Zay Jackson
Matt Mead Photography LLC
Junior Zay Jackson led all scorers on both sides with 28 points, including a career-high seven three-pointers.
85
Gannon GAN-M 18-10
91
Winner Kutztown KUTZ-M 26-2
Gannon GAN-M
18-10
85
Final
91
Kutztown KUTZ-M
26-2
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 OT 1 F
Gannon GAN-M 35 42 8 85
Kutztown KUTZ-M 34 43 14 91

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

Gannon Men's Basketball Season Ends in PSAC Semifinal Overtime Battle Against No. 5 Kutztown (Video)



THE RUNDOWN
  • Score: No. 5 Kutztown 91, Gannon 85 (ot)
  • Records: Gannon (18-10), No. 5 Kutztown (26-2)
  • Location: Indiana, Pa. - Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex
  • The Short Story: The No. 5 Kutztown men's basketball team overcame a nine-point deficit during the final two minutes of regulation and stunned Gannon 91-85 in overtime Saturday afternoon during the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Semifinals hosted by Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • Outside of a brief four-point Gannon lead, neither team was able to produce an advantage larger than three points during the opening 10 minutes.
  • Trailing 14-12, the Golden Knights generated the first sizeable run with seven consecutive points. Junior Gerrell Williams (Lorain, Ohio/Clearview) sandwiched a lay-up by senior Matthew Dogan (West Middlesex, Pa./West Middlesex) with a three-pointer and lay-in for a 19-14 lead with 9:13 remaining in the first half.
  • Gannon assumed its biggest lead of the first half at 27-21 following a three-pointer from junior Zay Jackson (Queens, N.Y./Westside) at the 6:07 mark.
  • Kutztown answered with the next eight points to forge back in front 29-27 with 4:11 showing on the clock.
  • That's when Gannon counter-punched with eight straight points of its own. Back-to-back three-point bombs from Jackson turned the two-point deficit into a four-point lead. Sophomore Evan Phoenix (Stevensville, Md./Calvert Hall) scored from short range moments later to extend the difference to 35-29 with under a minute to play.
  • Kutztown was able to end the half on a high note with the final five points, including Anthony Lee's triple right before the horn that cut the Gannon lead to 35-34 at the break.
  • Gannon opened the second half on fire, scoring eight of the first 10 points to assume a 43-36 lead on a free throw from Phoenix.
  • The Golden Knight lead ballooned to 51-41 on Jackson's third triple in the second half's first three minutes and 39 seconds, giving him seven at the time.
  • The game of runs continued as Kutztown responded with an 8-0 run a couple minutes later, slicing within 55-53 at the 12:44 mark.
  • The Golden Bears eventually bypassed the Golden Knights with a Ryan Connolly three-pointer and Dan Cuevas free throw, giving the PSAC Eastern Division champions a 59-58 edge midway through the second half.
  • Gannon snapped the contest's fourth tie at 61 with seven straight points. The deadlock was initially broken by a Phoenix lay-up, before Dogan converted a drive and freshman Jimmy Berger (Medina, Ohio/Saint Ignatius) drained a three-pointer.
  • The Golden Knights led 76-67 following a pair of free throws by Phoenix with 1:58 remaining, before the Golden Bears came roaring back.
  • Kutztown hit five consecutive shots during the final 2:25, including a pair of three-pointers. Combined with three missed free throws and a pair of turnovers by Gannon, the Golden Bears came all the way back to tie the game at 77 on Lee's lay-up with 24 seconds remaining to force overtime.
  • The Golden Bears never trailed during the overtime session. The two teams exchanged the first eight points and were tied for the sixth time at 81 with 2:20 to play.
  • Kutztown then generated the decisive 6-0 run with a couple lay-ups and two free throws.
  • Gannon was never able to get closer than four points the rest of the way.

GAME NOTES
  • Jackson led all scorers on both sides for the second consecutive postseason game with 28 points, including a career-high seven three-pointers in 11 attempts.
  • Dogan followed with 18 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals.
  • Phoenix chipped in his eighth double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
  • Berger produced 11 assists, nine points, five rebounds and zero turnovers in 42 minutes at point guard.
  • Gannon shot 42.5 percent (31-73) from the field, 45.5 percent (10-22) from three-point range and 61.9 percent (13-21) from the free throw line. 
  • Three Kutztown starters topped the 20-point plateau led by Lee's 24 points.
  • Ethan Ridgeway had 21 points, nine rebounds, nine assists and four steals.
  • Connolly and Cuevas added 20 and 15 points, respectively. 
  • Kutztown shot 49.2 percent (30-61) from the floor, including a 53.6 percent (15-28) during the second half and 80 percent (4-5) in overtime. The Golden Bears shot 33.3 percent (7-21) from behind the arc and 85.7 percent (24-28) from the charity stripe.
  • Gannon was out-rebounded by Kutztown 42-36.
  • The contest featured 12 lead changes and six ties.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
  • Gannon was playing in the PSAC Final Four for the third time during the last four years.
  • Kutztown is ranked No. 5 in the latest National Basketball Coaches Association (NABC) Top 25 Poll.
  • Gannon suffered its first defeat in five postseason games against Kutztown.
  • The Golden Knights were 5-0 in overtime affairs during the regular season.
  • Gannon dropped to 0-3 in PSAC Tournament games not played at the Hammermill Center. Both contests on neutral floors resulted in overtime losses, including a 77-76 overtime setback against West Chester in the 2014 semifinal at East Stroudsburg.
  • The Golden Knights were out-rebounded for the first time since January 25.
  • Berger reached double digits in assists without a turnover for the second time this season.
  • Kutztown extended its win streak to 18 games.
  • Jackson finished with 94 three-pointers, representing the fifth-highest single-season total in program history.
  • Berger completed the season with 191 assists, equaling the eight-highest single-season total in school history.

UP NEXT
  • Gannon concluded its season with an 18-10 overall record.
  • Sunday's PSAC Championship includes No. 5 Kutztown and No. 13 Shippensburg. The Raiders posted a 90-87 victory against No. 2 Indiana (Pa.) in the second semifinal match-up.
  • The NCAA Division II Tournament Selection Show will air live Sunday, March 5 at 10:30 p.m. The direct link for the show is http://www.ncaa.com/live/player?vid=2017/2806&date=2017/03/05.
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Players Mentioned

Matthew Dogan

#15 Matthew Dogan

G
6' 7"
Senior
Physician Assistant
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

Matthew Dogan

#15 Matthew Dogan

6' 7"
Senior
Physician Assistant
G
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