Ragab
Matt Durisko
65
Gannon Gannon 0-2,0-0 PSAC
78
Winner Saginaw Valley SV 2-2,0-0 GLIAC
Gannon Gannon
0-2,0-0 PSAC
65
Final
78
Saginaw Valley SV
2-2,0-0 GLIAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Gannon Gannon 34 31 65
Saginaw Valley SV 37 41 78

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

Gannon Done in at the Charity Stripe by Saginaw Valley State

SAGINAW, Mich. – The Gannon men's basketball team turned in a much-improved effort following the opening-game loss at Ashland but were unable to overcome a decided disadvantage at the charity stripe on Saturday afternoon at Saginaw Valley State. The end result was a 78-65 loss to the Cardinals. Gannon dropped to 0-2 on the season while the Cardinals are now 2-2.

SVSU would score its final 15 points at the line and pulled away despite not making a field goal over the final 6 minutes, 36 seconds. The Cardinals were 31-of-41 at the charity stripe as Gannon was called for 26 fouls. Gannon went 15-of-23 at the line.

Head coach Kelvin Jefferson's team has now played an Ashland team that was 18-10 a year ago and a Saginaw Valley State squad that was 19-11 and won the GLIAC Southern Division. After back-to-back road contests when they return to action they will do so in the friendly confines of the Highmark Events Center. Gannon hosts the 38th Annual Gary Miller Classic on Friday, November 25 and Saturday, November 26. Gannon faces Lake Erie in the opening round at 7:30 p.m.

Demetrius Mims (Baltimore, Md./Baltimore Polytechnic Institute) once again paced the Golden Knights, as the 6'6" redshirt junior posted a double-double with 20 points and a career-high 12 rebounds. He made 8-of-21 field goals and was 4-of-7 at the line.

He was joined in double figures by 7'0" sophomore Ali Ragab (Cairo, Egypt/Rocktop Academy) and Michael Lucarotti (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep). Ragab was a perfect 5-for-5 from the floor and 2-of-2 at the line to finish with 12 points. Lucarotti, a 6'5' redshirt freshman who transferred from Youngstown State, also scored 12 points in his second game as a Golden Knight while playing 16 minutes.

Jefferson once employed a variety of lineup with 12 players seeing action. Freshman guard Ronny Raphael (Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep Charter) came off the bench to contribute eight points.
Tre Garrett led all scorers with 26 points for Saginaw Valley State and was also in the double-double club with 12 boards. Freddie McIntosh added 22 points. Garrett was 14-of-17 at the free throw line while McIntosh was 12-of-13. Jiovanni Miles scored 14 points.

Gannon shot 38.3 percent from the field (23-of-60), including 4-of-19 on 3-pointers, while SVSU came in at 43.1 percent from the floor (22-of-51), making 3-of-17 shots from beyond the arc.

Gannon held a narrow 37-36 advantage on the glass but was hampered by 19 turnovers that led top 17 points. The Cardinals committed 12 turnovers leading to 10 points for Gannon.
The Golden Knights jumped out to an early 13-7 lead as Lucarotti got out of the gate hot with seven points. An 8-0 run pulled the Cardinals ahead at 17-15 midway through the first half. SVSU eventually built the lead to 33-24 with 3:47 remaining in the half on a Garrett layup.

Gannon would run off the next eight points to close to 33-32 late in the half. The run began with a pair of free throws by Mims, followed by a pair of Robertas Jonaitis (Pakruojis, Lithuania/Greater Beckley Christian School) layups before Mims capped it with a jumper in the paint. SVSU would lead 37-34 at the half.

The Golden Knights were never able to regain the lead, however. SVSU opened the second half with the first seven points, including a 3-pointer and dunk by Miles, to go ahead 44-34 with just under two minutes gone in the half.

The deficit would grow to as many as 15 points before a Ragab layup, a Josh Omaojafo free throw, and two free throws by Ragab made it 61-53 with 7:52 left to play. The Cardinals built the lead back to double figures, but Gannon made one more challenge. A MIms jumper and Raphael layup made the score 67-61 with 4:34 left

SVSU spent the rest of the night at the free throw line to put the Golden Knights away. The last 15 points for the Cardinals came at the line as they were 15-of-16 over the last six-plus minutes. 
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