Kevin Kuteyi
Joe Mattis
Junior Kevin Kuteyi needed only 16 minutes to score 11 points, hitting 3-of-5 three-pointers.
56
Le Moyne LEM 2-3
58
Winner Gannon University GAN-M 2-2
Le Moyne LEM
2-3
56
Final
58
Gannon University GAN-M
2-2
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Le Moyne LEM 18 38 56
Gannon University GAN-M 35 23 58

Next Game:

Ashland University

11/28/2015 | 7:30 PM

Jet Radio 1400

Next Game

Full Schedule
Nov. 28 (Sat) / 7:30 PM
 Ashland University

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

Gannon Men's Basketball Team Holds Off Le Moyne; Advances to Gary Miller Classic Title Game (Video/Photos)



THE RUNDOWN
  • Score: at Gannon 58, Le Moyne 56
  • Records: Gannon (2-2), Le Moyne (2-3)
  • Location: Erie, Pa. - Hammermill Center
  • The Short Story: The Gannon men's basketball team generated a 19-point lead early in the second half, before holding off a ferocious rally by Le Moyne for a 58-56 victory Friday night in the 32nd Annual Gary Miller Classic semifinals at the Hammermill Center. As a result, the Golden Knights host former Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) rival Ashland in Saturday's championship bout.

GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER

Gannon-Le Moyne (Semifinal #2)
Ashland-Alderson Broaddus (Semifinal #1)
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • Both teams appeared to be feeling each other out during the opening eight minutes as Le Moyne held a 12-8 lead after a jumper from Daniel Kaigler at the 12:11 mark.
  • It was all Gannon the rest of the first half. The Golden Knights out-scored the Dolphins 27-6 during the final 11 minutes and 47 seconds. Senior Tony Boykins (Kalamazoo, Mich./Loy Norrix) sandwiched two baskets around six points from senior Jean Yves Toupane (Dakar, Senegal/Lee (Maine) Academy), before a lay-up from junior Matthew Dogan (West Middlesex, Pa./West Middlesex) gave the home squad a 20-12 lead with 7:35 left in the first half.
  • Gannon held Le Moyne without a point for four minutes and 58 seconds until Qwadere Lovell hit a three-pointer.
  • The Golden Knights followed the triple with nine more points. Toupane capped the run with a jumper and three-pointer, pushing the lead to 29-15 with 4:22 showing on the clock.
  • Le Moyne didn't convert another field goal until the 2:16 mark, a stretch of four minutes and 57 seconds.
  • Junior Kevin Kuteyi (Lanham, Md./Duval) drilled his third three-pointer of the half with 48 ticks left to push Gannon into the break with a 35-18 advantage.
  • Le Moyne flipped the script in the second half after Gannon generated its largest lead of the evening at 39-20 two minutes and four seconds into the half.
  • A 10-0 blitz brought the Dolphins within 39-30 on Tanner Hyland's jumper with 13:42 remaining.
  • Gannon went 4:35 without a point until Toupane's lay-up pushed the lead back into double digits.
  • Dogan's only three-pointer of the evening with 6:02 to play gave the Golden Knights what appeared to be a comfortable advantage at 53-40.
  • However, Le Moyne rallied again. This time, it was 11 straight points to cut the deficit to 53-51 with 60 seconds remaining.
  • Despite not making a field goal for the final 6:02, Gannon was able to hang on with clutch free throw shooting. The Golden Knights went 5-of-6 from the charity stripe during the final 36 seconds. Gannon went to the line twice in the final 13 seconds with a one-point lead and hit two freebies both times.
  • Leading 58-55, Gannon elected to foul Le Moyne coming across half court with two seconds left. The Dolphins made the first free throw, before grabbing an offensive rebound off a miss on the second attempt. But the potential game-winning three-pointer was blocked by Dogan at the buzzer.

