ERIE, Pa. - The Gannon men's basketball team concludes its first-semester schedule Saturday, December 21 at Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division leader Bloomsburg. The crossover game is scheduled for 3 p.m. and can be heard live locally on Jet Radio 1400. The Golden Knights will have 12 days off after Saturday's contest before returning to action January 3.
Gannon (6-4, 2-2 PSAC West) rides a season-high three-game win streak into its first road game since December 4. The Golden Knights have rolled off consecutive victories against Barton (81-58), Mansfield (83-57) and Lock Haven (75-62). The squad owns a 20.7 scoring margin and 16.3 rebounding margin during the win streak. Gannon has out-rebounded all 10 opponents this season.
Head coach
John T. Reilly's club has remained stingy on the defensive end, but has emerged on the offensive end. Gannon is averaging 78.5 points during its last four games, reaching the 80-point plateau twice. The Golden Knights averaged 58.3 points during the first six games of the season, getting out of the 50's only twice.
Brandon Emmitt scored a career-high 16 points off the bench and
A'Darius Porter recorded his first career double-double Wednesday night as Gannon completed an undefeated two-game PSAC crossover homestand with a 75-62 victory against Lock Haven. The win moved the Golden Knights 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.
Adam Blazek leads the PSAC in three-point field goals per game (2.8) and minutes played per game (36.4). The junior guard is second among conference players in free throw percentage (91.7) and fourth in steals per game (2.3).
The first half has been key for Gannon this season. The Golden Knights are 6-1 when leading or tied at halftime. The squad is 0-3 when trailing at the intermission.
Bloomsburg (6-3, 4-0 PSAC East) had a six-game win streak snapped with a winless road trip this week, suffering setbacks at Edinboro (70-61) and Mercyhurst (66-62). The Huskies played both games without leading scorer Dontahe Jordan, who hasn't played since December 4. The redshirt senior tops Bloomsburg in scoring (18.0), rebounding (6.3) and steals per game (2.8). He leads the PSAC and ranks 14th among all NCAA Division II players in steals.
Head coach John Sanow is a familiar name to Gannon fans. The eighth-year mentor at Bloomsburg served as an assistant coach for two seasons (2003-04 and 2004-05) under former Gannon head coach Jerry Slocum. The Golden Knights went 40-19 with two NCAA Division II Tournament appearances during his tenure.
Bloomsburg, which is tied with East Stroudsburg for first place in the PSAC Eastern Division, has been very tough to beat at home. The Huskies are 4-0 at the Nelson Field House this season and 2-3 on the road. Saturday's contest against Gannon will be Bloomsburg's first home contest since a 72-57 victory against Cheyney on December 4.
Three days after improving to 24-0 all-time against Lock Haven, Gannon looks to move to 10-0 all-time against Bloomsburg. The Golden Knights are 8-0 all-time against the Huskies at the Hammermill Center and posted an 82-45 victory during their only visit to Nelson Field House in 2008-09.
