Girbran Smith
Tory Stella/ESU Athletics
Senior Girbran Smith's 16 points and four three-pointers ignited a huge Gannon rally that fell just short at Glenville State.
51
Gannon GAN-M 0-1
57
Winner Glenville State GSC 1-0
Gannon GAN-M
0-1
51
Final
57
Glenville State GSC
1-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Gannon GAN-M 18 33 51
Glenville State GSC 40 17 57

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vs. University of Charleston

11/15/2014 | 6:00 PM

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Nov. 15 (Sat) / 6:00 PM
vs. University of Charleston

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Dan Teliski, Assistant Director of Athletics for Media Relations

Huge Comeback Falls Short for Gannon Men's Basketball Team in 57-51 Season-Opening Loss

THE RUNDOWN
  • Score: at Glenville State 57, Gannon 51
  • Records: Gannon (0-1), Glenville State (1-0)
  • Location: Glenville, W.Va. - Waco Center
  • The Short Story: The Gannon men's basketball team clawed within three points after trailing 40-18 at halftime, but the Golden Knights were unable to complete the comeback during a season-opening 57-51 loss at Glenville State Friday night during the first day of the WACO Center Classic.

GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • Leading 13-9, Glenville State engineered the first run of the game. The Pioneers ripped off nine consecutive points to assume a 22-9 edge with 8:39 left in the first half. The Golden Knights went 4:27 without a point, going 0-3 from the field with three turnovers.
  • The Glenville State lead remained at 13 points, before the Pioneers ended the half on a 13-4 run over the last four minutes and 18 seconds.
  • Gannon's defensive pressure was the story of the second half. After a lay-up 15 seconds into the second half gave Glenville State its largest lead of the game at 42-18, the Golden Knights slowly began the chip away at the lead the entire second half.
  • Eight straight points cut the deficit to 42-26 with only 1:53 expired in the second half. The run consisted of a lay-up from junior Tony Boykins (Kalamazoo, Mich./Loy Norrix), a three-pointer from senior Girbran Smith (Nassau, Bahamas/Seton (Ill.) Academy) and three free throws from senior Adam Blazek (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep).
  • A monster 15-0 run midway through the second half put Gannon in a legitimate position to pull off the incredible comeback. The Golden Knights held Glenville State scoreless for nine minutes and 42 seconds during the run as the Pioneers missed 13 consecutive shots.
  • Four different Golden Knights scored during the 15-0 run, sparked by a pair of Smith three-pointers. Senior A'Darius Porter (Stockbridge, Ga./Woodland) had four points during the blitz.
  • Gannon later cut the deficit to three points on two different occasions. A Blazek three-point bomb at the 6:14 mark severed the Glenville State lead to 49-46.
  • After the Pioneers stretched their lead back to six, Smith's fourth triple of the night with 1:40 left brought the Golden Knights within 54-51.
  • Gannon had a chance to tie the contest during its next two possessions, but missed a three-pointer and two-point jumper. Glenville State then iced the game with three free throws in four attempts during the final 24 seconds. In all, the Golden Knights went 0-4 from the field during the final 62 seconds.

GAME NOTES
  • Friday's game was the first-ever played at Glenville State's new Waco Center. It also kicked off the two-day WACO Center Classic. Slippery Rock and Charleston battled during Friday's second contest.
  • Glenville State shot 53.8 percent (14-26) from the floor compared to Gannon's 26.3-percent (5-19) showing during the first 20 minutes.
  • The trend was reversed during the second half when Gannon shot 43.5 percent (10-23) and Glenville State misfired at a 19.2-percent (5-26) clip.
  • The two teams combined to shoot 22.2 percent (10-45) on the hoop in front of Glenville State's bench and 49 percent (24-49) on the basket in front of the Gannon bench.
  • Smith led all scorers on both sides with 16 points, hitting 6-of-9 field goals and 4-of-5 three-pointers. He finished two points shy of his career-high.
  • Blazek completed Gannon's double-digit scorers with 11 markers.
  • Senior Raphell Thomas-Edwards (Leicester, England/The Gateway School) posted nine points and 12 rebounds, missing his fifth career double-double by one point. He fell two rebounds shy of his career-high.
  • Gannon shot 35.7 percent (15-42) from the field, 29.4 percent (5-17) from three-point range and 72.7 percent (16-22) from the free throw line.
  • Brett Morris was the only Glenville State player in double digits with 16 points, converting 6-of-9 shots.
  • Glenville State shot 36.5 percent (19-52) from the floor, 25 percent (8-32) from behind the arc and 61.1 percent (11-18) from the charity stripe.
  • Gannon committed 23 turnovers for the first time since having 24 during a 73-72 loss at West Chester on January 4, 2014.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
  • Gannon fell to Glenville State for the first time in four all-time meetings. Friday's contest was the first in the series played on the Pioneers' home court.
  • Both teams played in the NCAA Division II Tournament last season. Glenville State returned three starters from last year's 18-11 squad that advanced to the Mountain East Conference (MEC) title game and fell to eventual regional champion West Liberty in the NCAA Tournament first round.
  • Gannon has split its last six season openers after winning 13 straight. The Golden Knights are now 7-10 all-time in season openers that take place on the road.
  • Blazek moved past Javar Cheatham (1999-01) and into second place all-time at Gannon with his 173rd career steal. He sits 23 shy of Butch Warner's (1981-85) school record of 196.

UP NEXT
  • Gannon concludes the WACO Center Classic Saturday, November 15 against defending MEC champion Charleston. It will be a rematch from last year's NCAA Division II Tournament first-round game won by Gannon 66-64 in East Stroudsburg, Pa. Game time is scheduled for 6 p.m.
  • The Golden Knights lead the all-time series 3-1, including a 1-0 edge on a neutral court.
  • The contest can be heard live on Jet Radio 1400 and via 90.5 WERG's stream at www.wergfm.com.
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Players Mentioned

Adam Blazek

#5 Adam Blazek

G
6' 1"
Senior
Journalism Communications
A

#32 A'Darius Porter

F
6' 7"
Senior
Biology
Girbran Smith

#25 Girbran Smith

G/F
6' 3"
Senior
Comm. Arts
Raphell Thomas-Edwards

#0 Raphell Thomas-Edwards

G/F
6' 6"
Senior
Communication Arts
Tony Boykins

#33 Tony Boykins

G
6' 3"
Junior
Communication Arts

Players Mentioned

Adam Blazek

#5 Adam Blazek

6' 1"
Senior
Journalism Communications
G
A

#32 A'Darius Porter

6' 7"
Senior
Biology
F
Girbran Smith

#25 Girbran Smith

6' 3"
Senior
Comm. Arts
G/F
Raphell Thomas-Edwards

#0 Raphell Thomas-Edwards

6' 6"
Senior
Communication Arts
G/F
Tony Boykins

#33 Tony Boykins

6' 3"
Junior
Communication Arts
G