Evan Phoenix
Sophomore Evan Phoenix's 25 points were the most by a Golden Knight in the season opener since 2006.
63
Gannon University GAN-M 0-1, 0-1 PSAC
73
Winner West Chester WCU-M 1-2, 1-0 PSAC
Gannon University GAN-M
0-1, 0-1 PSAC
63
Final
73
West Chester WCU-M
1-2, 1-0 PSAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Gannon University GAN-M 34 29 63
West Chester WCU-M 36 37 73

Next Game:

at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania

11/20/2016 | 3:00 PM

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Next Game

Full Schedule
Nov. 20 (Sun) / 3:00 PM
at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania

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

Gannon Men's Basketball Team Drops Season Opener At West Chester Despite Phoenix's 25 Points

THE RUNDOWN
  • Score: at West Chester 73, Gannon 63
  • Records: Gannon (0-1, 0-1), West Chester (1-2, 1-0 PSAC)
  • Location: West Chester, Pa. - Hollinger Fieldhouse
  • The Short Story: The West Chester men's basketball team shot 57.9 percent during the second half to offset a 25-point effort by sophomore Evan Phoenix (Stevensville, Md./Calvert Hall) and posted a 73-63 victory against Gannon Saturday afternoon in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) opener for both squads.

GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • Phoenix scored Gannon's first points of the season with a jumper 1:36 into the contest for a 2-0 lead.
  • Leading 13-11, West Chester scored seven consecutive points to assume a 20-11 advantage midway through the first half.
  • The Golden Rams' lead reached double digits at 27-17, before Gannon produced a mini 6-0 run. Junior Gerrell Williams (Lorain, Ohio/Clearview) and senior Matthew Dogan (West Middlesex, Pa./West Middlesex) converted field goals, before senior Emmanuel Matey (Lanham, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt)'s two free throws cut the deficit to 27-23 with five minutes left in the first half.
  • Another 6-0 run minutes later gave Gannon its first lead since the opening minutes. Freshman Jimmy Berger (Medina, Ohio/Saint Ignatius)'s lay-up at the 2:45 mark tied the contest at 28. A free throw by junior Zay Jackson (Queens, N.Y./Westside) then pushed the Golden Knights in front 29-28 with 2:37 left in the opening half.
  • West Chester immediately regained the lead during its next possession on Zach Bare's three-pointer.
  • The home squad later snapped a 34-34 tie on a pair of free throws from Malik Jackson with 19 seconds left on the clock, accounting for the halftime score.
  • West Chester gradually extended its lead throughout the second half. The Golden Rams held the visitors without a field goal during the opening 5:11 while extending their lead to 43-36.
  • Seven consecutive West Chester points then gave the home squad a 51-38 advantage with 12:20 to play.
  • Gannon cut the deficit to single digits six times during the final 5:20, but West Chester was able to bump its lead back into double digits each time.
  • Two Golden Rams free throws with four seconds left pushed the lead into double digits for the last time and accounted for the final 73-63 score.

GAME NOTES
  • Saturday's game represented Gannon's season opener after last weekend's Glenville State Tip-Off Classic was cancelled when Livingstone (N.C.) and Shaw (N.C.) withdrew from the event.
  • The contest was the PSAC opener for both programs.
  • Phoenix led all scorers on both sides with 25 points and seven rebounds, hitting 11-of-17 shots.
  • Junior Damon Miraud (Elizabeth, N.J./Elizabeth) topped all rebounders with 11 to go along with five points.
  • Gannon shot 35.4 percent (23-65) from the field, 8.3 percent (1-12) from three-point range and 61.5 percent (16-26) from the free throw line. 
  • Jackson headlined the West Chester scoring unit with 24 points and six rebounds, including a 9-of-10 chart from the free throw line.
  • Mike Jolaoso and Thomas White chipped in 11 points each.
  • West Chester shot 46 percent (23-50) from the floor, including a 57.9-percent (11-19) clip during the second half. The Golden Rams shot 33.3 percent (5-15) from behind the arc and 75.9 percent (22-29) from the charity stripe.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
  • Phoenix became the first Golden Knight to score 25 points during the season opener since Aurimus Truskauskas had 27 during a 76-69 victory against C.W. Post in the 2006 opener.
  • Gannon was opening the season on the road for the third consecutive season.
  • The Golden Knights dropped their third straight season opener, falling to 55-18 all-time in the season's opening contest.
  • Gannon's 19 offensive rebounds were its most since having that same total against Pitt-Johnstown on December 19, 2015.
  • West Chester won for the fifth time during its last six games against Gannon.
  • Seven of the 10 Golden Knights who played were making their Gannon debut, including three starters.

UP NEXT
  • Gannon concludes its season-opening weekend road trip Sunday, November 20 at Cheyney.
  • Game time is scheduled for 3 p.m.
  • The contest can be heard live on Jet Radio 1400 and via the 90.5 WERG online stream at www.wergfm.com.
  • Gannon has won four consecutive games against Cheyney to assume an 18-11 lead in the all-time series.
  • The Golden Knights' average scoring margin during those four victories is 26 points per game.
  • Gannon is 2-1 all-time on the Wolves' home floor, including victories during its last two appearances in 2012-13 (85-70) and 2014-15 (82-51).
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Players Mentioned

Matthew Dogan

#15 Matthew Dogan

G
6' 7"
Senior
Physician Assistant
Emmanuel Matey

#10 Emmanuel Matey

G
5' 10"
Senior
Accounting
Jimmy Berger

#21 Jimmy Berger

G
6' 2"
Freshman
Mechanical Engineering
Zay Jackson

#3 Zay Jackson

G
6' 0"
Junior
Criminal Justice
Damon Miraud

#23 Damon Miraud

F
6' 5"
Junior
Criminal Justice
Evan Phoenix

#2 Evan Phoenix

F
6' 9"
Sophomore
Marketing
Gerrell Williams

#5 Gerrell Williams

G
6' 2"
Junior
Criminal Justice

Players Mentioned

Matthew Dogan

#15 Matthew Dogan

6' 7"
Senior
Physician Assistant
G
Emmanuel Matey

#10 Emmanuel Matey

5' 10"
Senior
Accounting
G
Jimmy Berger

#21 Jimmy Berger

6' 2"
Freshman
Mechanical Engineering
G
Zay Jackson

#3 Zay Jackson

6' 0"
Junior
Criminal Justice
G
Damon Miraud

#23 Damon Miraud

6' 5"
Junior
Criminal Justice
F
Evan Phoenix

#2 Evan Phoenix

6' 9"
Sophomore
Marketing
F
Gerrell Williams

#5 Gerrell Williams

6' 2"
Junior
Criminal Justice
G