Matthew Dogan
Joe Mattis
Sophomore Matthew Dogan's three-pointer from the left wing with 1:27 remaining gave Gannon a 55-54 victory against West Chester.
54
West Chester WCU-M 3-7, 2-4 PSAC
55
Winner Gannon University GAN-M 7-4, 6-0 PSAC
West Chester WCU-M
3-7, 2-4 PSAC
54
Final
55
Gannon University GAN-M
7-4, 6-0 PSAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
West Chester WCU-M 30 24 54
Gannon University GAN-M 29 26 55

Next Game:

at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania

12/20/2014 | 3:00 PM

Jet Radio 1400

Next Game

Full Schedule
Dec. 20 (Sat) / 3:00 PM
at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania

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

Gannon Men's Basketball Team Pulls Out Another Heart-Stopping Victory; Gives Reilly Coaching Win #400 (Video)



THE RUNDOWN
  • Score: at Gannon 55, West Chester 54
  • Records: Gannon (7-4, 6-0 PSAC), West Chester (3-7, 2-4 PSAC)
  • Location: Erie, Pa. - Hammermill Center
  • The Short Story: Sophomore Matthew Dogan (West Middlesex, Pa./West Middlesex) hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 1:27 remaining and Gannon denied two West Chester shots from close range in the final two seconds to pull off a heart-stopping 55-54 men's basketball victory against West Chester Wednesday night at the Hammermill Center. It represented the third consecutive one-point contest between the two programs.

GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • West Chester initially took the fight to Gannon, scoring the first nine points of the game.
  • The Golden Knights made their first field goal 4:27 into the contest when junior Tony Boykins (Kalamazoo, Mich./Loy Norrix) canned a three-pointer.
  • Gannon slowly chipped away at the deficit and eventually grabbed its first lead at 16-15 after back-to-back jumpers from senior Girbran Smith (Nassau, Bahamas/Seton (Ill.) Academy) midway through the first half.
  • West Chester regained control with a 6-0 mini-run late in the half. Tied at 20, the Golden Rams held Gannon scoreless for three minutes and 16 seconds. Two free throws, a tip-in and a jumper gave the visitors a 26-20 edge with 4:14 left in the first half.
  • Two free throws from redshirt senior Rich Austin (Cleveland, Ohio/St. Ignatius) with 29 ticks left brought Gannon within 30-29 at the break.
  • Senior Raphell Thomas-Edwards (Leicester, England/The Gateway School) converted a put-back 34 seconds into the second half to give Gannon a 31-30 lead, but West Chester answered with a 7-0 run. Logan Stumpf's lay-up at the 16:33 mark gave the Golden Rams a 39-33 lead.
  • The difference remained at six until Gannon ripped off seven straight points to move back ahead 42-41 with 12:30 to play. Senior Adam Blazek (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) ignited the rally with a three-pointer. Smith followed with two free throws and a jumper to give the Golden Knights a 42-41 advantage.
  • The run eventually turned into a 14-3 blitz that spanned nine minutes and four seconds. Junior Jean Yves Toupane (Dakar, Senegal/Lee (Maine) Academy) hit a big three-pointer to expand the Gannon lead to 47-43. He then converted a lay-up to give the Golden Knights their biggest lead of the evening at 49-44 with six minutes to play.
  • However, Gannon lost Blazek to his fifth foul 15 seconds later. West Chester continued to trade punches with six consecutive points to forge back ahead 50-49 with 3:39 remaining. It started a final four minutes that included three lead changes and two ties.
  • Tied at 52, Gannon was left without the services of Smith who picked up his fifth foul. Ben Mingledough drained both free throws to give West Chester a 54-52 edge with 1:48 remaining.
  • That's when Dogan made the shot of the night. The sophomore found himself wide open on the left wing. After a slight hesitation, Dogan found nothing but net on a three-point bomb to give Gannon a 55-54 lead and blow the Hammermill Center roof off.
  • The two teams then traded scoreless possessions to set up the frantic finish. After a West Chester time-out, Avery Brown drove into the lane and missed a short jumper in a mass of bodies with two seconds left. He was able to get to his own miss, but his put-back as time expired was off the mark.

