Adam Blazek
Joe Mattis
Senior Adam Blazek became Gannon's all-time steal leader with his 197th career takeaway 6:39 into Wednesday's contest.
61
Kutztown KUTZ-M 10-6, 7-3 PSAC
76
Winner Gannon University GAN-M 10-5, 9-1 PSAC
Kutztown KUTZ-M
10-6, 7-3 PSAC
61
Final
76
Gannon University GAN-M
10-5, 9-1 PSAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Kutztown KUTZ-M 34 27 61
Gannon University GAN-M 28 48 76

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Edinboro University of Pennsylvania

1/10/2015 | 7:30 PM

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Jan. 10 (Sat) / 7:30 PM
 Edinboro University of Pennsylvania

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

Huge Second Half Propels Gannon Men's Basketball Team Past Kutztown in Battle of PSAC First-Place Teams; Blazek Breaks Steals Record (Video/Photos)



THE RUNDOWN
  • Score: at Gannon 76, Kutztown 61
  • Records: Gannon (10-5, 9-1 PSAC), Kutztown (10-6, 7-3 PSAC)
  • Location: Erie, Pa. - Hammermill Center
  • The Short Story: On a night when senior Adam Blazek (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) became the program's all-time steals leader, the Gannon men's basketball team overcame a six-point halftime deficit with a 48-27 scoring advantage during the second half en route to a 76-61 victory against Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division leader Kutztown Wednesday night at the Hammermill Center.

GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • Kutztown jumped on Gannon early with the first 10 points of the game. The Golden Bears held the Golden Knights without a point for the first three minutes and 47 seconds.
  • Trailing 13-6, Gannon produced its first run of the evening with a 16-3 blitz over the span of five minutes and 54 seconds.
  • Consecutive baskets by redshirt senior Rich Austin (Cleveland, Ohio/St. Ignatius), Blazek and redshirt freshman Marcus Jones (Brantford, Ontario/Athlete Institute Academy) brought Gannon within a point. Austin then followed with an old-fashion three-point play to give the Golden Knights a 15-13 advantage.
  • A three-pointer from senior Girbran Smith (Nassau, Bahamas/Seton (Ill.) Academy) followed by back-to-back baskets from senior Raphell Thomas-Edwards (Leicester, England/The Gateway School) and junior Jean Yves Toupane (Dakar, Senegal/Lee (Maine) Academy) capped the run. The final field goal gave the Golden Knights a 22-16 lead with 7:51 left in the first half.
  • The pair of first-place teams continued to trade runs as Kutztown manufactured a 10-0 blitz with Gannon's five starters on the bench due to foul trouble late in the half. Ethan Ridgeway's jumper with 16 seconds left gave the Golden Bears a 34-26 lead with 16 ticks remaining.
  • A pair of free throws from Jones four seconds later capped the first-half scoring, sending Kutztown into the break with a 34-28 advantage.
  • The second half belonged to Gannon. The Golden Knights put together a mini 6-0 run to draw even early in the second half. A Thomas-Edwards jumper followed by four points from senior A'Darius Porter (Stockbridge, Ga./Woodland) knotted the affair at 38 with 15:32 remaining.
  • The fourth tie of the evening came at 45-45, but it would be the final one. Blazek untied the knot with a three-pointer, igniting a 10-2 run. Smith ended the rally with a jumper and acrobatic lay-up while being fouled, giving the Golden Knights a 55-47 lead with 7:37 to play.
  • Moments later, a 10-1 blitz iced the contest. After Smith hit a jumper, Blazek rattled off eight consecutive points. His third three-pointer of the second half propelled the home squad to a 69-53 advantage with 2:31 showing on the clock.
  • Kutztown never got closer than 13 points the rest of the way.

GAME NOTES
  • Blazek became Gannon's all-time steals leader with his 197th career steal 6:39 into the contest. He entered the game tied with Butch Warner (1981-85).
  • Wednesday's contest was a battle between a pair of PSAC division leaders. Kutztown sits atop the Eastern Division while Gannon headlines the Western Division ledger.
  • Gannon and Kutztown combined to generate four ties and seven lead changes.
  • Both teams held double-digit leads. Kutztown led by 10 points in the first half, before Gannon countered with a 16-point advantage during the second half.
  • Smith was Gannon's leading scorer for the third consecutive game and eighth time this season with 19 points, including 14 during the second half.
  • Blazek followed with 17 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals.
  • Thomas-Edwards completed Gannon's trio of double-digit scorers with 10 markers.
  • Jones dished out a season-high seven assists and scored six points in 30 minutes at point guard.
  • The Golden Knights committed only nine turnovers compared to 15 assists. It represented the fewest turnovers since having nine during a 73-69 overtime victory against Slippery Rock during the 2014 PSAC Quarterfinals.
  • Gannon shot 51 percent (26-51) from the floor, 41.7 percent (5-12) from three-point range and 73.1 percent (19-26) from the free throw line. The Golden Knights shot a red-hot 65.2 percent (15-23) during the final 20 minutes.
  • Head coach John T. Reilly's club shot over 50 percent for the fourth time this season.
  • Gannon produced large scoring advantages in the paint (36-14) and by their bench (24-9).
  • The Golden Knights' five starters averaged 9.6 minutes during the first half due to foul trouble. Four of the five starters entered halftime with two fouls each. 
  • California (Pa.) transfer Tynell Fortune headlined Kutztown's scoring attack with 25 points and four rebounds, hitting 8-of-13 field goals and 7-of-12 free throws.
  • Tyler Brooks was the only other Golden Bear in double digits with 15 points.
  • Kutztown shot 43.9 percent (18-41) from the floor, 33.3 percent (5-15) from behind the arc and 62.5 percent (20-32) from the charity stripe.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
  • Gannon remained in sole possession of first place in the PSAC Western Division with a 9-1 conference record. The Golden Knights hold the best PSAC record in either division. Indiana (Pa.) and Slippery Rock sit one game back in the loss column.
  • The Golden Knights improved to 10-0 all-time against Kutztown at the Hammermill Center. The squad is 12-1 overall against the Golden Bears.
  • Gannon won its sixth game this season when trailing or tied at halftime. The Golden Knights have led at halftime only four times during the first 15 games.
  • With the best scoring defense in NCAA Division II, the Golden Knights held Kutztown 10 points below its scoring average.
  • Gannon has won six consecutive home games, marking its longest home streak since winning 12 in a row from December 14, 2013 until November 19, 2014.
  • Blazek jumped George Hesch and into 16th place on Gannon's all-time scoring chart Wednesday night. The senior now has 1,317 career points and can move past Bob Vilchinsky (1953-57) into Gannon's all-time top 15 with 10 more points.

UP NEXT
  • Gannon returns to PSAC Western Division play Saturday, January 10 against rival Edinboro at the Hammermill Center. Game time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The women's teams battle in a rematch of last year's PSAC title game at 5:30 p.m.
  • The men's contest can be heard live on Jet Radio 1400, as well as the 90.5 WERG online stream at www.wergfm.com.
  • Gannon swept last year's season series for the first time since the 2008-09 campaign. The Golden Knights posted a 71-59 victory at Edinboro's McComb Fieldhouse and a 71-54 win at the Hammermill Center.
  • GU is 64-35 all-time against Edinboro, including a 36-13 edge on its 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
Marcus Jones

#21 Marcus Jones

G
6' 1"
Redshirt Freshman
Psychology
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
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
Marcus Jones

#21 Marcus Jones

6' 1"
Redshirt Freshman
Psychology
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
Jean Yves Toupane

#24 Jean Yves Toupane

6' 7"
Junior
Interdisciplinary Studies
G/F