Zay Jackson
Matt Mead Photography LLC
Senior Zay Jackson reached the 20-point plateau for the fifth time this season with 23 points Wednesday night at Slippery Rock.
61
Gannon GAN-M 13-6, 9-4 PSAC
72
Winner Slippery Rock ROCK-M 16-4, 10-4 PSAC
Gannon GAN-M
13-6, 9-4 PSAC
61
Final
72
Slippery Rock ROCK-M
16-4, 10-4 PSAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Gannon GAN-M 25 36 61
Slippery Rock ROCK-M 33 39 72

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University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown

1/27/2018 | 3:00 PM

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Jan. 27 (Sat) / 3:00 PM
 University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown

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

Gannon Men's Basketball Team Falls at Slippery Rock; Suffers First Loss in 52 Days

THE RUNDOWN
  • Score: at Slippery Rock 72, Gannon 61
  • Records: Gannon (13-6, 9-4 PSAC), Slippery Rock (16-4, 10-4 PSAC)
  • Location: Slippery Rock, Pa. - Morrow Field House
  • The Short Story: The Slippery Rock men's basketball team entered Wednesday's game as NCAA Division II's best in rebounding margin (13.0) and offensive rebounds per game (18.05). The Rock continued that play by out-rebounding Gannon 46-36 and grabbing 19 offensive rebounds that led to 28 second-chance points en route to a 72-61 victory at the Morrow Field House. As a result, SRU leapfrogged the Golden Knights and moved into second place in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division.

GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • Slippery Rock jumped out to a 7-2 lead during a low-scoring, defensive first four minutes and 14 seconds.
  • The Rock extended its lead to 16-9 with 13:04 showing on the clock, before Gannon clawed within 17-15 after a field goal and two free throws from senior Zay Jackson (Queens, N.Y./Westside).
  • Slippery Rock countered with five points of its own to push its advantage back to seven points at 22-15.
  • The home squad eventually grabbed its biggest lead of the first half of nine points on three different occasions and never trailed by less than six during the final seven minutes of the opening period, before heading into the halftime break with a 33-25 lead.
  • The two teams traded punches during the opening five minutes of the second half until a mini 6-0 Gannon blitz cut the deficit to 44-38 with 13:32 to play. Junior Evan Phoenix (Baltimore, Md./Calvert Hall) started the run with a lay-up followed by consecutive lay-ins by Jackson.
  • Slippery Rock called time-out and immediately answered with an old-fashion three-point play by Christal Malalu to regain control.
  • Gannon again fought back within six points at 53-47 midway through the second half following a three-pointer by Jackson and lay-up by senior Damon Miraud (Elizabeth, N.J./Elizabeth).
  • Much like the other Gannon runs, Slippery Rock counterpunched again and pushed its lead back into double digits with four straight points.
  • The Rock's lead never dipped below eight points during the final nine minutes, before earning a 72-61 victory.

GAME NOTES
  • Jackson led all scorers on both sides with 23 points, headlining the Gannon scoring attack for the 10th time this season. He finished 8-of-14 from the floor and 5-of-6 from the free throw line.
  • Phoenix recorded his seventh double-double of the season and 15th of his two-year Golden Knight career with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
  • Gannon shot 38.7 percent (24-62) from the field, 22.2 percent (2-9) from three-point range and 78.6 percent (11-14) from the free throw line. 
  • Micah Till produced his 14th double-double of the campaign with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
  • Bruce Spruell and Malalu added 17 and 12 points, respectively.
  • Slippery Rock shot 39.3 percent (24-61) from the floor, 28.6 percent (4-14) from behind the arc and 66.7 percent (20-30) from the charity stripe.
  • The Rock out-rebounded Gannon 46-36 while producing advantages in second-chance points (28-12) and bench points (25-13).

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
  • Gannon's nine-game win streak came to an end with Wednesday's setback.
  • The Golden Knights suffered their first loss since December 3, a span of 52 days.
  • Gannon was out-rebounded for the first time in 12 games and only the second time in 19 games.
  • Slippery Rock became the first Gannon opponent in 18 games to score 70 points.
  • Jackson reached the 20-point plateau for the fifth time this season.
  • The Rock entered the contest with an 84.9 scoring average, but was held 12.9 points below its norm.
  • Jackson moved into a tie with Tyler Stoczynski (2006-09) for eighth place all-time at Gannon with 130 career three-pointers despite playing only two seasons in a Golden Knight uniform.
  • Slippery Rock's six assists were the fewest by a Gannon opponent this season.

UP NEXT
  • Gannon returns home Saturday, January 27 to host Pitt-Johnstown as part of the annual Athletics Hall of Fame Doubleheader.
  • Game time at the Hammermill Center is scheduled for 3 p.m.
  • The Hall of Fame reception sponsored by U Pick 6 kicks off at 5 p.m. with the banquet to follow at 5:45 p.m.
  • The event is nearing a sell-out once again. Please direct any questions regarding the Athletics Hall of Fame weekend to Melanie Vadzemnieks in University Advancement at 814-871-7005 or by e-mail at vadzemni001@gannon.edu.
  • Gannon has won five consecutive match-ups against Pitt-Johnstown, extending its lead in the all-time series to 22-5.
  • The Golden Knights swept three games from the Mountain Cats last year, including a 77-67 home victory in the PSAC Quarterfinals.
  • Gannon is 14-4 all-time against Pitt-Johnstown at the Hammermill Center, winning eight of the last nine meetings in downtown Erie.
  • The Gannon-UPJ contest can be heard live on Jet Radio 1400 and via the 90.5 WERG online stream at www.wergfm.com.
  • Outlets to follow the game include a live video broadcast (https://portal.stretchinternet.com/gannon) and live gameday statistics (http://www.sidearmstats.com/gannon/mbball).
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Players Mentioned

Zay Jackson

#3 Zay Jackson

G
6' 0"
Senior
Criminal Justice
Damon Miraud

#23 Damon Miraud

G/F
6' 5"
Senior
Criminal Justice
Evan Phoenix

#2 Evan Phoenix

F
6' 9"
Junior
Marketing

Players Mentioned

Zay Jackson

#3 Zay Jackson

6' 0"
Senior
Criminal Justice
G
Damon Miraud

#23 Damon Miraud

6' 5"
Senior
Criminal Justice
G/F
Evan Phoenix

#2 Evan Phoenix

6' 9"
Junior
Marketing
F