Adam Blazek
IUP Sports Information
Senior Adam Blazek led Gannon with 14 points, five steals and five rebounds while playing all 40 minutes.
52
Gannon GAN-M 0-2
54
Winner Charleston UC 1-1
Gannon GAN-M
0-2
52
Final
54
Charleston UC
1-1
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Gannon GAN-M 22 30 52
Charleston UC 32 22 54

Next Game:

Slippery Rock University

11/19/2014 | 7:30 PM

Jet Radio 1400

Next Game

Full Schedule
Nov. 19 (Wed) / 7:30 PM
 Slippery Rock University

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

Gannon Men's Basketball Team Concludes WACO Center Classic with Last-Second Loss Against Defending MEC Champion Charleston

THE RUNDOWN
  • Score: Charleston 54, Gannon 52
  • Records: Gannon (0-2), Charleston (1-1)
  • Location: Glenville, W.Va. - Waco Center
  • The Short Story: The Gannon men's basketball team used a second-half rally to claw back from a double-digit halftime deficit for the second consecutive night, before dropping a 54-52 decision against defending Mountain East Conference (MEC) champion Charleston Saturday night at the WACO Center Classic hosted by Glenville State.

GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • Charleston opened the contest with a 14-4 run during the first six minutes and 14 seconds. The Golden Eagles hit a pair of three-pointers while converting 4-of-5 shots during the opening blitz.
  • A quick six points by Gannon midway through the first half cut the deficit to 19-16 on a jumper by senior Adam Blazek (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) with 6:52 showing on the clock. Previous baskets came via lay-ups by seniors A'Darius Porter (Stockbridge, Ga./Woodland) and Raphell Thomas-Edwards (Leicester, England/The Gateway School).
  • Leading 23-18, Charleston zipped off seven consecutive points to grab its biggest lead of the first half at 30-18 with 3:30 remaining. The Golden Eagles eventually went to halftime with a 32-22 advantage.
  • Charleston assumed its biggest lead of the evening with mini 6-0 run early in the second half. The advantage ballooned to 42-27 with 13:36 to play after a three-pointer, lay-up and free throw.
  • As it did the night before, Gannon refused to give in and staged a furious comeback. Last night, the Golden Knights ripped off a 15-0 run during the second half. Tonight, the squad rolled off 13 straight points to draw within 42-40 at the 9:47 mark.
  • Gannon went 4-for-4 from the field and 3-of-4 from the free throw line during the run. Blazek had seven of the 13 points, including a three-pointer that brought the Golden Knights within two points.
  • Defensively, Gannon held Charleston without a point for seven minutes and 10 seconds until Cameron Dozier's lay-up pushed the lead back to four. The Golden Eagles missed eight straight shots and turned the ball over twice during the scoring drought.
  • The two teams basically played to a stalemate the rest of the way. Trailing 52-46, a three-pointer by senior Girbran Smith (Nassau, Bahamas/Seton (Ill.) Academy) severed the deficit in half with nine seconds to play.
  • With the lead back to 54-49, another triple by Blazek closed the gap to 54-52 with three seconds remaining. He then stole an inbound pass, but was unable to hit the potential game-tying jumper as time expired.

GAME NOTES
  • Saturday's contest opened the second night of the WACO Center Classic hosted by Glenville State. Gannon dropped a 57-51 decision to Glenville State during the opening night, before Slippery Rock dropped Charleston 65-62.
  • Four Gannon starters reached double digits in scoring, but the Golden Knights received only five points off the bench.
  • Five Gannon players saw 33 minutes of action or more. No one else played more than five minutes.
  • Charleston led from start to finish during a game that featured no ties or lead changes.
  • Blazek led Gannon with 14 points, five rebounds and five assists. Porter followed with 12 markers and six rebounds. Smith and Thomas-Edwards added 11 and 10 points, respectively.
  • Gannon shot 40.4 percent (21-52) from the field, 50 percent (6-12) from three-point range and 50 percent (4-8) from the free throw line.
  • Dozier led all scorers with 17 points, hitting 7-of-9 field goals. Aleksander Kesic was the only other Golden Eagle in double digits with 15 points.
  • Charleston shot 52.8 percent (19-36) from the floor, 33.3 percent (5-15) from behind the arc and 73.3 percent (11-15) from the charity stripe. The Golden Eagles were a red-hot 68.8 percent (11-16) from the field in the first half, including a 4-of-6 chart from long range.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
  • Gannon allowed its two opponents at the WACO Center Classic to shoot 59.5 percent (25-42) during the first half.
  • The Golden Knights have opened the season with consecutive losses for the first time since the 2009-10 campaign.
  • Charleston's 52.8 shooting percentage is the highest by a Gannon opponent since Shepherd produced at a 55.6 percent (30-54) clip on December 13, 2013.
  • Saturday's contest was a rematch from last year's NCAA Division II Tournament first round. Gannon advanced to the second round with a 66-64 victory.
  • Charleston won the MEC Tournament last season.

UP NEXT
  • Gannon opens Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) play Wednesday, November 19 against Slippery Rock at the Hammermill Center. Game time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
  • The two rivals have meet in the PSAC Quarterfinals the last two seasons at the Hammermill Center. Slippery Rock prevailed 62-58 in overtime during the 2013 encounter while Gannon earned a 73-69 double-overtime victory during last year's battle.
  • Gannon swept three games against the Rock last season.
  • Wednesday's contest can be heard live on Jet Radio 1400 and via 90.5 WERG's stream at www.wergfm.com.
Print Friendly Version

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

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