CALIFORNIA, Pa. – The Gannon men's basketball team completed arguably its toughest road trip of the season with a perfect 2-0 record after rallying for the second consecutive road game to post a 56-53 victory at California (Pa.) Saturday evening.
In the process, Gannon picked up a rare win on Cal's home floor. The Golden Knights entered the contest 1-7 all-time at Cal, including five straight setbacks. The program's only victory ever at Cal was an 86-71 verdict during the 1954-55 campaign. The win also completed Gannon's first-ever season sweep of the Vulcans since entering the PSAC prior to the 2008-09 season.
Defense ruled the day yet again. Gannon held its second consecutive opponent and 13th this season under 60 points. The Golden Knights have not allowed more than 72 points in a game this season, holding 21 of 23 opponents under 70 points.
Saturday's contest featured 15 lead changes and three ties. Eight lead changes occurred during the first 10 minutes of the game. Two ties followed, before the lead exchanged hands another two more times during the final four minutes and nine seconds.
The biggest first-half lead by either team was four points after
Robert Wilson's (Streetsboro, Ohio/Streetsboro) lay-up gave the Golden Knights a 19-15 lead with 2:50 left to play. But Cal responded with the final seven points of the half and took a 22-19 advantage into the break.
Much like the first half, neither team could pull away during the final 20 minutes. The momentum continued to swing back and forth with neither team able to build a lead larger than four points until late in the contest. Cal held a 46-43 lead when Gannon produced what proved to be the game-deciding run.
Tanner Furno (Columbus, Ohio / Whetstone) kick started an 11-0 run with a jumper at the 5:04 mark. Wilson then put the Golden Knights in front 48-46 with a triple from long range.
C.J. Oldham (Solon, Ohio/Solon) followed with back-to-back baskets, before
Adam Blazek (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) capped the run with a pair of free throws. The defensive unit forced four misses and one turnover on Cal's five possessions during the run. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights went 4-of-6 and scored off an offensive rebound after one of the two misfires.
The 11-0 burst gave Gannon what seemed to be a commanding 54-46 edge with 45 seconds left. But fans had to know it wouldn't be that easy in a city where the Golden Knights hadn't won in 58 years.
Cal scored on a lay-up with 39 seconds left and then on another one with 23 seconds remaining after Gannon missed the front end of a one-and-one. The Golden Knights bumped the lead to 55-50 after making one of two free throws. And Cal promptly drilled a three-pointer with 13 seconds to play, cutting the deficit to 55-53.
Gannon again made only one of two free throws to give itself a three-point lead with 10 seconds showing on the clock. Cal was able to move the ball down court and had a potential game-tying three-pointer bounce out at the buzzer.
Furno and Wilson were the only two Golden Knights able to reach double digits in scoring during the low-scoring affair. Furno recorded all 12 of his points and all six of his rebounds during the second half. He hit 6-of-8 shots during the final 20 minutes after not taking an attempt in four minutes of action during the first half.
Wilson finished with 11 points, but had two critical plays that didn't show up in the box score. The redshirt junior took a key offensive charge and saved an errand pass from going out of bounds late in the game.
Gannon shot 44.2 percent (23-52) from the field, 45.5 percent (5-11) from three-point range and 55.6 percent (5-9) from the free throw line. After a cold-shooting 28.6 percent (8-28) during the first half, the Golden Knights hit 62.5 percent (15-24) of their second-half missiles. The squad committed only 12 turnovers, keeping its miscues under 15 for the fifth consecutive game.
Jake Jacubec and Chris Williams topped Cal's offensive unit with 11 points each. Tynell Fortune added 10 points off the bench.
Cal shot 40.8 percent (20-49) from the floor, 47.1 percent (8-17) from behind the arc and 50 percent (5-10) from the charity stripe.
Gannon improved to 19-4 overall and 13-4 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) with its third consecutive victory. More importantly, the Golden Knights gained sole possession of second place in the PSAC West with Slippery Rock's loss at Mercyhurst Saturday afternoon. The squad can move into a first-place tie with Indiana (Pa.) if the Crimson Hawks lose at Clarion Saturday night. California (Pa.) dropped to 9-12 overall and 8-9 in conference play.
Head coach
John T. Reilly's club returns home for the first time in 11 days Wednesday, February 13 against rival Edinboro at the Hammermill Center. Game time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
