon men's basketball team rallied from a 16-point second-half deficit en route to a 64-63 non-conference victory against Central State Monday night at the Hammermill Center.

Despite the furious rally, Monday's game was not determined until a tremendous defensive stop on Central State's final possession. Trailing by one-point, the visiting Marauders had the ball with the shot clock off. But Brannen came up with two blocks to thwart the effort. The first one came on Greg Rice's jumper from the right side with four seconds left. The rebound came to Gerald Campbell, who was then rejected by Brannen at the buzzer.

Central State seemed to be in complete control at the start of the second half, assuming its largest lead of the evening at 38-22 one minute and 34 seconds into the final stanza. However, Gannon sliced the deficit to 10 points with six quick markers, capped by a Steve Piotrowicz (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) three-pointer at the 16:25 mark.

The Central State advantage still stood at 10 points (55-45) with 9:27 remaining when Gannon started to make its run. The Golden Knights rattled off a 15-4 run over the next five minutes and 13 seconds to grab their first lead of the evening at 60-59 with 4:14 showing on the clock. Brannen and Crouch scored five points each during the run. Brannen's two free throws gave the Golden Knights the one-point lead. The Gannon defense held Central State to 1-of-5 shooting with five turnovers during the blitz.

The lead exchanged hand five times over the final four minutes and 14 seconds. Following a Phillip Gates' jumper that gave Central State the lead back, Crouch drilled a jumper at the 3:43 mark for a 62-61 lead.

Almost two minutes later, the Marauders regained the lead on Lee Tabb's lay-up, but Kelvin Agee's (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Niagara Falls) jumper put Gannon back in front 64-63 with 1:25 to play. The eventual game-winner was scored after Stephen Battle (Waldorf, Md./Thomas Stone) pulled down a key offensive rebound. Both teams failed to convert on two ensuing possessions, setting up Gannon's final defensive stand.

Central State controlled the majority of the first half. The Marauders scored the first eight points of the game, forcing Gannon to call time-out 3:12 into the contest. The Golden Knights responded with an 11-3 that tied the game at the 11:38 mark. The visitors answered with a 15-5 run and led by at least seven points for the final 4:26. Two Wesley Jones free throws with one second left capped the first-half scoring and sent the Marauders to the intermission with a 32-22 edge.

Brannen led the Gannon offensive unit with his fourth double-double of the season and seventh of his career with a season-high 20 points and a career-high 14 rebounds. The senior had nine offensive rebounds while adding four blocks and three assists.

Crouch was the only other Golden Knight in double digits with 15 points and a career-high seven rebounds. His 15 points represented the second-highest total of his career, falling two shy of his career-high.

Gannon shot 39.7 percent (25-63) from the field, including a 50-percent (17-34) clip in the second half. The Golden Knights shot 22.2 percent (4-18) from three-point range and 62.5 percent (10-16) from the free throw line.

Rice led all scorers with 22 points and nine rebounds for Central State. He was 7-of-12 from the field, 3-of-3 from three-point range and 5-of-7 from the free throw line. Wesley Jones added 13 points.

Central State shot 44.4 percent (24-54) from the floor, 38.5 percent (5-13) from behind the arc and 76.9 percent (10-13) from the charity stripe.

The entire game swung in the second half when Gannon out-scored Central State 15-4 in points off turnovers. The Marauders had 10 second-half turnovers compared to the Golden Knights' five. The 16-point comeback was Gannon's largest since overcoming a 17-point deficit during a 61-60 victory against Edinboro on January 27, 2010.

Gannon improved to 11-9 overall while snapping a two-game losing streak. Central State, an NCAA Division II Independent, dropped to 12-9. The Golden Knights conclude a three-game homestand Wednesday, February 9 against Edinboro at the Hammermill Center. Game time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

For a complete box score from Monday's Gannon-Central State men's basketball game, please click here.