Daryl Porter
Joe Mattis
Gannon can clinch a PSAC Tournament spot Wednesday night with a victory against California (Pa.).

Men's Basketball Dan Teliski, Assistant Director of Athletics for Media Relations

Gannon Men's Basketball Team Returns Home Wednesday Night to Face California (Pa.) (Game Notes/Video)

GAME DAY CENTRAL
When: Wednesday, February 7
Where: Erie, Pa.
Arena: Hammermill Center (2,800)
Tip-off: 7:30 p.m.
Live Radio: Jet Radio 1400
Live Audio via 90.5 WERG Stream: Click Here
Live Webcast (FREE): Click Here
Live Stats: Click Here

  
GAME INFORMATION
  • General Admission Ticket Prices: $5 adults | $3 Non-Gannon students | $3 Senior Citizens
  • All Gannon students, staff and faculty are admitted free of charge by showing their school ID
  • Ticket Windows: Open at 4:30 p.m. The contest will be part of a PSAC doubleheader that begins with the women's teams at 5:30 p.m. 
  • Parking: Free on-street parking | Paid parking garage located on Peach Street between 7th and 8th streets
  • Directions: To Hammermill Center I GPS Address: 620 Peach Street, Erie, Pa. 16501

GAME COVERAGE
PENNSYLVANIA STATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE INFORMATION
ALL-TIME SERIES BREAKDOWN
  • All-Time Series: Gannon leads 18-13
  • First Meeting: January 6, 1950 - at Gannon 54, California (Pa.) 47
  • Last Meeting: January 3, 2018 - Gannon 69, at California (Pa.) 66
  • Series Notes: Gannon has won four consecutive games against California (Pa.) to assume an 18-13 lead in the all-time series. The Golden Knights are 13-4 all-time against the Vulcans at the Hammermill Center, winning four of the last five played at the 'Mill. Gannon has won eight of the last 11 overall in the series.

OTHER LINKS
LAST TIME OUT
  • The division-leading Indiana (Pa.) men's basketball team became the second consecutive Gannon opponent to shoot over 53 percent and posted a 74-66 victory against the Golden Knights Saturday night at the Kovalchick Convention & Athletic Complex.

GANNON (14-8, 10-6 PSAC) STORYLINES
  • Gannon can clinch its fifth PSAC Tournament appearance in the last six years with a victory Wednesday night against California (Pa.).
  • The Golden Knights will have a difficult final six games of the regular season with the 41st-toughest remaining schedule in NCAA Division II. The squad's final six opponents own a .577 winning percentage with a 79-58 combined record.
  • Gannon dropped its second consecutive game last Saturday with a 74-66 loss at IUP.
  • Saturday's setback dropped Gannon three games behind IUP with six contests remaining in the regular season.
  • The Golden Knights out-rebounded their opponent for the 20th time in 22 games.
  • Senior Zay Jackson (Queens, N.Y./Westside) reached double digits in scoring for the fourth consecutive game.
  • The Golden Knights allowed consecutive opponents to shoot over 53 percent for the first time since IUP, Lock Haven, Bloomsburg and Wheeling Jesuit did it in four straight contests December 1-12, 2015.
  • Gannon returned seven letterwinners and three starters from last year's 18-10 squad.
  • The Golden Knights advanced to the 2017 PSAC Final Four for the third time in four years, before falling to Kutztown (No. 5 in NCAA Division II at the time) 91-85 in overtime.
  • Head coach John T. Reilly's program has qualified for 10 NCAA Division II Tournaments since 2000, pushing its all-time total of NCAA Tournament appearances to 24.
  • The Golden Knights have qualified for the postseason (conference or national tournaments) 27 times during the last 33 seasons, advancing to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight five times.
  • Gannon returned three of its top four scorers from a year ago and four of its top six. Overall, the Golden Knights returned 64 percent (1,370-2,152) of their scoring from last year's 18-10 squad.
  • Jackson enters Wednesday's game against California (Pa.) with 141 career three-pointers in two years, ranking seventh all-time at Gannon. He needs eight triples to move past Chris Hollan (1988-90) and into sixth place.
  • The Golden Knights rank 10th among all NCAA Division II programs in scoring defense (64.4), 10th in rebounding margin (9.1), 15th in three-point field goal percentage defense (31.3) and 15th in offensive rebounds per game (13.73).
  • Gannon tops all PSAC programs in rebounding defense (29.3) while ranking second in scoring defense, rebounding margin, three-point field goal percentage and offensive rebounds per game (13.7).
  • Junior Evan Phoenix (Baltimore, Md./Calvert Hall) sits fifth among all PSAC players in offensive rebounds per game (3.2), fifth in total rebounds per game (9.0), sixth in defensive rebounds per game (5.8) and eighth in field goal percentage (52.4). He ranks fifth in the PSAC and 28th nationally with nine double-doubles.
  • Gannon's eight losses have come against teams with a combined 121-52 record - West Chester (17-4), Wheeling Jesuit (17-5), Kutztown (15-5), Shippensburg (17-3), Indiana (Pa.) (18-5), Slippery Rock (18-5), Bowie State (11-11) and Seton Hill (8-14).
  • The Golden Knights were predicted to finish second in the PSAC Western Division according to the league's preseason coaches poll. Gannon won back-to-back PSAC Western Division regular-season championships in 2014 and 2015. The Golden Knights won their second PSAC Tournament title since joining the league in 2008-09 three seasons ago.
  • Gannon entered the 2017-18 season 15th among all NCAA Division II programs in all-time winning percentage, beginning the season with a 1,232-699 (63.8 percent) record in 73 seasons. More recently, Gannon was 27th among Division II programs with a .693 winning percentage (203-90) during the 2000s.
  • Reilly entered the 2017-18 season 24th among active NCAA Division II coaches in career victories (441) and 67th in career winning percentage (.613). He became the 24th active NCAA Division II coach to record 450 career wins January 8, 2018 against Seton Hill. Reilly recorded his 200th victory at Gannon January 11 at Edinboro, becoming the program's first-ever coach to reach 200 wins.

CALIFORNIA (Pa.) (9-13, 5-11 PSAC) STORYLINES
  • California (Pa.) has dropped two straight games and five of its last six.
  • The Vulcans have lost four of their last five road contests.
  • Cordell Smith ranks second among PSAC players in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.32).
  • Cal has the fourth-fewest turnovers per game (12.8) among PSAC programs.

UP NEXT
  • Gannon heads down I-79 Saturday, February 10 for a rivalry game at Edinboro.
  • The contest is scheduled for 3 p.m. at the McComb Fieldhouse.
  • Gannon will be looking for its first season sweep of Edinboro since the 2014-15 campaign after an 83-69 victory at the Hammermill Center on January 10.
  • A victory would give the Golden Knights only their third season sweep in 10 years as a PSAC member.
  • Gannon has won five of its last six games at the McComb Fieldhouse and holds a 28-22 all-time record on the Fighting Scots' home floor.
  • The Gannon-Edinboro 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/edinboro) and live gameday statistics (https://portal.stretchinternet.com/edinboro/stats.htm?eventId=402924&streamType=stats).
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Players Mentioned

Zay Jackson

#3 Zay Jackson

G
6' 0"
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
Evan Phoenix

#2 Evan Phoenix

6' 9"
Junior
Marketing
F