PSAC Champions
Joe Mattis
The Gannon men's basketball team is the 2015 PSAC champion after a 69-66 victory against No. 20 IUP.
66
Indiana (Pa.) IUP-M 26-6
69
Winner Gannon University GAN-M 23-8
Indiana (Pa.) IUP-M
26-6
66
Final
69
Gannon University GAN-M
23-8
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Indiana (Pa.) IUP-M 35 31 66
Gannon University GAN-M 42 27 69

Next Game:

vs. Slippery Rock University

3/14/2015 | 2:30 PM

Jet Radio 1400

Next Game

Full Schedule
Mar. 14 (Sat) / 2:30 PM
vs. Slippery Rock University

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

2015 PSAC Men's Basketball Champions! Smith Nails Game-Winning Three to Capture the Title (Video/Photos)



THE RUNDOWN
  • Event: 2015 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship
  • Score: at Gannon 69, No. 20 Indiana (Pa.) 66
  • Records: Gannon (23-8), Indiana (Pa.) (26-6)
  • Location: Erie, Pa. - Hammermill Center
  • The Short Story: Senior Girbran Smith's (Nassau, Bahamas/Seton (Ill.) Academy) three-pointer from the left wing with two seconds left capped a furious Gannon rally as the Golden Knights stunned No. 20 Indiana (Pa.) 69-66 Sunday afternoon in front of a boisterous crowd at the Hammermill Center. As a result, head coach John T. Reilly's squad captured its second Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship since joining the league in 2008-09.

GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • Neither team was able to produce a lead larger than four points until Gannon had the first run of the afternoon late in the opening half.
  • Leading 30-28, Gannon ripped off 10 consecutive points. Senior Rich Austin (Cleveland, Ohio/St. Ignatius) netted six of those points while Smith accounted for the other four. Two free throws by Smith capped the run, giving the Golden Knights a 40-28 lead with 1:23 remaining in the first half.
  • Indiana (Pa.) was able to regain its feet and climbed within 42-35 at the break after Shawn Dyer drilled a three pointer as time wound down.
  • The Gannon lead sat at 53-47 when IUP appeared to take control of the game. A 12-3 Crimson Hawks run turned a six-point deficit into a 59-56 lead with 5:37 to play.
  • Indiana (Pa.) trailed by three, before ending the run with six consecutive points. Dyer's jumper created the seventh tie of the game. Devante Chance and Daddy Ugbede sandwiched a free throw by senior Adam Blazek (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) with two of their own for a 59-56 lead.
  • Chance later snapped the eighth deadlock of the game with a personal 5-0 run. His three-pointer broke the tie, before his lay-up gave the Crimson Hawks a 66-61 lead with 3:32 remaining. However, those would be the visitor's last points of the afternoon.
  • Senior A'Darius Porter (Stockbridge, Ga./Woodland) converted a lay-up while being fouled, but the deficit stayed at 66-63 after a missed free throw.
  • An IUP turnover led to a Smith jumper that cut the deficit to 66-65 with 2:20 left.
  • The Crimson Hawks misfired on their next possession. Blazek was then fouled and tied the game at 66 after splitting a pair of free throws at the 1:36 mark.
  • After the two teams traded scoreless possessions, the conference championship came down to a pair of plays. First, Chance dribbled into a double team and a scrum of players led to a jump ball with the possession arrow heading Gannon's way.
  • The Golden Knights worked the clock all the way down until Smith skied over Chance for the game-winning three-pointer from the left wing with two seconds left.
  • IUP immediately called time-out and had one last chance, but its in-bound pass from the baseline to mid-court was tipped away by Porter as the horn sounded.

GAME NOTES
  • Smith led all scorers on both sides with a career-high 27 points, including 22 during the first half. He reached double digits in scoring for the sixth straight game and 27th time this season. Smith tied a career-high with nine field goals and set a new career-high with five three-pointers.
  • Blazek followed with 12 points, five assists and three steals in 35 minutes. He reached double digits in scoring for the eighth consecutive game and 25th time this season.
  • Porter and Austin chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively.
  • Gannon shot 52.4 percent (22-42) from the field, 53.3 percent (8-15) from three-point range and 68 percent (17-25) from the free throw line.
  • Chance and Dyer scored 44 of IUP's 66 points, netting 22 points each.
  • The Crimson Hawks shot 44.4 percent (20-45) from the floor, 60 percent (9-15) from behind the arc and 77.3 percent (17-22) from the charity stripe.
  • The PSAC title game featured nine ties and seven lead changes.
  • IUP out-rebounded Gannon 27-26, becoming the first team to out-rebound the Golden Knights in 19 games. West Chester was the last team to perform the feat on December 17 with a 32-31 advantage.
  • Indiana (Pa.) was ranked No. 20 in the latest National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Top 20 Poll.
  • Gannon defeated IUP for the fifth time in the last six encounters.
  • Smith was named PSAC Championship MVP after posting 37 points and eight rebounds during the weekend, including the game-winning three-pointer during Sunday's championship game.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
  • Gannon hosted the PSAC Final Four for the first time since the 2009 NCAA Division II Elite Eight team did so.
  • The Golden Knights captured their second PSAC Championship since joining the league in 2008-09. 
  • Gannon improved to 38-10 all-time in postseason games at the Hammermill Center, including a 23-1 record during the last 24 postseason contests at the 'Mill
  • The Golden Knights extended their season-high win streak to eight games. The squad has won 12 of its last 13 contests.
  • Gannon tied a season-high with eight three-pointers for the third time this season.
  • The Golden Knights are now 10-0 when shooting 50 percent or better this season and 83-13 all-time under Reilly.
  • Gannon improved to 16-1 when leading at halftime this season and 144-25 all-time under head coach John T. Reilly. 
  • The Golden Knights played their 13th game of the season decided by five points or less, winning nine of them. The squad has played 26 games decided by five points or less during the last two seasons.
  • Gannon improved to 9-1 this season in afternoon games.
  • The Golden Knights won their 14th home game of the season, representing their most since going 21-1 at the Hammermill Center during the NCAA Division II Elite Eight season in 2008-09.

UP NEXT
  • Gannon enters the NCAA Division II Tournament as the Atlantic Region's No. 2 seed. The Golden Knights open the tournament Saturday, March 14 against No. 7 Slippery Rock at 2:30 p.m.
  • West Liberty, ranked fourth nationally, will serve as the host institution for the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional.
  • Gannon swept three games against Slippery Rock this season, including a 71-45 victory during the PSAC Quarterfinals March 3 at the Hammermill Center. The Golden Knights have won six straight against the Rock, increasing their lead in the all-time series to 23-12.
  • The two PSAC Western Division rivals have never met on a neutral floor.
  • Gannon will be making its second consecutive NCAA Division II Tournament appearance and 24th in program history. The Golden Knights have advanced to the postseason 26 times during the last 31 seasons, advancing to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight five times.
  • All Gannon games at the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional can be heard live on Jet Radio 1400 and via the 90.5 WERG online stream at www.wergfm.com.
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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

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