GAME NOTES
  • Gannon held Le Moyne to 2-15 shooting and six points during a 27-6 run in the final 12 minutes of the first half.
  • Toupane led the Gannon offensive attack with 17 points and nine rebounds, missing his first career double-double by one rebound.
  • Sophomore Isaiah Eisendorf (Los Angeles, Calif./Springbrook, Md.) and Kuteyi added 12 and 11 points, respectively. Kuteyi netted 11 points in only 16 minutes of action.
  • Junior Emmanuel Matey (Lanham, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt) entered the game with three assists, before dishing out five in 12 minutes.
  • Gannon shot a 42 percent (21-50) from the field, 46.2 percent (6-13) from three-point range and 66.7 percent (10-15) from the free throw line.
  • The Golden Knights' three-point percentage was 7.7 percent better than the season's previous high.
  • Le Moyne's Tyquan Rolon topped all scores on both sides with 19 points and five rebounds, hitting 7-of-14 attempts.
  • Lovell was the only other Dolphin in double digits with 13 points and five rebounds.
  • Le Moyne shot 34.6 percent (18-52) from the floor, 21.1 percent (4-19) from behind the arc and 66.7 percent (16-24) from the charity stripe. 

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
  • Gannon held an opponent under 23 percent from three-point range for the second time in the last three games.
  • Le Moyne's field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage and steals (4) were the lowest by a Gannon opponent this season.
  • Gannon advanced to the Gary Miller Classic championship game for the first time since 2012 after the Dolphins defeated the Golden Knights during the opening night the last two years.
  • The total difference between Gannon and Le Moyne during the last three Gary Miller Classic semifinal match-ups has been seven points. The Dolphins posted a 65-62 victory in 2013 and 47-45 win last season.
  • Toupane and Eisendorf have reached double digits in points during the last three games.
  • In the opener, Ashland overcame an early 22-6 deficit and knocked all Alderson Broaddus 70-62.
  • Wendall Davis poured in 31 points to go along with 11 rebounds and five assists for the Eagles.

UP NEXT
  • The 32nd Annual Gary Miller Classic concludes Saturday, November 28 at the Hammermill Center.
  • Le Moyne and Alderson Broaddus open the action with the consolation game at 5:30 p.m.
  • The championship game between Gannon and Ashland follows at 7:30 p.m.
  • Team trophies presentations, as well as the all-tournament team and Gary Miller Classic Most Outstanding Player announcements, will follow the title bout.
  • Gannon and Ashland will be meeting for the first time since the Golden Knights' final season in the GLIAC. The last meeting was an 89-70 Gannon victory in the GLIAC Quarterfinals at the Hammermill Center on March 1, 2008.
  • Head coach John T. Reilly's club has won six consecutive games overall against Ashland and four straight at the Hammermill Center.
  • Gannon is 19-3 all-time against Ashland at the 'Mill.
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Daniel Kaigler

#3 Daniel Kaigler

F
6' 6"
Freshman
Communication Arts
Tony Boykins

#33 Tony Boykins

G
6' 3"
Senior
Communication Arts
Matthew Dogan

#15 Matthew Dogan

G
6' 7"
Junior
Physician Assistant
Isaiah Eisendorf

#2 Isaiah Eisendorf

F
6' 6"
Sophomore
Psychology
Jean Yves Toupane

#24 Jean Yves Toupane

G/F
6' 7"
Senior
Interdisciplinary Studies
Emmanuel Matey

#1 Emmanuel Matey

G
5' 10"
Junior
Accounting
Kevin Kuteyi

#5 Kevin Kuteyi

G
6' 1"
Junior
Sports Management

Players Mentioned

Daniel Kaigler

#3 Daniel Kaigler

6' 6"
Freshman
Communication Arts
F
Tony Boykins

#33 Tony Boykins

6' 3"
Senior
Communication Arts
G
Matthew Dogan

#15 Matthew Dogan

6' 7"
Junior
Physician Assistant
G
Isaiah Eisendorf

#2 Isaiah Eisendorf

6' 6"
Sophomore
Psychology
F
Jean Yves Toupane

#24 Jean Yves Toupane

6' 7"
Senior
Interdisciplinary Studies
G/F
Emmanuel Matey

#1 Emmanuel Matey

5' 10"
Junior
Accounting
G
Kevin Kuteyi

#5 Kevin Kuteyi

6' 1"
Junior
Sports Management
G