Brandon Emmitt
Joe Mattis

Men's Basketball Dan Teliski, Assistant Director of Athletics for Media Relations

Balanced Scoring Attack Leads Gannon Men's Basketball Team Past Lock Haven for 24th Straight Time (Video/Photos)

Two games after setting a career-high with 12 points against Barton, senior Brandon Emmitt reset his career-best with 16 points in 36 minutes off the bench against Lock Haven.

PSAC Men's Basketball Crossover Game
Gannon 75, Lock Haven 62

ERIE, Pa. - Brandon Emmitt (Akron, Ohio/Akron Garfield) scored a career-high 16 points off the bench and A'Darius Porter (Stockbridge, Ga./Woodland) recorded his first career double-double as the Gannon men's basketball team completed an undefeated two-game Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) crossover homestand Wednesday night with a 75-62 victory against Lock Haven.

Gannon remained perfect against Lock Haven in 24 all-time meetings, including a spotless 17-0 mark at the Hammermill Center. The Golden Knights also moved to 17-5 in PSAC crossover games during the last five seasons and 21-9 overall since joining the conference prior to the 2008-09 academic year.

Head coach John T. Reilly's club broke open a close game early in the second half. Gannon extended a 34-33 lead by ripping off a nine straight points on three plays. Porter started the blitz with an old-fashion three-point play before Adam Blazek (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) banged home back-to-back triples for a 43-33 advantage with 15:24 to play.

Lock Haven fell behind 45-34 after going six minutes and nine seconds without a field goal. Gannon later used a mini 5-0 run that consisted of a Tee Talley (Frederick, Md./Tuscarora) three-pointer and two Blazek free throws to assume its biggest lead of the evening at 52-38 with 12:03 remaining.

The visitors had one last run in them, scoring seven consecutive points to pull within 59-53 on PSAC leading scorer Wali Hepburn's three-pointer at the 4:43 mark. But Gannon held its ground and prevented the Bald Eagles from getting any closer the rest of the way. The difference eventually moved back into double digits for all but seven seconds of the final minute before the Golden Knights posted a 75-62 victory.

The first half was a multi-layered story with three different chapters. Lock Haven was the aggressor from the opening tip, limiting Gannon to 3-of-13 shooting during the opening nine minutes. The defensive scheme allowed the Bald Eagles to race out to a 16-8 lead midway through the first half.

Gannon then turned the chapter and responded with a dominating 24-9 run over the span of six minutes and 47 seconds. Seven different Golden Knights scored during the balanced run and none had more than two baskets. Emmitt gave the home squad its first lead with a three-pointer at the 7:05 mark and Matthew Dogan's (West Middlesex, Pa./West Middlesex) second long-range bomb of the run with 6:31 left in the half gave the Golden Knights a lead they would never relinquished.

Lock Haven did put a scare into Gannon after scoring the final five points of the half on a Kasheef Festus jumper and a Dave Garcia three-point play after a steal with four seconds left to pull the Bald Eagles within 32-30 at the break.

Emmitt and Blazek led all scorers with 16 points each. Two games after scoring a career-high 12 points, Emmitt reset his career-high with Wednesday's scoring output during 36 minutes off the bench. His game resume included a perfect 8-of-8 chart from the free throw line. Blazek also had an unblemished report at the line, making all six of his attempts.

Porter orchestrated Gannon's post play with his first career double-double. The junior produced 11 points and 11 rebounds to go along with four assists and two steals. Rogerio Livramento (Central Falls, R.I./Central Falls) added 14 points and five rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench. The senior has reached double digits in scoring four times this season, including both games of the current homestand.

Gannon shot 47.1 percent (24-51) from the field, including a 52.6-percent (10-19) clip during the second half. The Golden Knights have converted at least 50 percent of their shots during the final 20 minutes of the last three games. The squad shot 44.4 percent (8-18) from three-point range and 82.6 percent (19-23) from the free throw line.

The Peach Street kids out-rebounded their 10th consecutive opponent with a 35-21 edge on the glass, including a 12-4 advantage on the offensive end. Gannon also out-scored Lock Haven 29-15 in points off turnovers and 38-19 in bench points.

Hepburn entered Wednesday's contest as the PSAC's leading scorer at 21.7 points per game, but was held to a team-best 14 points and six turnovers. Bootsie Walker netted 12 points despite six turnovers. Dave Garcia chipped in 11 markers off the bench.

Lock Haven shot 50 percent (21-42) from the floor, 60 percent (9-15) from behind the arc and 50 percent (11-22) from the charity stripe.

Gannon improved to 6-4 with its season-high third consecutive victory. Lock Haven dropped to 4-4 a day after winning at Mercyhurst. The Golden Knights conclude the first half of the season Saturday, December 21 at Bloomsburg. Game time for the PSAC crossover is scheduled for 3 p.m.

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