GAME NOTES
  • One night after Gannon and East Stroudsburg battled through 15 lead changes and 14 ties, the Golden Knights played through nine lead changes and five ties against West Chester.
  • Gannon entered the contest with an 11.0 rebounding margin, but was out-rebounded 32-31. The Golden Knights were out-rebounded for only the second time this season.
  • Head coach John T. Reilly's club recorded six blocks, representing the most since blocking six shots during an 88-64 victory against Mansfield on January 5, 2013.
  • Blazek and Smith were limited to 45 minutes due to foul trouble. The duo average 70.9 minutes per game this season.
  • Smith led all scorers on both sides with 16 points, reaching double digits for the ninth time in 11 games.
  • Thomas-Edwards recorded his second consecutive double-double with 10 points, 12 rebounds and five steals. He now has five double-doubles this season and nine during the last two seasons.
  • Gannon shot 42.2 percent (19-45) from the field, 31.6 percent (6-19) from three-point range and 68.8 percent (11-16) from the free throw line.
  • Eric Frans and Parrish Grant were the only West Chester players in double digits with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
  • The Golden Rams shot 36.2 percent (17-47) from the floor, 33.3 percent (3-9) from behind the arc and 73.9 percent (17-23) from the charity stripe.
  • West Chester is the second Gannon opponent in the last three games to convert only three three-point field goals. The Golden Knights also held Shepherd to three long-range bombs during a 74-56 victory on December 13.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
  • Wednesday's victory was Reilly's 400th during his 22nd-year coaching career. He is the 30th active coach in NCAA Division II to reach 400 career victories and the third active Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) head coach to do so.
  • Gannon extended its win streak to a season-best five games, representing the program's longest since winning eight straight February 1-March 4.
  • The Golden Knights are the country's top-ranked defensive unit, entering the game with a 57.1 scoring defense. West Chester was averaging 75.1 points per game, before being held 21 points below its scoring average.
  • Gannon won its fifth game this season when either tied or trailing at halftime.
  • Six of Gannon's 11 contests this season have been decided by five points or less.
  • Gannon held its ninth opponent in 11 games below 60 points.
  • The Golden Knights remained the only PSAC team undefeated in league play at 6-0.
  • Gannon is 6-0 in PSAC action for the first time since joining the conference in 2008. The Golden Knights have won their opening six conference games for the first time since winning their first eight contests as a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) member in 2007-08.
  • The Golden Knights snapped a four-game losing streak to West Chester while improving to 4-0 against the Golden Rams at the Hammermill Center.
  • The last four contests in the all-time series have been decided on the last possession. West Chester posted a 66-64 victory at home in 2012-13 and a 73-72 win again at home last year. The two clubs then met in the 2014 PSAC Tournament semifinals at East Stroudsburg where West Chester earned a 77-76 overtime win.
  • Wednesday's game represented Gannon's final during a season-long seven-game homestand that lasted 20 days.
  • Both games this week were played during the school's finals week. The PSAC had no conference games last week during the state's finals week.

UP NEXT
  • Gannon concludes the 2014 portion of its schedule Saturday, December 20 at Cheyney. It will be the Golden Knights' first road contest in 27 days since a 46-44 victory at Mercyhurst on November 22.
  • Saturday's game time is scheduled for 3 p.m. It can be heard live on Jet Radio 1400 and via the 90.5 WERG stream at www.wergfm.com.
  • Gannon has won three consecutive games against Cheyney to increase its lead in the all-time series to 18-11. The Golden Knights have split their only two games played on the Wolves' home floor.
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Players Mentioned

Rich Austin

#23 Rich Austin

F
6' 7"
Redshirt Senior
Sports Mgt. and Marketing
Adam Blazek

#5 Adam Blazek

G
6' 1"
Senior
Journalism Communications
Matthew Dogan

#15 Matthew Dogan

G
6' 7"
Sophomore
Pre-Phy. Asst.
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
Jean Yves Toupane

#24 Jean Yves Toupane

G/F
6' 7"
Junior
Interdisciplinary Studies

Players Mentioned

Rich Austin

#23 Rich Austin

6' 7"
Redshirt Senior
Sports Mgt. and Marketing
F
Adam Blazek

#5 Adam Blazek

6' 1"
Senior
Journalism Communications
G
Matthew Dogan

#15 Matthew Dogan

6' 7"
Sophomore
Pre-Phy. Asst.
G
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
Jean Yves Toupane

#24 Jean Yves Toupane

6' 7"
Junior
Interdisciplinary Studies
G/F