ERIE, Pa. – The Gannon men's basketball team limited Virginia State to 13 first-half points and a tournament record 42 points overall as the Golden Knights captured the 39th annual Porreco Cup Championship Saturday night with a 67-42 victory at the Hammermill Center.
Darrell Blanton (Cleveland, Ohio/Euclid) was named Porreco Cup Most Outstanding Player after recording 38 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists during the two-game event.
Robert Wilson (Streetsboro, Ohio/Streetsboro) joined Blanton on the all-tournament team with 26 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and two steals in two games.
The Porreco Cup All-Tournament team was rounded out with Mike Bynum of Virginia State, Noah Cottrill of West Virginia Wesleyan and Kelsey Williams of West Virginia Wesleyan. Cottrill tied a Porreco Cup record with 13 three-pointers, including eight during the consolation game that fell one shy of the tournament single-game record.
Saturday's title game was never in doubt due to Gannon's swarming defense. The Golden Knights tied the tournament record for fewest points allowed previously set during a 64-42 win against New Hampshire in 1967 when the event was called the Gem City Bowl.
C.J. Oldham (Solon, Ohio/Solon) scored the first points on a lay-up two minutes into the contest and Gannon never trailed the rest of the game. The Golden Knights scored the first eight points and opened a 13-2 lead 7:44 after the opening tip. Virginia State didn't score its first points until 4:35 into the game and didn't record its first field goal until 9:29 into the contest.
A Wilson lay-up followed by an
Oscar Macias (Cicero, Ill./Morton) three-pointer pushed the lead to 24-7 at the 4:12 mark. The margin ballooned to 34-11 moments later with a 10-2 run.
Jabs Newby (Toronto, Ontario/Mountain State (W.Va.) Academy) capped the run with a dunk off a steal from Blanton.
Gannon eventually held a commanding 34-13 lead at halftime. The Golden Knights produced a 13-3 edge in points off turnovers during the first 20 minutes. Meanwhile, the defense held Virginia State to 5-of-24 shooting.
The title game was never contested during the second half. The smallest lead was 18 points on two different occasions. The difference reached as high as 27 points at 48-21 with 14:05 remaining.
Macias led all scorers on both teams with 18 points, hitting 4-of-8 three-pointers and all four free throw attempts. The senior guard also had five rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals.
Wilson finished with 14 points, four rebounds and two assists. Blanton rounded out the double-digit scorers with 12 points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals.
Gannon shot 43.1 percent (22-51) from the field, 38.9 percent (7-18) from three-point range and 76.2 percent (16-21) from the free throw line.
Kenny Mitchell was the only Virginia State player to reach double figures with 10 markers. The Trojans shot 30.9 percent (17-55) from the floor, 18.2 percent (2-11) from behind the arc and 100 percent (6-6) from the charity stripe.
Gannon improved to 7-2 with its second consecutive victory. Virginia State evened its record at 4-4. The Golden Knights will only have two days of rest before returning to Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) crossover action Tuesday, December 18 at Millersville. Game time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
In the 39th Annual Porreco Cup consolation game, Cottrill and Williams combined to score 57 points as West Virginia Wesleyan defeated Notre Dame (Ohio) 85-63. The Bobcats trailed 30-26 at halftime, before out-scoring the Falcons 59-33 during the second half. Cottrill finished 10-of-14 from the field and 8-of-10 from three-point range. Williams recorded a double-double with 26 points and 10 rebounds, hitting 11-of-15 shots.
