Rich Austin
Joe Mattis
Redshirt senior Rich Austin poured in a season-high 16 points off the bench, including a tip-in that forced overtime with 26 seconds left.
61
Gannon GAN-M 8-5, 7-1 PSAC
66
Winner Millersville MILL-M 6-7, 3-5 PSAC
Gannon GAN-M
8-5, 7-1 PSAC
61
Final
66
Millersville MILL-M
6-7, 3-5 PSAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 OT 1 F
Gannon GAN-M 24 29 8 61
Millersville MILL-M 33 20 13 66

Next Game:

at Shippensburg University

1/4/2015 | 3:00 PM

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Next Game

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Jan. 04 (Sun) / 3:00 PM
at Shippensburg University

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

Gannon Men's Basketball Team Rallies From 17 Points Down in Second Half; Falls in Overtime at Millersville

THE RUNDOWN
  • Score: at Millersville 66, Gannon 61 (ot)
  • Records: Gannon (8-5, 7-1 PSAC), Millersville (6-7, 3-5 PSAC)
  • Location: Millersville, Pa. - Pucillo Gymnasium
  • The Short Story: Redshirt senior Rich Austin's (Cleveland, Ohio/St. Ignatius) tip-in with 26 seconds left in regulation capped a 17-point comeback for the Gannon men's basketball team, but host Millersville rebounded by scoring 13 of the last 17 points in overtime to secure a 66-61 overtime victory Saturday afternoon at Pucillo Gymnasium.

GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • Millersville hit a three-pointer nine seconds into the game and controlled play throughout the majority of the first half.
  • Five straight Millersville points midway through the first half gave the Marauders a 15-6 lead with 8:03 left on the clock.
  • A three-pointer from Sam Light with 2:57 remaining in the first half gave Millersville its biggest lead of the opening stanza at 28-18.
  • Consecutive lay-ups by Austin during the final minute cut the Gannon deficit to six points, before a triple by Kelvin Parker with three seconds left gave the Marauders a 33-24 edge at the intermission.
  • Millersville opened the second half with a 14-6 run and appeared to have the game in hand after Tavon Parker's three-pointer gave the home team a 47-30 lead at the 15:53 mark.
  • However, Gannon got off the deck with a nine straight points. Senior Girbran Smith (Nassau, Bahamas/Seton (Ill.) Academy) converted a lay-up and three-pointer, before senior A'Darius Porter (Stockbridge, Ga./Woodland) followed with back-to-back lay-ups to bring the Golden Knights within 47-39.
  • Millersville went 6:02 without a point until Eddie Callendar's lay-in pushed the lead back into double digits with 9:51 to play.
  • Trailing 51-39, Gannon produced another large run. This time, the Golden Knights ripped off 10 consecutive points. Smith accounted for the last seven points of the run, including a pair of free throws that brought Gannon within 51-49 at the 4:24 mark.
  • In all, Gannon got back into the game with a 19-2 run that spanned 10 minutes and six seconds. The Marauders went 2-of-13 from the field with four turnovers during the Golden Knight blitz.
  • With 26 seconds left in regulation, Austin tipped in a missed shot to tie the score at 53. The Gannon defense then held on Millersville's final possession to force overtime.
  • Roles reversed in overtime. Gannon now appeared to be the one in control with a 57-53 lead after opening the extra session with an Austin lay-up and two Smith free throws.
  • However, Millersville made three consecutive lay-ups aided by two Gannon turnovers in the span of 21 seconds to turn a four-point deficit into a two-point advantage. Another Millersville lay-up capped an 8-0 run, giving the Marauders a 61-57 lead.
  • A jumper by Adam Blazek (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) pulled Gannon within 61-59, but Parker's three-pointer with 59 seconds left was the final dagger.

GAME NOTES
  • Smith recorded his first career double-double with 20 points and a career-high 12 rebounds in 42 minutes. He had 12 points and eight rebounds during the second half.
  • Austin poured in a season-high 16 points and seven rebounds off the bench, hitting 7-of-9 shots.
  • Junior Jean Yves Toupane (Dakar, Senegal/Lee (Maine) Academy) hauled down a season-high 10 rebounds to go along with seven points off the bench. 
  • Gannon shot 38.3 percent (23-60) from the field, 23.1 percent (3-13) from three-point range and 70.6 percent (12-17) from the free throw line.
  • Brothers Kelvin and Tavon Parker led Millersville with 16 and 14 points, respectively. Eddie Callender and Light added 11 and 10 points.
  • The Marauders shot 36.8 percent (21-57) from the floor, 38.7 percent (12-31) from behind the arc and 75 percent (12-16) from the charity stripe.
  • Millersville hit 7-of-14 three-pointers during the first half. The squad made only one field goal that wasn't a three-pointer. The Marauders made 12 three-pointers for the entire game compared to nine two-point field goals.
  • Gannon out-scored Millersville 34-16 in the paint and 23-13 in bench points.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
  • Saturday's loss brought an end to Gannon's season-high six-game win streak. The Golden Knights last tasted defeat with a 73-66 setback against Alderson Broaddus November 29 in the Gary Miller Classic.
  • The Golden Knights became the last Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference team to suffer a league loss. The squad still holds sole possession of first place in the PSAC Western Division. Slippery Rock, Indiana (Pa.) and Mercyhurst sit one game back in the loss column.
  • Gannon dropped its third consecutive road overtime game dating back to last season.
  • The Golden Knights are now 10-6 all-time in overtime games under head coach John T. Reilly.
  • Gannon dropped to 63-37 all-time in overtime games, including a 24-24 mark away from the Hammermill Center.
  • Millersville snapped a three-game losing streak to Gannon while improving to 3-1 all-time against the Golden Knights at Pucillo Gymnasium.
  • The Marauders improved to 5-1 at home this season, contrasting with a 1-6 road slate.
  • Blazek jumped Troy Nesmith (1996-98) and moved into 17th place all-time at Gannon in scoring with 1,290 career points.
  • Gannon has led at halftime during only three of its 13 games this season.
  • Seven of Gannon's 13 games have been decided by five points or less.
  • Gannon has played seven overtime games during the last two seasons. 

UP NEXT
  • After a two-week hiatus, Gannon little time to regroup. The Golden Knights conclude a PSAC weekend crossover road trip Sunday, January 4 at Shippensburg. Game time is scheduled for 3 p.m.
  • The contest can be heard live on Jet Radio 1400, as well as the 90.5 WERG online stream at www.wergfm.com.
  • Gannon has never lost to Shippensburg in seven all-time meetings. The run includes a 5-0 record at the Hammermill Center and 2-0 mark on Ship's home floor.
  • Only one PSAC crossover game remains on the 2014-15 schedule after Sunday's match-up at Shippensburg.
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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
A

#32 A'Darius Porter

F
6' 7"
Senior
Biology
Girbran Smith

#25 Girbran Smith

G/F
6' 3"
Senior
Comm. 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
A

#32 A'Darius Porter

6' 7"
Senior
Biology
F
Girbran Smith

#25 Girbran Smith

6' 3"
Senior
Comm. Arts
G/F
Jean Yves Toupane

#24 Jean Yves Toupane

6' 7"
Junior
Interdisciplinary Studies
G/F