ERIE, Pa. - The Gannon men's basketball team returns to Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division action Saturday, January 11 at Clarion. The contest is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and can be heard live locally on Jet Radio 1400. It will be the first of 12 consecutive divisional games that conclude the regular season.
Gannon (7-7, 2-2 PSAC West) is coming off a 68-41 drubbing of Cheyney last Wednesday at Penn State Behrend's Junker Center. It marked the lowest scoring output by a Gannon opponent away from the Hammermill Center since a 76-41 win at Lake Erie on February 16, 2009.
Head coach
John T. Reilly's club dominated on the glass with a 52-27 advantage. It was the Golden Knights' largest rebounding edge since out-rebounding California (Pa.) 49-24 during an 83-59 victory on February 7, 2009. Gannon has out-rebounded all 14 opponents this season, including three by at least 22 boards.
Gannon leads the PSAC in rebounding margin (13.1) while sitting second in scoring defense (61.6) and third in free throw percentage (76.7).
Adam Blazek has logged the most minutes in the conference with 37.8 per game. The junior guard has played every minute during the last four games. He ranks first among PSAC players in free throw percentage (88.2), second in steals per game (2.1), second in three-point field goals per game (2.6) and fourth in three-point field goal percentage (40.4).
Clarion (2-9, 0-3 PSAC West) rides a season-high six-game losing streak into Saturday's contest. The Golden Eagles' only two wins this season came at home against Penn State-DuBois (121-64) and Penn State-Beaver (95-88). Clarion leads the PSAC in fewest fouls and fewest turnovers. The Golden Eagles are 28th nationally in steals per game.
Gannon has won seven consecutive games against Clarion and leads the all-time series 30-12. The Golden Knights have swept the last three season series and are 9-1 against the Eagles since joining the PSAC in 2008-09. Match-ups have been more competitive on Clarion's home floor where Gannon has won 10 of 19 contests.
