Jean Yves Toupane
Joe Mattis
Senior Jean Yves Toupane led all scorers on both sides with 21 points.

Men's Basketball Dan Teliski, Assistant Director of Athletics for Media Relations

Gannon Men's Basketball Team Opens Exhibition Schedule with 80-50 Loss at University of Pitt

THE RUNDOWN
  • Event: Exhibition Game
  • Score: University of Pittsburgh 80, Gannon 50
  • Records: Gannon (0-0), University of Pittsburgh (0-0)
  • Location: Pittsburgh, Pa. - Petersen Events Center
  • The Short Story: The University of Pittsburgh men's basketball team limited Gannon to 32.7-percent shooting from the field and a 22.2-percent mark from long range en route to an 80-50 exhibition victory Friday night at the Petersen Events Center.

GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • Defense took center stage at the beginning as neither team was able to score until Pitt's Jamel Artis made a free throw 3:44 into the game.
  • Senior Jean Yves Toupane (Dakar, Senegal/Lee (Maine) Academy) hit the game's first field goal, draining a jumper 4:36 into the contest. Senior Tony Boykins (Kalamazoo, Mich./Loy Norrix) added a lay-up to give Gannon a 4-1 lead with 14:51 remaining in the first half.
  • The Golden Knights' last lead came at 7-6 following a three-pointer from freshman C.J. Asuncion-Byrd (Greenwich, Conn./St. Thomas More) at the 11:56 mark.
  • Pitt answered with seven consecutive points to assume a 13-7 lead with 10:37 showing on the first-half clock.
  • The Panthers then took control with 16 straight points that pushed the home team's advantage to 29-10 with 3:25 left in the first half.
  • The decisive run held Gannon scoreless for six minutes and 36 seconds.
  • Pitt eventually took a 35-14 lead into the intermission following another Boykins lay-up with 14 ticks remaining.
  • Gannon clawed with 40-25 after a lay-up by sophomore Isaiah Eisendorf (Los Angeles, Calif./Springbrook, Md.) and free throw from Boykins.
  • Pitt assumed its biggest lead of the evening at 64-31 following a 10-2 run midway through the second half. The Panthers later matched their biggest advantage (75-42) at the 3:53 mark.
  • Gannon had one last run in it, ripping off eight straight points to draw within 75-50. Eisendorf and Toupane recorded four points each during the run.
  • Pitt then closed out the game with five consecutive points for an 80-50 victory.

GAME NOTES
  • Friday's contest represented Gannon's first exhibition of the season.
  • Gannon is listed among others receiving votes in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Preseason Top 25 Poll.
  • Toupane led all scorers on both sides with 21 points, hitting 6-of-15 field goals and 7-of-8 free throws.
  • Asuncion-Byrd was the only other Golden Knight in double digits with 10 points.
  • Gannon shot 32.7 percent (18-55) from the field, 22.2 percent (4-18) from three-point range and 55.6 percent (10-18) from the free throw line.
  • Artis, James Robinson and Cameron Johnson headlined the Pitt attack with 13 points each.
  • The Panthers shot 44.9 percent (22-49) from the floor, 43.8 percent (7-16) from behind the arc and 74.4 percent (29-39) from the charity stripe.
  • Most of the categories on the statistical sheet were close with the exception of Pitt's 47-5 scoring edge in bench points.
  • Thirteen Golden Knights played during Friday's exhibition, including six who played at least 22 minutes.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
  • Gannon has played in exhibitions during the last two seasons, falling at Siena last year by a 74-63 count.
  • The Golden Knight are 0-3 all-time in exhibition games against NCAA Division I schools since 2008, including a 67-59 loss at the University of Dayton that season.

UP NEXT
  • Gannon concludes its exhibition season Saturday, November 7 at NCAA Division I George Washington of the Atlantic-10 Conference.
  • Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.
  • The Golden Knights open the 2015-16 regular season Wednesday, November 18 at Clarion.
  • The regular-season opener tip is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
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Players Mentioned

Tony Boykins

#33 Tony Boykins

G
6' 3"
Senior
Communication Arts
Isaiah Eisendorf

#2 Isaiah Eisendorf

F
6' 6"
Sophomore
Psychology
Jean Yves Toupane

#24 Jean Yves Toupane

G/F
6' 7"
Senior
Interdisciplinary Studies
C.J. Asuncion-Byrd

#3 C.J. Asuncion-Byrd

G
6' 3"
Freshman
Business

Players Mentioned

Tony Boykins

#33 Tony Boykins

6' 3"
Senior
Communication Arts
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
C.J. Asuncion-Byrd

#3 C.J. Asuncion-Byrd

6' 3"
Freshman
Business
G