EDINBORO, Pa. - The Gannon men's basketball team is on its best roll of the season. The Golden Knights shot 52.6 percent (10-19) during the second half and held a 22-9 edge in points off turnovers en route to a 71-59 win Saturday afternoon at rival Edinboro. The victory was Gannon's third straight at the McComb Fieldhouse and extended the team's win streak to a season-high four games.
Edinboro scored 15 seconds into the contest, but it proved to be the Fighting Scots' only lead of the afternoon.
A'Darius Porter (Stockbridge, Ga./Woodland) converted a lay-up to tie the game after consecutive Gannon offensive rebounds, before
Adam Blazek's (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) three-pointer pushed the Golden Knights in front for good.
The baskets ignited a 13-3 run over the span of five minutes and nine seconds. It was a run sparked by three-pointers. In addition to Blazek's two triples,
Girbran Smith (Nassau, Bahamas/Seton Academy) nailed a three-pointer to cap the blitz and give the Golden Knights a 13-5 lead with 14:04 remaining in the first half.
An 8-0 run midway through the first half gave Gannon its biggest lead of the game.
Rogerio Livramento (Central Falls, R.I./Central Falls) kick started the run with an old-fashion three-point play. Porter followed with two free throws, before a
Matthew Dogan (West Middlesex, Pa./West Middlesex) bomb from the corner pushed the Gannon lead to 24-9 at the 7:45 mark.
The difference remained in double digits for the remainder of the first half with the exception of 30 seconds.
Jabs Newby's (Toronto, Ontario/Mountain State Academy) lay-up off a drive as time expired gave the Golden Knights a 31-21 lead at the break.
The entire second half was played on even terms. Edinboro was able to make one run midway through the half. The Fighting Scots clawed within 49-44 after a mini 6-1 run, but couldn't get any closer.
Gannon put the game on ice with eight straight points during the final three minutes.
C.J. Oldham (Solon, Ohio/Solon) recorded half of those points, including two free throws that bump the lead to 65-50 with 65 seconds remaining.
Blazek and Smith were the only two Golden Knights in double digits during a balance attack that featured nine players who dented the scoring column and seven who scored at least five points. Blazek netted a game-high 18 points to go along with four steals, three rebounds and three assists. Smith added 14 points.
Gannon shot 40.8 percent (20-49) from the field, 40 percent (6-15) from three-point range and 92.6 percent (25-27) from the free throw line. The Golden Knights salted the game away with a 19-of-21 chart from the line during the second half. The squad also out-rebounded its 17th consecutive opponent by a slight 33-30 count.
Four of Edinboro's five starters reached double digits in scoring as the bench chipped in only five points. Bryan Theriot led the charge with 17 points. Henri Wade-Chatman chipped in 12 points. Jonny Marsh and Xavier Churnac added 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Edinboro shot 42 percent (21-50) from the floor, 22.7 percent (5-22) from behind the arc and 63.2 percent (12-19) from the charity stripe.
Gannon improved to 10-7 overall and 5-2 in the PSAC Western Division with its season-best fourth consecutive victory. The Golden Knights own sole possession of second place in the PSAC West, sitting one-half game behind first-place Slippery Rock. Edinboro dropped to 7-9 overall and 0-6 in divisional play.
Head coach
John T. Reilly's club returns home Wednesday, January 22 against PSAC first-year member Pitt-Johnstown. The contest is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
