WEST CHESTER, Pa. - Cory Blake's steal and lay-up with 13 seconds remaining gave West Chester a stunning 73-72 victory against Gannon Saturday afternoon in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) men's basketball crossover action.
Gannon struggled with ball handling during its two-game road trip, turning the ball over 51 times against East Stroudsburg and West Chester. It was the Golden Knights' 24th turnover Saturday afternoon that proved to be the most costly. Leading 72-71, Gannon turned the ball over during an inbounds play. Blake recorded the steal and scored to put the Golden Rams in front 73-72. The Golden Knights then had a shot blocked as the horn sounded to cap an unbelievable ending at the Hollinger Field House.
After losing its first four meetings against Gannon, West Chester has now won three straight in the all-time series. All three victories have come at the Hollinger Field House during the last three seasons with every contest being decided by four points or less.
The final 13 seconds spoiled a tremendous comeback for the Golden Knights, who rallied from an 18-point second-half deficit to take the lead with 2:08 remaining.
Gannon dominated the majority of the second half. Trailing 43-25, the Golden Knights ripped off an 11-3 run to close within 46-36 with 15:42 to play. Four different players scored during the blitz that lasted two minutes and 13 seconds.
Moments later, seven consecutive points brought Gannon within 48-43 at the 12:47 mark.
Brandon Emmitt (Akron, Ohio/Akron Garfield) scored the final five points, including two free throws and a three-point bomb.
West Chester momentarily held Gannon at bay and still maintained a four-point lead (61-57) after Shannon Givens' three-pointer with 6:29 to play. Â The Golden Knights responded with six straight points to assume their first lead of the game since holding a 6-5 advantage 2:45 into the contest.
Matthew Dogan (West Middlesex, Pa./West Middlesex) canned his only triple of the game, before
A'Darius Porter (Stockbridge, Ga./Woodland) tied the contest at 61 with a free throw.
Adam Blazek (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) then followed with a jumper to give Gannon a 63-61 lead with 4:52 remaining.
In all, Gannon out-scored West Chester 38-18 over the span of 13 minutes and 33 seconds. The Golden Knights went 13-of-22 from the field during the rally while the Golden Rams were 5-of-13 with eight turnovers. Seven of West Chester's 18 points came at the free throw line.
Gannon and West Chester battled to three ties during the next three minutes and two seconds. The Golden Knights snapped the sixth tie of the game on
Raphell Thomas-Edwards' (Leicester, England/The Gateway School) lay-up with 1:32 remaining.
The final 26 seconds proved to be filled with what-ifs. Leading 72-69, Gannon missed a free throw and was then called for a foul off the ball on an in-bound play with 18 seconds left. R.J. Griffin converted both free throws to pull West Chester within 72-71. Gannon called its last time-out, but turned the ball over on the ensuing inbound play which lead to the game-winning lay-up.
Blazek led a group of four Gannon players in double digits with 16 points, four assists, three rebounds and three steals while playing every minute for the third consecutive game. The junior guard reached double digits in scoring for the sixth consecutive contest.
Emmitt came off the bench for 13 second-half points, hitting 3-of-4 three-point attempts. Porter and
Rogerio Livramento (Central Falls, R.I./Central Falls) chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively. Porter was dangerously close to a triple-double with eight rebounds and seven assists.
Gannon shot 55.6 percent (25-45) from the field, 37.5 percent (6-16) from three-point range and 88.9 percent (16-18) from the free throw line. The Golden Knights recorded their highest shooting percentage since hitting at a 61.8-percent clip during an 82-69 victory February 23 at Lock Haven. It was the team's highest field goal percentage in a loss since shooting 61.9 percent during a 71-66 defeat against Wayne State (Mich.) on February 10, 2007.
Blake led all scorers with 18 points, including a perfect 7-of-7 chart at the free throw line. Givens and Griffin followed with 13 points each. Troy Hockaday added 11 markers. The starters accounted for 59 of the Golden Rams' 73 points.
West Chester shot 43.1 percent (22-51) from the floor, 30 percent (6-20) from behind the arc and 79.3 percent (23-29) from the charity stripe.
Gannon dropped to 6-7 overall and 1-4 on the road with its season-high third consecutive loss. West Chester improved to 9-4 overall with its third consecutive victory. The Golden Knights return to action Wednesday, January 8 against Cheyney. The home contest will be played at Penn State Behrend's Junker Center due to repairs at the Hammermill Center. Admission will be free of charge. Game time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
