ERIE, Pa. - Â
Adam Blazek (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) netted a game-high 20 points and
A'Darius Porter (Stockbridge, Ga./Woodland) ripped down 13 rebounds as the Gannon men's basketball team opened the 2013-14 campaign with a 59-51 victory Wednesday night against California (Pa.) before 1,215 fans at the Hammermill Center.
Gannon shook off the opening night jitters with a 20-6 run late in the first half that ultimately proved to be the difference. California (Pa.) scored the first basket on a three-pointer from Jake Jacubec and held its biggest lead of the evening at 14-8 following Alonzo Murphy's dunk at the 11:44 mark.
The home squad swung the momentum into its favor with the decisive run over the next eight minutes and 52 seconds. Trailing 15-12,
Jabs Newby (Toronto, Ontario/Mountain State Academy) drained a pull-up jumper before Blazek nailed a three-point bomb to give the Golden Knights their first lead of the evening at 17-15.
Gannon later snapped a 20-20 tie with eight consecutive points.
Raphell Thomas-Edwards (Leicester, England/The Gateway School) hit the big shot, burying a long-range bomb to give the Golden Knights a 24-20 advantage.
Tee Talley (Frederick, Md./Tuscarora) followed with a jumper, before
C.J. Oldham (Solon, Ohio/Solon) converted a pair of free throws to increase the lead to 28-20 with 1:43 left in the first half. A late Cal lay-up sent Gannon to the intermission with a 28-22 edge.
Head coach
John T. Reilly's club never trailed during the second half. Gannon opened the final 20 minutes with an 8-1 blitz that resulted in the largest lead of the evening at 40-30 with 11:56 remaining. The balanced run consisted of a Blazek jumper, a Porter lay-up and back-to-back buckets from
Brandon Emmitt (Akron, Ohio/Akron Garfield).
Cal rallied one last time, using a quick 8-0 run in 73 seconds to pull within 40-38 at the 10:43 mark. Gannon weathered the storm though and responded with five straight points on three free throws and another Blazek field goal.
With the visitors still hanging around, the Golden Knights used another mini 5-0 run to finally put the game away.
Matthew Dogan (West Middlesex, Pa./West Middlesex) canned his first career three-pointer, before Newby's lay-up pushed the lead to 50-42 with 3:57 to play. The Vulcans never got closer than six points the rest of the way as the Golden Knights converted six of their next eight free throws, including a 5-of-6 chart from Dogan during that time span.
Blazek led all scorers with 20 points, five rebounds and four steals. The junior guard finished 4-of-6 from three-point range and 4-of-4 from the free throw line while hitting the 20-point plateau for the 10th time during his collegiate career.
No other Gannon player reached double digits during the balanced attack which featured eight players in the scoring column and seven Golden Knights recording four points or more. Gannon dominated the boards, out-rebounding California (Pa.) 37-22. Porter headlined the glass cleaners with 13 points.
Gannon shot 48.7 percent (19-39) from the field, 46.2 percent (6-13) from three-point range and 75 percent (15-20) from the free throw line.
Chris Williams headlined the Cal attack with 14 points. Arman Marks was the only other Vulcan in double digits with 10 points despite a 3-of-15 shooting performance.
Cal shot 30.6 percent (15-49) from the floor, 40 percent (8-20) from behind the arc and 76.5 percent (13-17) from the charity stripe.
Gannon moved to 1-0 overall and within the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division with its third consecutive victory against Cal. The Golden Knights improved to 55-15 all-time in season openers, including a 45-7 mark at the Hammermill Center. The Vulcans dropped to 1-3 overall and 0-1 in conference action.
The Peach Street kids hit the road for the first time Saturday, November 23 at Seton Hill. It will mark Gannon's first-ever contest on the Griffins' home floor. Game time is scheduled for 3 p.m.
