Isaiah Eisendorf
Joe Mattis
Sophomore Isaiah Eisendorf's two free throws gave Gannon a lead four seconds before the Cal buzzer-beater.
54
Gannon GAN-M 3-11, 2-9 PSAC
56
Winner California (PA) CAL-M 6-10, 4-7 PSAC
Gannon GAN-M
3-11, 2-9 PSAC
54
Final
56
California (PA) CAL-M
6-10, 4-7 PSAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Gannon GAN-M 27 27 54
California (PA) CAL-M 24 32 56

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Seton Hill University (Pa.)

1/16/2016 | 7:30 PM

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Jan. 16 (Sat) / 7:30 PM
 Seton Hill University (Pa.)

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

Buzzer-Beating Three-Pointer Sinks Gannon Men's Basketball Team at California (Pa.)

THE RUNDOWN
  • Score: at California (Pa.) 56, Gannon 54
  • Records: Gannon (3-11, 2-9 PSAC), California (Pa.) (6-10, 4-7 PSAC)
  • Location: California, Pa. - Convocation Center
  • The Short Story: Four seconds after sophomore Isaiah Eisendorf's (Los Angeles, Calif./Springbrook, Md.) two free throws put Gannon in front, Khalil Jabbie raced down court and drilled a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer as California (Pa.) stunned the Golden Knights 56-54 Wednesday night at the Cal Convocation Center.

GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • The two teams battled to four ties during the opening 11:26, before Gannon forged ahead with eight consecutive points. Trailing 15-14, Eisendorf scored four straight points with a jumper and two free throws. Junior Matthew Dogan (West Middlesex, Pa./West Middlesex) followed with a jumper, before two more Eisendorf free throws gave the Golden Knights a 22-15 advantage with 4:56 left in the first half.
  • Gannon grabbed its biggest lead of the evening at 25-17 on a three-pointer from freshman C.J. Asuncion-Byrd (Greenwich, Conn./St. Thomas More) at the 3:11 mark.
  • Cal staged a late rally, scoring seven of the last nine points to cut the lead to 27-24 at the intermission.
  • The opening five minutes of the second half featured another tie and three lead changes.
  • Cal took a 33-32 lead on Richard Smith's dunk with 15:45 remaining and never trailed again until there were four seconds left.
  • The Vulcans' biggest lead was 43-37 with 12:36 left after a mini 5-0 run.
  • Trailing 51-46, junior Kevin Kuteyi (Lanham, Md./Duval) hit a jumper and senior Jean Yves Toupane (Dakar, Senegal/Lee (Maine) Academy) converted a lay-up to pull within 51-50.
  • Cal bumped its lead up to 53-50, before Kuteyi hit another jumper. After a Cal turnover, Gannon missed a potential game-winning jumper. But Eisendorf was able to race down the rebound in the corner and was fouled with four seconds left.
  • After a Cal time-out, Eisendorf calmly sank both free throws for a 54-53 lead.
  • Coming out of another Cal time-out, Jabbie took an inbound pass near the far sideline, raced across midcourt and drilled a game-winning three-pointer from the top of the arc as time expired.

GAME NOTES
  • Asuncion-Byrd led all scorers on both sides with 19 points in 30 minutes off the bench, hitting 7-of-15 shots and 5-of-12 three-point attempts. He tied season-highs in both points and three-pointers set last game against Mansfield.
  • Eisendorf recorded his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, tying his career-high in rebounds set during the season opener at Clarion.
  • Gannon shot 40.8 percent (20-49) from the field, 25 percent (5-20) from three-point range and 75 percent (9-12) from the free throw line. 
  • California's top scorer was Smith with 18 points, five rebounds and four assists. He went 9-of-11 from the field.
  • Jabbie was the only other Vulcan in double digits with 13 points.
  • California (Pa.) shot 46 percent (23-50) from the floor, 30.8 percent (4-13) from behind the arc and 42.9 percent (6-14) from the charity stripe.
  • Gannon won the bench battle with a 31-11 scoring edge beyond the starters. The Golden Knights have out-scored their last two opponents in bench points 69-24.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
  • One game after hitting 12 three-pointers, Gannon was limited to only Asuncion-Byrd's five three-pointers.
  • Gannon dropped to 3-9 all-time on Cal's home floor.
  • Cal's Luka Andjusic entered the game second among PSAC players in three-pointers, but was held scoreless from behind the arc.
  • Cal's four three-pointers tied the fewest made by a Gannon opponent this season. Le Moyne and Lock Haven were also limited to four triples.
  • The Vulcans' six free throws made were the fewest by a Gannon opponent since Cheyney made four during an 82-51 home loss to the Golden Knights on December 20, 2014.
  • Gannon has played five games decided by four points or less this season, falling to 2-3 in those contests.

UP NEXT
  • Gannon returns home Saturday, January 16 to host Seton Hill at the Hammermill Center.
  • Game time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
  • It will be the final Saturday night home game of the season. The Golden Knights will host a Saturday afternoon doubleheader on January 23, before playing their final four regular-season games on Wednesdays.
  • Saturday's Gannon-Seton Hill contest can be heard live on Jet Radio 1400 and via the 90.5 WERG online stream at www.wergfm.com.
  • Gannon leads the all-time series against Seton Hill 5-3, winning the last three match-ups.
  • The Golden Knights have won the last two encounters at the Hammermill Center where they hold a 4-2 advantage against the Griffins.
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Players Mentioned

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
C.J. Asuncion-Byrd

#3 C.J. Asuncion-Byrd

G
6' 3"
Freshman
Business
Kevin Kuteyi

#5 Kevin Kuteyi

G
6' 1"
Junior
Sports Management

Players Mentioned

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
C.J. Asuncion-Byrd

#3 C.J. Asuncion-Byrd

6' 3"
Freshman
Business
G
Kevin Kuteyi

#5 Kevin Kuteyi

6' 1"
Junior
Sports Management
G