Joe Mattis

Men's Basketball 1/4/2019 2:57:00 PM David Rung, Director of Athletics Media Relations

PREVIEW: Golden Knights Welcome California To Erie Looking To Snap Skid (Game Notes)

GAMEDAY CENTRAL – California at Gannon
Game Details	Saturday, Jan. 2 \| 3 p.m. \| Hammermill Center \| Directions
Records	Gannon (3-9, 1-5 PSAC) \| California (4-7, 2-3 PSAC)
Game Coverage	Live Video – PSAC Digital Network Live Stats – Click Here Live Audio – Click Here Radio – Fox Sports 1330 AM Twitter Updates - @GUKnights
Tickets	MYAA Day - See Game Promotion for more info -- Adults ($5) Non-Gannon Students and Senior Citizens ($3) Gannon Students, Faculty and Staff (FREE) Season Ticket Information – Click Here
Gannon Links	Game Notes (PDF) \| Roster \| Schedule \| Stats
California Links	MBB Homepage \| Roster \| Schedule \| Stats

GAME PROMOTION

Millcreek Youth Athletic Association (MYAA) Day: Any player wearing their MYAA jersey to the game receives free admission plus one free adult admission for the doubleheader.

AROUND THE LEAGUE

SERIES HISTORY

All-Time Series: Gannon leads 19-13
First Meeting: January 6, 1950: Gannon 54, California 47
Last Meeting: February 7, 2018: Gannon 74, California 63
How It Happened: The Golden Knights clinched a spot in the PSAC tournament by winning their 10th home game in a row, getting double-digit scoring efforts from five players while shooting 57.1 percent from the floor as a team. The Vulcans cut the deficit to just two points a minute into the second half, but Gannon answered with a 20-6 run to take control. Damon Miraud (Elizabeth, N.J./Elizabeth) turned in a 12-point, 10 rebound double-double, and Zay Jackson (Queens, N.Y./Westside) netted a game-high 18 points.

JOHN REILLY WEEKLY RADIO SHOW

GANNON STORYLINES

IUP became the first team this season to shoot better than 50 percent from the field against the Golden Knights, hitting on 27-of-51 (52.9 percent). Gannon is still allowing just 40.2 percent shooting on the season.
Daryl Porter (Southfield, Mich./Walled Lake Western) has recorded double-digit points in five of the team's last eight games, including 10 points against IUP on Wednesday, to move to a team-high 8.8 scoring average.
DeAnte Cisero (Chicago, Ill./Montgomery County (Ky.)) matched his season and career highs with 17 points and seven made field goals against the Crimson Hawks. When taking at least eight shots from the field, the junior is averaging 14.8 points and 8.3 rebounds in four games.
Over the past six-plus seasons, dating back to the 2012-13 season, Gannon has posted a 36-18 (.667) record in the month of January, and a 76-36 (.679) overall mark in January, February and March.

SCOUTING THE VULCANS

California has won three of its past four games after a 1-6 start, picking up wins over Kentucky State, Bloomsburg and Edinboro.
The Vulcans have found a scoring punch in that run, averaging 92.0 points per game after reaching just 70 points only once in their first seven games.
Five different Cal players are averaging double figures in scoring. Four of those, Jermaine Hall Jr., Zyan Collins, Brent Pegram and Collin MacAdams, all play at least 33 minutes per game and have started all 11 games this season.
First-year Cal coach Danny Sancomb may be new to the conference, but is a familiar name in the Atlantic Region after leading Wheeling Jesuit for the past 11 seasons. Sancomb helped the Cardinals to four straight 20-win seasons and three consecutive region appearances to cap his run there.
The Vulcans have one of the youngest rosters in the PSAC, featuring four freshmen, five sophomores and just four combined juniors and seniors. Of the four players who have started all 11 games, three are freshmen and one is a sophomore.
While both have seen an uptick during their recent hot streak, the Vulcans have been fairly consistent throughout this season at getting steals and limiting their own turnovers. Entering Saturday, they are 17th in the country with 9.6 steals per game, and third in the PSAC with just 12.3 turnovers per game.

UP NEXT

The Golden Knights stay home at the Hammermill Center Wednesday evening, facing off against a Pitt-Johnstown team off to a hot start this season at 7:30 p.m.

Players Mentioned