Herster
Joe Mattis
63
D'Youville DYO 1-4,0-0 ECC
99
Winner Gannon Gannon 2-1,0-0 PSAC
D'Youville DYO
1-4,0-0 ECC
63
Final
99
Gannon Gannon
2-1,0-0 PSAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
D'Youville DYO 28 35 63
Gannon Gannon 48 51 99

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Gannon Cruises to 99-63 Win over D'Youville to Reach Gary Miller Classic Finals

Golden Knights to Face Saint Michael's in Championship Game

ERIE, Pa. – Despite playing without two members of its starting backcourt, Gannon rode the efforts of five double-figure scorers to cruise to 99-63 win over D'Youville on the opening night of the 37th Annual Gary Miller Classic. The victory boosted Gannon to 2-1 while the Saints dropped to 1-4.

Gannon will make its sixth straight appearance in the Gary Miller Classic championship game, but the Golden Knights own just one title in that span, that coming in 2017 with a 65-62 win over Northern Michigan. The Knights have won 18 Gary Miller championships.



The Golden Knights will face Saint Michael's (3-1) in the championship game at 7:30 p.m. at the Hammermill Center. The Purple Knights claimed a highly-entertaining 92-80 win over Concord in Friday's first contest. The game will bring back memories of the 1990's when Gannon and Saint Michael's were members of the Mideast Collegiate Conference. Saturday's 5:30 p.m. consolation game features Concord (1-4) and D'Youville (1-4).

Gannon never trailed against a game D'Youville outfit. Head coach Kelvin Jefferson was able to substitute liberally despite the absence of starting guards Chris Clancy (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's) and Braden Olsen (West Linn, Ore./West Linn). Olsen has now missed the last two games while Clancy went out midway through the second half of last weekend's Saginaw Valley State win. All 11 players who dressed scored. In fact, in a night of highlight reel plays, the largest cheer from the 'Mill faithful came when freshman guard Zach Cavanagh (Erie, Pa./McDowell), from nearby McDowell High School, drained a 3-pointer late in the game for his first career basket.    

The Golden Knights did welcome back Ike Herster (Sharon, Pa./Kennedy Catholic) after the redshirt freshman missed the first two contests. The 6'6" guard led all scorers with 19 points, making four 3-pointers, while adding four assists.

Demetrius Mims (Baltimore, Md./Baltimore Polytechnic Institute) got off to a fast start and finished the night with 14 points along with six rebounds. Robertas Jonaitas continued his strong play off the bench with 14 points, making 6-of-9 field goals, including several slam dunks. Donovan Forte (Cleveland, Ohio/Garfield Heights) was another reserve to reach double digits, as the 6'6" redshirt junior had 13 points in 14 minutes. Lance-Amir Paul (Kingston, Jamaica/Putnam Science Academy), coming off a 28-point effort vs. Saginaw Valley State, contributed 12 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and four steals.

Alonde LeGrand (Harlem, N.Y./Berkshire) finished with nine points, seven rebounds and six assists, while Alfonso Pickens Jr. (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) dished out five assists. Finally, Ali Ragab (Cairo, Egypt/Rocktop Academy), a 7'0" freshman, played 11 minutes and blocked five shots.

Gannon ended the game shooting 49.4 percent from the floor (41-of-83), making 8-of-27 3-pointers, and was 8-of-15 at the charity stripe. D'Youville was held to 33.3 percent shooting (23-of-69), including 5-of-17 3-pointers, and was 12-of-16 at the line.

The Golden Knights controlled the glass, 50 rebounds to 40, while outscoring the Saints in the paint, 62-34. Gannon committed 14 turnovers while forcing 21. That led to a large 29-7 advantage in points off turnovers.

D'Youville had three players reach double digits, led by Rod Johnson's 15 points. Noah Denz and Nelson St. Louis added 11 points.

SAINT MICHAEL'S 92, CONCORD 80
The fast-paced game featured four ties and six lead changes but the Purple Knights would take over in the second half behind big Patrick Gardner. The 6'10" senior had 33 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks, one of three players in double figures. Nahshon Battle added 16 points and CJ Crews 13. Lual Rahama paced Concord with 27 points, while Matt Weir had 11 points and 11 assists.       
 
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