Gerrell Williams
Matt Mead Photography LLC
Junior Gerrell Williams scored a team-high 20 points against Lake Erie in 22 minutes off the bench.
77
Lake Erie LECM 0-5
83
Winner Gannon University GAN-M 2-1
Lake Erie LECM
0-5
77
Final
83
Gannon University GAN-M
2-1
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Lake Erie LECM 44 33 77
Gannon University GAN-M 42 41 83

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Ohio Dominican University

11/26/2016 | 7:30 PM

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Nov. 26 (Sat) / 7:30 PM
 Ohio Dominican University

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

Gannon Men's Basketball Team Rallies Past Lake Erie; Faces Ohio Dominican in Finals of 33rd Annual Gary Miller Classic (Video)



THE RUNDOWN
  • Score: at Gannon 83, Lake Erie 77
  • Records: Gannon (2-1), Lake Erie (0-5)
  • Location: Erie, Pa. - Hammermill Center (Gary Miller Court)
  • The Short Story: The Gannon men's basketball team rallied from a seven-point deficit with less than seven minutes to play and advanced to the 33rd Annual Gary Miller Classic championship game with an 83-77 victory against Lake Erie Friday night during semifinal action at the Hammermill Center.

GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER (Gannon vs. Lake Erie)
GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER (Malone vs. Ohio Dominican)
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • Gannon jumped out to a 15-9 lead five minutes into the contest. Leading 10-9, sophomore Evan Phoenix (Stevensville, Md./Calvert Hall) scored on a lay-up and junior Zay Jackson (Queens, N.Y./Westside) drained a three-pointer for a six-point advantage.
  • The Golden Knights held a 25-21 lead midway through the first half, before Lake Erie exploded for a 16-3 run over the span of three minutes and 31 seconds. The Storm went 4-of-4 from three-point range during the run.
  • Gannon returned the punch with a 12-2 blitz to forge back in front 42-41 on freshman Jimmy Berger (Medina, Ohio/Saint Ignatius)'s triple with 26 seconds left in the first half. 
  • Lake Erie nailed one last three-pointer with four seconds remaining to push the Storm into the break with a 44-42 lead.
  • The second half went back and forth with six ties and five lead changes.
  • Lake Erie appeared to start pulling away midway through the second half. The Storm broke the game's sixth tie with a 10-3 run, assuming a 67-60 advantage with 6:17 to play.
  • Gannon responded yet again with 11 consecutive points. Junior Gerrell Williams (Lorain, Ohio/Clearview) had nine of those points, including the tying free throws at the 4:34 mark and go-ahead three-pointer with 3:42 showing on the clock.
  • The Golden Knights' lead grew to seven points on three occasions during the final minute, before the home squad settled for an 83-77 victory.

GAME NOTES
  • Friday's game featured 10 lead changes and seven ties.
  • Williams came off the bench to lead Gannon in scoring with a season-high 20 points in 22 minutes, including a perfect 9-of-9 showing at the free throw line.
  • Jackson followed with 18 points, five three-pointers, three rebounds and three assists.
  • Phoenix rounded out the double-digit scorers with 15 points and eight rebounds.
  • Gannon shot 45.5 percent (25-55) from the field, 36.8 percent (7-19) from three-point range and 68.4 percent (26-38) from the free throw line. 
  • Lake Erie's Sean Howard topped all scorers on both sides with 21 points and four assists.
  • Ennis Thomas and Mitch Loomis added 14 and 13 points, respectively, off the bench.
  • Gabe Kynard chipped in 10 points.
  • Lake Erie shot 41.4 percent (24-58) from the floor, 45.8 percent (11-24) from behind the arc and 72 percent (18-25) from the charity stripe.
  • Gannon out-rebounded Lake Erie 45-28, including a 17-9 edge on the offensive glass.
  • The Storm produced a 20-9 advantage in points off turnovers, but the Golden Knights countered with a 30-20 edge in the paint and 15-4 difference in second-chance points.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
  • Gannon advanced to the Gary Miller Classic finals for the second consecutive season.
  • The Golden Knights will attempt to win their first title since 2012 when it defeated Daemen 65-46.
  • Gannon improved to 46-13 all-time in Gary Miller Classic action.
  • Lake Erie shot 53.8 percent (14-26) from the floor and 71.4 percent (10-14) from three-point range during the first half, but the Gannon defense locked down to limit those numbers to 31.3 percent (10-32) from the field and 10 percent (1-10) from long range during the second half.
  • Gannon set season-highs in rebounds (45), assists (18) and points (83).
  • The Golden Knights produced a plus-16 rebounding margin for the second consecutive game and have out-rebounded every opponent this season.
  • Williams erupted for 20 points after scoring 16 during the first two games.
  • Phoenix has scored at least 15 points and grabbed at least seven rebounds in every contest this season.
  • Jackson hit five triples for the second consecutive game.
  • In Friday's first semifinal game, Ohio Dominican never trailed en route to a 75-58 victory against Malone.
  • The Panthers led by as many as 20 points with 12:59 remaining.
  • Ohio Dominican placed five players in double digits with a balanced scoring attack.

UP NEXT
  • The 33rd Annual Gary Miller Classic concludes Saturday, November 26.
  • Lake Erie and Malone will face off during the third-place game at 5:30 p.m.
  • Gannon battles Ohio Dominican in the championship game at 7:30 p.m.
  • The two programs have never met before on the hardwood.
  • The title match-up 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

Jimmy Berger

#21 Jimmy Berger

G
6' 2"
Freshman
Mechanical Engineering
Zay Jackson

#3 Zay Jackson

G
6' 0"
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

Jimmy Berger

#21 Jimmy Berger

6' 2"
Freshman
Mechanical Engineering
G
Zay Jackson

#3 Zay Jackson

6' 0"
Junior
Criminal Justice
G
Evan Phoenix

#2 Evan Phoenix

6' 9"
Sophomore
Marketing
F
Gerrell Williams

#5 Gerrell Williams

6' 2"
Junior
Criminal Justice
G