ERIE, Pa. -
Adam Blazek (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) and
Girbran Smith (Nassau, Bahamas/Seton Academy) combined to score 56 percent of Gannon's points as the Golden Knights led wire-to-wire during a 66-53 victory against Seton Hill Saturday afternoon in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division men's basketball action. The win enabled the Knights to gain a split of the season series against the Griffins.
Gannon put on quite a show for the 1,402 fans who took part in the Seventh Annual Pink Zone and Athletics Hall of Fame Game. Seton Hill opened the contest with five straight points, before the Golden Knights responded with 13 consecutive markers. The home squad never trailed again after the run.
Smith was responsible for six of the 13 points, including a personal 4-0 mini-run with a free throw and three-pointer.
Rogerio Livramento's (Central Falls, R.I./Central Falls) free throw at the 11:50 mark capped the blitz.
In all, Gannon held Seton Hill scoreless for eight minutes and one second until David Windsor's free throw with 11:01 remaining in the first half. The Griffins went nine minutes and 38 seconds without a field goal until Nebojsa Stanojevic's lay-up at the 9:24 mark.
Gannon generated another blitz of 11 straight points following Stanojevic's basket to grab its largest lead of the afternoon at 28-8 with 5:27 left on the clock. Blazek had five points during the run, capped by four straight from
C.J. Oldham (Solon, Ohio/Solon). In all, the Golden Knights' 28-5 run lasted 12 minutes and 46 seconds. The Griffins were limited to 1-of-14 shooting with eight turnovers during the decisive run. The home squad eventually went to halftime with a commanding 33-15 lead, representing the program's largest halftime advantage since holding a 46-28 edge against Mansfield on January 5, 2013. It was the fewest points allowed by the Golden Knights in the first half since limiting Virginia State to 13 points on December 15, 2012.
Seton Hill took a serious shot at Gannon early in the second half, cutting the deficit to 37-29 with a 14-4 run during the first five minutes and 13 seconds. But that was as close as the Griffins would get.
Leading 46-37, Gannon scored eight of the next nine points to regain control at 54-38 with 8:52 to play. Seton Hill never got closer than 11 points the rest of the way.
Blazek led the Golden Knights with 20 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals. The junior guard entered the game as the PSAC's leader and ranked 16th nationally in free throw percentage, before draining all eight free throw attempts. He reached the 20-point plateau for the seventh time this season and 16th time during his career while moving into Gannon's all-time top 30 in scoring with 946 career points.
Smith bounced back from consecutive low-scoring games with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting. The junior guard has reached double digits during five of the last seven games. He finished one point shy of his career-high.
Livramento completed Gannon's group of double-digit scorers with 13 points and six rebounds during 22 minutes off the bench. It represented his best scoring output since netting 14 points December 18 against Lock Haven.
Gannon shot 48 percent (24-50) from the field, 36.4 percent (4-11) from three-point range and 77.8 percent (14-18) from the free throw line. The Golden Knights held a 36-6 edge in points in the paint and out-rebounded their 20th consecutive opponent.
Kameron Taylor led Seton Hill with 16 points,. Half of those points came from a perfect 8-of-8 free throw chart. Noah Davis was the only other Griffin in double digits with 11 points.
Seton Hill shot 38.1 percent (16-42) overall from the floor, but played two different halves. The Griffins shot 25 percent (6-24) during the first half, before heating up to 55.6 percent (10-18) during the second half. The visitors shot 31.8 percent (7-22) from behind the arc and 77.8 percent (14-18) from the charity stripe.
Gannon improved to 12-8 overall and 7-3 in the PSAC Western Division with its sixth victory in the last seven games. Seton Hill dropped to 12-8 overall and 4-6 in divisional play with its fifth setback during the last seven contests. The Golden Knights return to action Wednesday, February 5 against Slippery Rock at the Hammermill Center. Both teams are tied for third place in the PSAC Western Division, sitting one-half game behind Mercyhurst and one full game behind Indiana (Pa.). Game time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
