Raphell Thomas-Edwards
Joe Mattis
Senior Raphell Thomas-Edwards recorded his seventh double-double of the season and 11th in the last two years.
36
Pitt-Johnstown UPJM 12-11, 9-10 PSAC
66
Winner Gannon University GAN-M 17-8, 16-4 PSAC
Pitt-Johnstown UPJM
12-11, 9-10 PSAC
36
Final
66
Gannon University GAN-M
17-8, 16-4 PSAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Pitt-Johnstown UPJM 21 15 36
Gannon University GAN-M 41 25 66

Next Game:

at Le Moyne College

2/18/2015 | 7:00 PM

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Next Game

Full Schedule
Feb. 18 (Wed) / 7:00 PM
at Le Moyne College

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

Gannon Men's Basketball Team Puts Defensive Clamps on UPJ; Reduces Magic Number to One with 66-36 Victory (Video)



THE RUNDOWN
  • Score: at Gannon 66, Pitt-Johnstown 36
  • Records: Gannon (17-8, 16-4 PSAC), Pitt-Johnstown (12-11, 9-10 PSAC)
  • Location: Erie, Pa. - Hammermill Center
  • The Short Story: The Gannon men's basketball team limited the nation's 22nd-best three-point shooting team to only a pair of three-pointers and used a suffocating defensive effort to shut down Pitt-Johnstown 66-36 Saturday afternoon during the Annual Hall of Fame Game at the Hammermill Center. Combined with IUP's loss at Edinboro, the Golden Knights reduced their magic number for clinching the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division's top seed to one.

GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • Gannon wasted little time running away with Saturday, contest, opening a double-digit lead less than eight minutes into the game.
  • Seniors Raphell Thomas-Edwards (Leicester, England/The Gateway School) and A'Darius Porter (Stockbridge, Ga./Woodland) scored 16 of Gannon's first 19 points, hitting 7-of-8 shots combined.
  • Senior Girbran Smith (Nassau, Bahamas/Seton (Ill.) Academy) and sophomore Matthew Dogan (West Middlesex, Pa./West Middlesex) followed with jumpers to cap a 15-3 run, giving the Golden Knights a commanding 23-6 lead with 9:16 left in the first half.
  • Gannon extended its lead to 36-12 with an 8-0 run. Porter converted another lay-up, before senior Adam Blazek (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) drilled back-to-back three-pointers.
  • Pitt-Johnstown managed the last four points of the half to cut the deficit to 41-21 at the intermission.
  • The Mountain Cats were never able to get any closer during the entire second half.
  • Gannon's lead slowly grew through the final 20 minutes. The Golden Knights' biggest advantage of the afternoon came at 66-34 after Blazek hit a pair of free throws with 3:09 remaining.

GAME NOTES
  • Gannon never trailed during Saturday's contest.
  • Every Golden Knight in uniform saw playing action for the first time this season, including the collegiate debut of true freshman William Gadson (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) during the final minute.
  • Thomas-Edwards recorded his seventh double-double of the season and 11th during his two years as a Golden Knight with 12 points and 11 rebounds in only 24 minutes.
  • Blazek led Gannon in scoring for the 10th time this season with 16 points, five assists and four rebounds.
  • Porter filled the stat sheet with 13 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.
  • Redshirt senior Rich Austin (Cleveland, Ohio/St. Ignatius) added 11 points, four rebounds and two blocks in 12 minutes off the bench. He was perfect in five field goal attempts.
  • At least four Golden Knights reached double digits in scoring for the second consecutive game.
  • Gannon shot 51.1 percent (24-47) from the field, including a red-hot 68-percent (17-25) clip during the first half. The Golden Knights shot 38.5 percent (5-13) from three-point range and 76.5 percent (13-17) from the free throw line.
  • Ian Vescovi was the only Mountain Cat in double digits with 10 points.
  • After torching Gannon for 27 points on 7-of-9 three-point shooting during the last encounter, A.J. Leahey was limited to five points. He entered the game as the nation's top three-point shooter, but hit only 1-of-3 triples.
  • Pitt-Johnstown shot 30.6 percent (11-36) from the floor, 20 percent (2-10) from behind the arc and 60 percent (12-20) from the charity stripe.
  • Gannon improved to 7-0 this season and 80-13 all-time under head coach John T. Reilly when shooting 50 percent or better.
  • The Golden Knights dominated the Mountain Cats in the post, producing 30 points in the paint compared the visitor's 14.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
  • Combined with IUP's 79-77 loss at Edinboro, Gannon reduced its magic number for clinching the PSAC Western Division's top seed to one. The Golden Knights need to win one of their last two league games or have IUP and Mercyhurst lose one game each to clinch the top seed and hosting rights throughout the PSAC Tournament.
  • Gannon and Mercyhurst have two league games remaining. IUP has three PSAC contests left. The Golden Knights currently win the tiebreaker with both IUP and Mercyhurst. 
  • The Golden Knights shot over 50 percent in consecutive games for the first time since February 23-27, 2013.
  • Pitt-Johnstown's 36 points represented the fewest by a Gannon opponent since the Golden Knights defeated Lock Haven 85-35 on February 18, 2012.
  • Gannon posted a scoring margin of at least 30 points for the second time this season, winning 82-51 at Cheyney on December 20. 
  • Blazek jumped past Gosby Pryor (1979-83) into eighth place all-time at Gannon with 1,455 career points.
  • Pitt-Johnstown was held 39.9 points below its scoring average.
  • Blazek moved past Bill Callahan (1970-73) and into seventh place all-time at Gannon with 342 career assists.
  • Gannon improved to 11-1 when leading at halftime this season and 139-25 all-time under Reilly.
  • Blazek moved into a tie with Cory Coleman (1998-02) for fourth place all-time at Gannon with his 182nd career three-pointer.

UP NEXT
  • Gannon concludes its non-conference schedule Wednesday, February 18 at Northeast-10 opponent Le Moyne.
  • Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.
  • The non-conference affair fills an open date left void by Gannon's PSAC bye.
  • Despite Le Moyne competing in the NCAA Division II East Region, Wednesday's contest is considered an in-region game for NCAA regional ranking purposes since both teams play in adjacent states.
  • The Gannon-Le Moyne contest can be heard live on Jet Radio 1400 and via the 90.5 WERG stream at www.wergfm.com.
  • Le Moyne has defeated Gannon the last two seasons in the Gary Miller Classic. The Dolphins posted 65-62 victory during the 2013 edition and repeated the success with a 47-45 win during the 2014 classic.
  • Gannon leads the all-time series 29-17, but the Golden Knights are only 9-11 all-time on Le Moyne's home floor.
  • Wednesday's trip will be Gannon's first to Syracuse, New York since the 1994-95 season when the Golden Knights posted a 95-92 victory.
  • Le Moyne had won the previous five home encounters with Gannon.
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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
Matthew Dogan

#15 Matthew Dogan

G
6' 7"
Sophomore
Pre-Phy. Asst.
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
William Gadson

#4 William Gadson

G
6' 1"
Freshman
Biomedical Engineering

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
Matthew Dogan

#15 Matthew Dogan

6' 7"
Sophomore
Pre-Phy. Asst.
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
William Gadson

#4 William Gadson

6' 1"
Freshman
Biomedical Engineering
G