EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. - West Chester hit a pair of game-tying free throws with 25 seconds left in regulation and then converted two free throws with six seconds remaining in overtime to post a heart-stopping 77-76 victory against Gannon Saturday afternoon in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Men's Basketball Semifinals hosted by East Stroudsburg.
It was your typical Gannon-West Chester game. Unfortunately with the same result. West Chester won its fourth consecutive game against Gannon, but all four have been decided by a combined eight points. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights were forced into consecutive postseason overtime games for the first time in school history.
Gannon led 68-61 after
Girbran Smith's (Nassau, Bahamas/Seton Academy) old-fashion three-point play with 3:20 to play. However, West Chester responded with seven consecutive points to tie the score. Shannon Givens ignited the rally with a three-pointer. After a Gannon turnover, the key sequence unfolded. The Golden Knights fouled Givens driving to the hoop and then picked up a technical foul after the play. The Golden Rams drained all four free throws to tie the contest at 68 with 2:03 remaining.
West Chester eventually forged ahead 70-69 on Troy Hockaday's jumper at the 1:23 mark. Gannon answered right back when
C.J. Oldham (Solon, Ohio/Solon) finished a pass from
A'Darius Porter (Stockbridge, Ga./Woodland) near the rim with 59 ticks remaining. A
Matthew Dogan (West Middlesex, Pa./West Middlesex) free throw pushed the lead to 72-70, before Givens converted the game-tying free throws with 25 seconds left. Gannon had the last possession, but was unable to get a shot off before the final horn.
Both teams went 1-of-6 from the field during the overtime session, but West Chester hit one more free throw. West Chester scored the first three points only to see Gannon answer with a
Rogerio Livramento (Central Falls, R.I./Central Falls) lay-up and Oldham free throw. Livramento added another freebie to push the Golden Knights ahead 76-75 with 18 seconds left.
On the next possession, Matt Wisely was fouled with six seconds remaining and calmly sank both free throws to give West Chester a 77-76 lead. Gannon then ran a perfectly-designed play to almost perfection. Needing to go the length of the court in 5.1 seconds, Oldham hit Livramento just before mid-court. Livramento turned and hit
Adam Blazek (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) racing down the far sideline. The contested lay-up was off the mark and a Golden Knights tip-in at the buzzer didn't fall.
The back-and-forth game featured 10 ties and 10 lead changes. Gannon led by as many as seven points (22-15) during the first half and eventually went to halftime with a 40-35 lead after Blazek drilled a tough three-pointer with one second left.
A mini 8-0 run early in the second half gave Gannon its biggest lead of the afternoon at 50-41 with 14:20 to play. Four different Golden Knights scored during the run that was capped by a
Raphell Thomas-Edwards (Leicester, England/The Gateway School) put-back after three straight offensive rebounds.
West Chester was able to fend off Gannon with offensive rebounds and turnovers. The Golden Rams grabbed 20 offensive rebounds, becoming the first opponent to reach that figure since East Stroudsburg had 20 during a 90-89 victory on November 19, 2011. WCU also held a 20-8 edge in points off turnovers.
Blazek led all scorers with 22 points, reaching the 20-point plateau for the 10th time this season and 19th time during his career. Both Thomas-Edwards and Livramento recorded double-doubles, becoming the second duo to accomplish the feat in the same game this season. Thomas-Edwards and Porter double dipped against Edinboro.
Thomas-Edwards had 13 points and 12 rebounds against West Chester. Livramento produced his first career double-double with 10 points and a career-high 11 rebounds. Smith chipped in 10 points.
Gannon shot 44.6 percent (25-56) overall after hitting 60.9 percent (14-23) of its shots during the first half. The Golden Knights shot 36.8 percent (7-19) from three-point range and 76 percent (19-25) from the free throw line.
Givens headlined the West Chester offensive unit with 21 points on 7-of-23 shooting. Hockaday was the only other Golden Ram in double digits with 19 markers on 4-of-12 shooting.
West Chester shot 33.8 percent (22-65) from the floor, 25 percent (7-28) from behind the arc and 78.8 percent (26-33) from the charity stripe.
Gannon dropped to 19-9 overall with its first loss since January 29. West Chester improved to 20-8 and will play East Stroudsburg in Sunday's championship game.
Head coach
John T. Reilly's club now awaits word on a possible NCAA Division II Tournament at-large bid. The Golden Knights were ranked fifth in the latest NCAA Division II Atlantic regional rankings released last Wednesday. The Selection Show is scheduled for Sunday, March 9 at 10:30 p.m. It can be viewed live online at
http://www.ncaa.com/live/player?vid=2014/1346&date=2014/03/09.
