ERIE, Pa. - The Gannon men's basketball team attempts to win its fourth consecutive game and 11th in its last 12 Saturday, January 26 when it heads to Clarion. The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division contest is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and can be heard live on Jet Radio 1400.
Gannon (15-3, 9-3 PSAC) comes off a complete demolition of rival Mercyhurst on the glass Wednesday night during a 56-42 victory. The Golden Knights out-rebounded the Lakers 20-3 during the first half, before finishing with a 34-11 edge. It was the most lopsided rebounding advantage by a Gannon team since the Golden Knights out-rebounded Lake Erie 49-26 on February 16, 2009.
Head coach
John T. Reilly's club has been in the zone at the free throw line. The Golden Knights went 11-of-11 from the charity stripe against Mercyhurst and have now hit 32 consecutive free throws. The squad is 48-of-50 from the line during the last three games. Gannon ranks third among PSAC teams and 15th among all NCAA Division II programs in free throw percentage.
Gannon sits in third place in the PSAC West with 10 regular-season games remaining. The Golden Knights are only one game behind Indiana (Pa.) and Slippery Rock for one of the two PSAC Tournament first-round byes. The top six teams in each division will qualify for the newly-formatted PSAC Tournament. The top two teams will receive first-round byes while the sixth seed plays at the third seed and the fifth seed plays at the fourth seed. The top two teams will then hosts quarterfinal games with the PSAC Final Four being hosted by the top remaining seed in the Western Division.
Clarion (5-11, 3-9) snapped a four-game losing streak with an 80-62 home victory against Lock Haven Wednesday night. The Golden Eagles are 4-6 at home, but only 1-5 on the road. Clarion is tied for seventh in the PSAC Western Division, sitting two games behind California (Pa.) for the final playoff spot.
Gannon has won five consecutive games against Clarion and leads the all-time series 28-12. The Golden Knights have won 11 of the last 12 games played in the series since 1993. Gannon is 19-3 against Clarion at the Hammermill Center, but only 9-9 at the W.S. Tippin Gymnasium.
