Herster

Men's Basketball Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Herster, Paul Finish in Double Figures as Gannon Drops Exhibition Tilt at Pitt

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Gannon University men's basketball team opened the 2021-22 season on Monday night with the first of two exhibition games this week. The Golden Knights dropped an 89-64 decision to Pittsburgh at the Petersen Events Center.

The game was closer than the final score indicated, as the Panthers were unable to shake Gannon until an 11-0 run midway through the second half. Pitt jumped out to a 47-30 lead early in the second half after leading 36-27 at halftime. The Golden Knights used their own 11-2 burst to suddenly pull to within 49-41 with 13:25 left. Alonde LeGrand (Harlem, N.Y./Berkshire)e's 3-pointers started the run, with Kevin Dodds (Downingtown, Pa./Bishop Shanahan) making a pair of layups and Chris Clancy (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's) one. When Braden Olsen (West Linn, Ore./West Linn) hit a 10-foot jumper, GU was back to within eight.

Gannon would still trail by just eight points with 12:13 left to play when Olsen's driving layup made the score 51-43. That's when Pitt ran off 11 straight points in less than two minutes, with former McDowell standout Will Jeffress accounting for six of the points on a 3-point play and a long shot from beyond the arc. Gannon's deficit was now 62-43. The Golden Knights pulled no closer than 16 points the rest of the way.

Ike Herster (Sharon, Pa./Kennedy Catholic) led Gannon with 11 points, while Lance-Amir Paul (Kingston, Jamaica/Putnam Science Academy) added 10 points off the bench. Demetrius Mims (Baltimore, Md./Baltimore Polytechnic Institute) warmed up late to finish with nine points, while Olsen and Clancy contributed eight. Mims is a transfer from Towson, while Paul previously played at Frank Phillips.

Pitt had three players in double figures, led Femi Odukale with 20 points and Mouhamadou Gueye with 17 points. Gueye, a 6'10" graduate transfer from Stony Brook, added a game-high 10 rebounds. Ithiel Horton contributed 16 points. Big John Hugley (6'9", 280 lbs.) had eight points and eight rebounds, with Jeffress also chipping in with eight markers.

Gannon was limited to 34.8 percent shooting from the floor (24-of-69), although GU improved to 41.7 percent in the second half. The Knights were 7-of-31 from beyond the arc and 9-of-11 at the free throw line. The Panthers only shot 43.9 percent for the game (29-of-68), but a much bigger Pitt team took control of the glass in the second half. They would end with a 53-28 advantage. Pitt made 7-of-23 three's and was a frequent visitor to the charity stripe, making 24-of-35.  

Mims accounted for Gannon's first three points of the game, making three-of-four free throws. Gannon missed its first nine shots before Herster drained a long 3-pointer from the left wing with 14:23 remaining. The redshirt sophomore guard followed with a tough fadeaway jumper and free throw to complete the 3-point play. That closed the gap to 17-8 with 13:45 remaining.

The Panthers pulled out to its largest lead of the first half at 23-9, but Gannon would outscore Pitt 13-5 to close the gap to 28-22 with 4:53 minutes left. The stretch saw Clancy drain a pair of 3-pointers and Paul add another trifecta. Olsen capped the run with drive down the lane.

Gannon remained within striking distance of the Panthers the rest of the half, with Herster's reverse layup pulling the Golden Knights to within 36-27 at intermission. Herster paced GU with eight points, with Clancy adding six. Gannon more than held its own on the glass as Pitt held a narrow 24-21 advantage. The Golden Knights shot 27.3 percent in the opening half (9-of-33), while Pitt came in at 40.7 percent (11-of-27). The Panthers made 10-of-17 free throws while Gannon went to the line five times, making four.

The contest featured a reunion of sorts for Herster and Jeffress. The two were rivals in high school, with Herster a standout at Kennedy Catholic and Jeffress the all-time leading scorer at McDowell. They would meet on several occasions. 
 
Gannon plays its second of two exhibition games on Saturday, November 6 at Old Dominion. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. as head coach Kelvin Jefferson will renew acquaintances with Jeff Jones. He served as a long-time assistant under Johns. The 2021-22 campaign officially tips off on Monday, November 15 with Ashland visiting the Hammermill Center.
 
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Players Mentioned

Chris Clancy

#5 Chris Clancy

G
6' 2"
Redshirt Sophomore
Kevin Dodds

#10 Kevin Dodds

F
6' 7"
Redshirt Junior
Ike Herster

#3 Ike Herster

G
6' 6"
Redshirt Freshman
Braden Olsen

#0 Braden Olsen

G
6' 0"
Redshirt Junior
Demetrius Mims

#1 Demetrius Mims

F
6' 6"
Redshirt Sophomore
Alonde LeGrand

#15 Alonde LeGrand

G/F
6' 7"
Graduate Student
Lance-Amir Paul

#40 Lance-Amir Paul

G
6' 0"
Redshirt Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Chris Clancy

#5 Chris Clancy

6' 2"
Redshirt Sophomore
G
Kevin Dodds

#10 Kevin Dodds

6' 7"
Redshirt Junior
F
Ike Herster

#3 Ike Herster

6' 6"
Redshirt Freshman
G
Braden Olsen

#0 Braden Olsen

6' 0"
Redshirt Junior
G
Demetrius Mims

#1 Demetrius Mims

6' 6"
Redshirt Sophomore
F
Alonde LeGrand

#15 Alonde LeGrand

6' 7"
Graduate Student
G/F
Lance-Amir Paul

#40 Lance-Amir Paul

6' 0"
Redshirt Sophomore
G