ERIE, Pa. – Eight Golden Knights scored and nine played at least seven minutes as the Gannon men's basketball team used a team effort to defeat Bloomsburg 81-67 Friday night at the Hammermill Center.
As a result, Gannon remained one game behind Indiana (Pa.) and Clarion in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division. The Golden Knights are tied for third place with rival Mercyhurst. Meanwhile, Bloomsburg suffered only its second league loss of the season and still holds down first place in the PSAC Eastern Division. The Huskies fell on the road for the first time this season after previously earning road victories at Indiana (Pa.) and California (Pa.).
Gannon was forced to play Friday's game with only nine players in uniform due to illness or injury. In the end, those nine Golden Knights produced one of the best team efforts of the season.
Head coach
John T. Reilly's squad dominated the first half, leading 45-28 at the intermission. Solid minutes off the bench from
Shameel Carty (Queens, N.Y./Holy Cross),
T.J. Wilson (Lorton, Va./Hayfield Secondary),
Tanner Furno (Columbus, Ohio/Whetstone) and
Alvin Tucker (Upper Marlboro, Md./Georgetown Prep) helped Gannon as five Golden Knights picked up two fouls each during the first 20 minutes. In addition,
Brandon Belt (Odenton, Md./Arundel) came off the bench and made his first start of the season.
Gannon used two runs in the opening stanza to stretch the lead. Trailing 12-11, Furno ignited a 9-0 burst with back-to-back lay-ups.
Oscar Macias (Cicero, Ill./Morton) followed with a jumper and a three-pointer as the Golden Knights surged ahead 20-12 with 11:59 left in the first half.
Moments later, Gannon produced a 10-1 run while doubling up Bloomsburg 32-16 with 4:40 remaining in the opening half. Five different Golden Knights scored during the run. Carty's three-point play gave the squad a 27-15 advantage and a Belt free throw capped the blitz.
The largest lead of the evening came after
Adam Blazek (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) drained two free throws for a 42-24 lead at the 1:39 mark. The Golden Knights eventually settled for a 45-28 lead at the break.
Bloomsburg refused to fold, opening the second half with a brief 8-2 run, cutting the deficit to 47-36 one minute and 56 seconds into the final period. Gannon immediately bumped its lead back to 53-36 on consecutive lay-ups from
Dmitry Martynenko (Moscow, Russia/41), Furno and Blazek.
The ebb and flow continued as Bloomsburg fired back with seven straight points to sever the lead to 53-43 with 13:58 to play. The two teams would then exchange blows and play even the rest of the way. The lead fluctuated between 10 and 16 points for the final 13 minutes until the final horn sounded with Gannon posting an 81-67 victory.
Macias led all scorers with 18 points in only 26 minutes, hitting 6-of-10 field goals and 4-of-4 free throws.
Darrell Blanton (Cleveland, Ohio/Euclid) followed with 15 points and five rebounds, spotting identical 5-of-6 charts from the field and the free throw line.
Martynenko reached double digits for the second time with 11 points. Blazek and Furno chipped in 10 points each. Blazek also had six assists and four steals. Carty posted a season-high eight points and grabbed five rebounds in 13 minutes off the bench. Belt added seven points and six assists during his first start.
Gannon shot 49.1 percent (28-57) from the field, 41.7 percent (5-12) from three-point range and 80 percent (20-25) from the free throw line.
Dontahe Jordan headlined the Bloomsburg unit with 15 points despite a 4-of-15 shooting night. Larry Webster and John Schwarz had 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Bloomsburg shot 42.1 percent (24-57) from the floor, 27.8 percent (5-18) from three-point range and 58.3 percent (14-24) from the charity stripe.
Gannon improved to 7-4 overall and 5-2 in the PSAC Western Division with the victory, winning for the sixth time in its last eight games. Bloomsburg dropped to 9-3 overall and 5-2 in conference play. The Golden Knights conclude PSAC crossover action Saturday, January 7 against Mansfield. Game time at the Hammermill Center is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
