Zay Jackson
Matt Mead Photography LLC
Senior Zay Jackson led all scorers on both sides with 23 points, including two free throws that forced overtime.
81
Winner Wheeling Jesuit WJU-M 1-0
74
Gannon GAN-M 0-1
Winner
Wheeling Jesuit WJU-M
1-0
81
Final
74
Gannon GAN-M
0-1
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 OT 1 F
Wheeling Jesuit WJU-M 34 32 15 81
Gannon GAN-M 27 39 8 74

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11/11/2017 | 6:00 PM

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Nov. 11 (Sat) / 6:00 PM
at Shepherd University

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

Gannon Men's Basketball Team Suffers Overtime Heartbreaker Against No. 19 Wheeling Jesuit in Season Opener

THE RUNDOWN
  • Score: No. 19 Wheeling Jesuit 81, Gannon 74 (ot)
  • Records: Gannon (0-1), Wheeling Jesuit (1-0)
  • Location: Shepherdstown, W.Va. - Butcher Athletic Center
  • The Short Story: Senior Zay Jackson (Queens, N.Y./Westside)'s two free throws with one second remaining forced overtime, but No. 19 Wheeling Jesuit out-scored Gannon 15-8 in the overtime session to earn an 81-74 victory Friday night during the opening contest of the Clarion Hotel Conference Challenge hosted by Shepherd University.

GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • Neither team could grab the upper hand during the first 15 minutes on opening night.
  • Gannon and Wheeling Jesuit battled through seven ties and five lead changes during that time period with neither team holding a lead larger than three points.
  • The Cardinals then made the first run, snapping a 20-20 tie with eight consecutive points as part of an 11-2 run that included three triples. The lead eventually stood at 34-27 entering the intermission.
  • Similar to the first half, the two squads battled on even terms during the opening 10 minutes as Wheeling Jesuit's lead stayed between four and nine points.
  • Wheeling Jesuit grabbed its biggest lead of the evening at 53-43 with 9:29 remaining.
  • That's when Gannon made its move, starting with consecutive buckets from Jackson and senior Jair Green (Williamstown, N.J./Paul VI).
  • The Golden Knights continued to chip away, but still trailed 61-55 with 5:15 to play.
  • Trailing 63-59, Green hit a jumper and junior Daryl Porter (Southfield, Mich./Walled Lake Western) nailed a three-pointer to give Gannon a one-point lead with 2:38 showing on the clock.
  • However, Wheeling Jesuit immediately regained the lead with an offensive putback while being fouled on its next possession. The ensuing free throw gave the Cardinals a 66-64 advantage.
  • After both teams exchanged scoreless possessions, Gannon forced a miss and grabbed the defensive rebound with 15 seconds remaining. Jackson was then fouled while shooting a three-pointer with one second left on the clock. He missed the first attempt, but rebounded to force overtime by draining the next two.
  • Gannon and Wheeling Jesuit exchanged free throws during the opening 41 seconds of overtime to create the game's ninth tie.
  • The Cardinals used four free throws to assume a 70-67 edge and never trailed again.
  • Gannon pulled within two points twice, but Wheeling Jesuit pushed its lead to 76-70 with a lay-up and two more freebies.
  • The Cardinals' advantage grew to 80-72 with 13 ticks left, before settling for an 81-74 final score.

GAME NOTES
  • The contest was the opener of the Clarion Hotel Conference Challenge hosted by Shepherd University.
  • Jackson led all scorers on both sides with 23 points and six assists in 38 minutes, finishing 9-of-11 from the free throw line.
  • Junior Evan Phoenix (Baltimore, Md./Calvert Hall) followed with 19 points and nine rebounds in 42 minutes of action, hitting 8-of-15 field goals.
  • Green completed Gannon's trio of double-digit scorers with 17 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals. All four figures represented career-highs in a Golden Knight uniform.
  • Gannon shot 46.7 percent (28-60) from the field, including a red-hot 56 percent (14-25) during its second-half comeback. 
  • The Golden Knights shot 38.5 percent (5-13) from three-point range and 65 percent (13-20) from the free throw line. 
  • Wheeling Jesuit placed four of its five starters in double digits.
  • Preston Boswell led the way with 22 points, aided by an 8-of-10 free throw chart.
  • Pat Moseh had 19 points, eight assists and three steals.
  • Haywood Highsmith (17 points, 10 rebounds) and Jeremiah Wilson (13 points, 10 rebounds) added double-doubles for the Cardinals. 
  • Wheeling Jesuit shot 44.1 percent (26-59) from the floor, 22.7 percent (5-22) from behind the arc and 70.6 percent (24-34) from the charity stripe.
  • Gannon out-rebounded Wheeling Jesuit 40-37, but was out-scored 21-13 in points off turnovers.
  • The contest featured nine ties and eight lead changes.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
  • Wheeling Jesuit is ranked No. 19 in the National Basketball Coaches Association (NABC) Preseason Top 25 Poll after advancing to the NCAA Division II Sweet Sixteen last year.
  • Gannon opened the season as it ended last year's campaign with an overtime loss to a nationally-ranked team. The squad dropped a 91-85 overtime decision to then-No. 5 Kutztown in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) semifinals.
  • The Golden Knights were 5-0 in overtime affairs during the regular season last year.
  • Gannon opened the season away from the Hammermill Center for the sixth time in seven years.
  • The Golden Knights suffered their first loss in five season openers played on a neutral floor.
  • Gannon fell to 69-42 all-time in overtime games, including a 1-6 mark when it needs an extra session on a neutral floor.
  • Wheeling Jesuit's 22.7 percent three-point shooting was the lowest by a Gannon opponent since California (Pa.) hit 19.2 percent (5-26) of its long-range bombs during a 74-67 home loss to the Golden Knights on February 8.
  • Green scored 17 points in the opener after scoring 10 points during his first season at Gannon last year. He played 37 minutes on Friday after logging 39 minutes all of last year.

UP NEXT
  • Gannon concludes action at the Clarion Hotel Conference Challenge Saturday, November 11 against the host school Shepherd.
  • Game time is scheduled for 6 p.m.
  • Shepherd dropped a 79-71 decision to Bowie State in Friday's nightcap.
  • The all-time series between Gannon and Shepherd is tied at two.
  • The Golden Knights fell 74-63 during their only previous trip to Shepherdstown, West Virginia in 2005-06.
  • Outlets to follow the game include a live video broadcast (https://team1sports.com/shepherdrams), live gameday statistics (http://www.sidearmstats.com/shepherd/mbball) and live gameday audio (http://www.wergfm.com).
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Players Mentioned

Jair Green

#21 Jair Green

G
6' 4"
Senior
Interdisciplinary Studies
Zay Jackson

#3 Zay Jackson

G
6' 0"
Senior
Criminal Justice
Evan Phoenix

#2 Evan Phoenix

F
6' 9"
Junior
Marketing
Daryl Porter

#0 Daryl Porter

G
6' 1"
Junior
Business Administration

Players Mentioned

Jair Green

#21 Jair Green

6' 4"
Senior
Interdisciplinary Studies
G
Zay Jackson

#3 Zay Jackson

6' 0"
Senior
Criminal Justice
G
Evan Phoenix

#2 Evan Phoenix

6' 9"
Junior
Marketing
F
Daryl Porter

#0 Daryl Porter

6' 1"
Junior
Business Administration
G