ERIE, Pa. –
T.J. Wilson's (Lorton, Va./Hayfield Secondary) breakout game and a dominating 40-18 scoring edge in the paint powered the Gannon men's basketball team to an 81-63 victory against Clarion Saturday afternoon before a Hall of Fame crowd of 1,224 fans.
The Hammermill Center continued to be a House of Horrors for Clarion, which dropped its 13th consecutive game on Gannon's home floor. The Golden Eagles are now 3-19 all-time at the Hammermill Center and have not won on the Maroon and Gold floor since an 83-80 verdict during the 1981-82 season.
Four of Gannon's starting five reached double digits in scoring with the fifth netting eight points. But it was Wilson's performance during his first career start that took the forefront. The junior forward was averaging 7.9 minutes per game until receiving his first career start Saturday afternoon. The result was a 20-point, nine-rebound performance in 25 minutes that spurred the Gannon offense. Both numbers lead all players on both teams.
Most of his damage came during the second half when Gannon broke open a close game. The Golden Knights led 35-33 when Wilson kick started a 16-3 run over the span of five minutes and 56 seconds. He scored five of the run's first seven points with a free throw and two lay-ups.
Adam Blazek (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) added six points.
Oscar Macias (Cicero, Ill./Morton) had an important three-point play and
Darrell Blanton (Cleveland, Ohio/Euclid) capped the rally with a jumper that gave the Golden Knights a 51-36 lead with 11:04 to play.
Gannon used a quick 6-0 run minutes later to assume its biggest lead of the afternoon at 66-46 at the 5:48 mark. The six consecutive points came from a Blanton jumper, a Wilson dunk and two
Brandon Belt (Odenton, Md./Arundel) free throws.
The two teams played on even terms for the remainder of the game. Wilson fittingly brought the contest to an end, hitting two free throws with 34 seconds left to secure an 18-point victory.
Gannon came out focused from the beginning, scoring the first five points of the game and racing out to a 15-4 lead 5:31 into the contest. The Golden Knights went 6-of-9 from the field during the opening run while holding the Golden Eagles to a 2-of-8 shooting chart. The home squad also had a 9-1 rebounding edge en route the 11-point lead.
Head coach
John T. Reilly's club still had an 11-point lead at 28-17 with 7:37 remaining in the first half, but Clarion rolled off eight consecutive points to cut the deficit to 28-25 with 4:10 showing on the clock. Macias then hit a big three-pointer to halt the momentum and the Golden Knights eventually went to the halftime intermission with a 35-29 advantage.
Wilson led all scorers with 20 points and nine rebounds, including 16 points and six rebounds during the second half. His previous season-highs were seven points against Malone and six rebounds at Kutztown. The junior forward was 7-of-9 from the field and 6-of-10 from the free throw line.
Blanton was his usual steady self with 18 points and seven rebounds, converting 8-of-13 shots and reaching double digits in scoring for the 15th time in 16 games. Belt chipped in 13 points, five rebounds and four assists. Blazek added 13 points, eight rebounds, six assists and four steals.
Gannon shot 51.7 percent (30-58) from the field. It marked the first time in seven games the team had shot 50 percent since accomplishing the feat five times in the first nine contests. The Golden Knights shot 33.3 percent (5-15) from three-point range and 72.7 percent (16-22) from the free throw line. The squad held advantages in rebounds (41-30) and points in the paint (40-18).
Winfield Willis was Clarion's top scorer with 20 points on 7-of-13 overall shooting and a 3-of-5 chart from long range. Calvin Edwards was the only other Golden Eagle in double digits in scoring with 16 points.
Clarion shot 40 percent (24-60) from the floor, 40 percent (8-20) from behind the arc and 58.3 percent (7-12) from the charity stripe.
Gannon improved to 9-7 overall and 7-5 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division while snapping a three-game losing streak. Clarion dropped to 12-6 overall and 8-4 in conference play. The Golden Knights return to action Wednesday, January 25 against Slippery Rock at the Hammermill Center. It will be yet another big game as the Rock holds a slim one-game lead over Gannon in the conference standings. Game time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
