GREENSBURG, Pa. - The Seton Hill men's basketball team held Gannon scoreless for the final 4:02 and without a field goal for the final 8:31 en route to a 56-52 victory Saturday night in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division action at the McKenna Center. It was the Golden Knights' first-ever contest on the Griffins' home floor as the previous four match-ups were played at the Hammermill Center as part of the Porreco Cup.
Gannon assumed a 46-44 lead on
Brandon Emmitt's (Akron, Ohio/Akron Garfield) jumper with 8:31 to play, but it eventually turned out to be the Golden Knights' last field goal of the game. Despite the field goal drought, Seton Hill was unable to pull away as Gannon made six consecutive free throws.
A'Darius Porter (Stockbridge, Ga./Woodland) knotted the contest twice by hitting two free throws on two different occasions 34 seconds apart.
C.J. Oldham (Solon, Ohio/Solon) gave the Golden Knights a 52-51 advantage after hitting two more free throws with 4:02 remaining.
That was it for the Gannon scoring. The Golden Knights went 0-for-4 with a turnover during their last five possessions. With Seton Hill trailing by one point, Oliver McGlade was fouled while shooting a three-pointer. The senior, who buried a half-court shot to give the Griffins a 103-100 double-overtime victory during the 2011 Porreco Cup championship game, drained all three free throws to give the home squad a 54-52 lead with 1:17 to play.
Gannon still had a chance to tie the score during its final possession, but was unable to convert a potential game-tying shot from under the hoop with four seconds left. David Windsor added a pair of free throws with three seconds left to seal the victory. In all, the Golden Knights went 0-for-8 with two turnovers during their last 10 possessions over the final eight minutes and 31 seconds.
Saturday's contest went back and forth throughout the entire 40 minutes, featuring 11 ties and 14 lead changes. The opening six minutes should have been an indication of what was about to unfold. Seton Hill netted the first seven points, before Gannon responded with eight consecutive points.
Seton Hill followed with a 9-0 run midway through the first half to assume the biggest lead of the afternoon by either team. A Nate Perry three-pointer gave the Griffins an 18-10 edge with 9:15 showing on the clock.
Gannon rallied with a 9-0 run of its own later in the half to forge back ahead 23-22 at the 4:09 mark. Seton Hill wasted little time to regain the lead with a Windsor triple and eventually took a 30-28 lead into the break.
Oldham led the Gannon offensive unit with a career-high 16 points, hitting 6-of-9 shots and finishing perfect in four free throw attempts. The senior narrowly missed his first career double-double with eight rebounds. Porter was the only other Golden Knight in double digits with 13 points and eight rebounds.
Gannon shot 35.3 percent (18-51) from the field, 33.3 percent (4-12) from three-point range and 85.7 percent (12-14) from the free throw line. The Golden Knights had an 18-4 advantage in second-chance points.
Malachi Leonard topped all scorers with 19 points and seven rebounds for the Griffins. Max Kenyi added 14 markers, including a 7-of-9 chart from the free throw line.
Seton Hill shot 41.9 percent (18-43) from the field, 33.3 percent (4-12) from behind the arc and 76.2 percent (16-21) from the charity stripe. The Griffins produced a 19-7 edge in points off turnovers.
Gannon saw its record even at 1-1 overall and within the PSAC Western Division after Saturday's loss. Seton Hill improved to 3-1 overall and 1-1 in conference action. The Griffins defeated the Golden Knights for the second consecutive time and grabbed a 3-2 lead in the all-time series.
Head coach
John T. Reilly's club returns to action Friday, November 29 and Saturday, November 30 when it hosts the 30th annual Gary Miller Classic. Wheeling Jesuit and Alderson-Broaddus open Friday's semifinal round at 5:30 p.m. Gannon and Le Moyne engage in the second match-up at 7:30 p.m. Saturday's consolation and championship games are slated for 5:30 and 7:30 p.m.
