olsen
66
Pitt.-Johnstown Pitt-J 17-5,13-3 PSAC
67
Winner Gannon Gannon 12-7,9-6 PSAC
Pitt.-Johnstown Pitt-J
17-5,13-3 PSAC
66
Final
67
Gannon Gannon
12-7,9-6 PSAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Pitt.-Johnstown Pitt-J 29 37 66
Gannon Gannon 43 24 67

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

Gannon Outlasts UPJ, 67-66, Behind 23 Points from Olsen

ERIE, Pa. – One might be tempted to say that Monday night's Gannon-Pitt-Johnstown game had more swings than a playground. Fortunately for the Golden Knights, they owned the last momentum changing run. They would come out on top by a slim 67-66 margin at the Hammermill Center against PSAC West frontrunner UPJ as Braden Olsen (West Linn, Ore./West Linn) came off the bench to score 23 points.

While wrapping up a three-game homestand, Gannon won its third straight game to improve to 12-7 overall and 9-6 in the PSAC West. They embark on a murderous week that began with the Mountain Cats and ends with Indiana(Pa.), the two teams tied for first place in the Western Division, visiting the Mill on Saturday, February 12. In between the Golden Knights travel to crosstown rival Mercyhurst (19-4, 13-4 PSAC West). UPJ and IUP entered the day with 13-2 league marks. The Mountain Cats now show a 17-5 record and 13-3 in the conference.



After leading by as many as 20 points early in the second half, Gannon found itself trailing by six at 63-57 with 4:43 remaining when Fred Mulbah hit a driving layup. That ended what amounted to a 34-8 run for the Mountain Cats.

Lance-Amir Paul (Kingston, Jamaica/Putnam Science Academy) and Robertas Jonaitis (Pakruojis, Lithuania/Greater Beckley Christian School) scored baskets to cut the gap to 63-61, with Jared Jakubick making one of two free throws to give UPJ a 64-61 advantage with just under three minutes remaining. Olsen's twisting drive to the basket cut the gap to 64-63, and Gannon regained the lead at 65-64 when Jonaitis made a pair of free throws with 1:37 to play.

Jonaitis blocked a UPJ shot on the other end of the floor, and Paul gave Gannon a three-point lead at 67-64 with 52 seconds left on an acrobatic drive. Mulbah made one of two free throws to make it 67-65, and after a Gannon turnover and UPJ timeout, the Mountain Cats had a chance to send the game into overtime or even win it in regulation.

Unlike ten days ago when John Paul Kromka scored the game-winning basket with 0.9 seconds left for an 81-79 UPJ win, this time the Mountain Cats came up short. Kromka rebounded a miss by Drew Magestro and was fouled with 0.4 seconds remaining. He missed the first free throw, then made the second while intending to miss it. Gannon inbounded quickly as the clock ran out.

The second half, in which UPJ outscored Gannon 37-24, definitely had a different look than the opening 20 minutes. The game started with Pitt-Johnstown jumping out to a quick 8-2 lead. That's when the first of the many swings began. Gannon scored the next 15 points to take a 17-8 lead when Donovan Forte (Cleveland, Ohio/Garfield Heights) scored on a rebound basket. Olsen debuted off the bench to score seven points in the stretch.

Back came the Mountain Cats, with a 10-0 run giving them a short-lived 18-17 advantage. Gannon scored the next 12 points, part of a 19-2 overall burst, with the scoreboard now Gannon 39, UPJ 23 with 1:19 remaining in the first half. Olsen scored eight and Alfonso Pickens Jr. (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) had seven of the 19 points.

Gannon would lead 43-29 at the half, holding a Pitt-Johnstown team that came in shooting over 50 percent from the floor as a team to 35.5 percent (11 of 31). The Golden Knights, meanwhile, came in at 53.1 percent (17 of 32) and also held a 23-14 advantage on the glass.

The start of the second half gave no indication that Gannon would find itself in a barnburner at the end. A Demetrius Mims' (Baltimore, Md./Baltimore Polytechnic Institute) dunk off a turnover, followed by Paul's layup and a Jonaitis rebound basket boosted Gannon's lead to the biggest of the night at 49-29 with 17:39 remaining.

Over the next five-and-a-half minutes, the Golden Knights were held scoreless as UPJ went on an 18-0 run. It coincided with the insertion of Drew Magestro into the lineup, who accounted for 11 of the 18 points. Gannon suddenly found itself clinging to a 49-47 lead with 12 minutes to play.

Paul's layup interrupted the run, and Mims' rebound hoop boosted the lead to 53-47. UPJ had one last burst remaining, with a 12-1 run putting the Mountain Cats up by five at 59-54 with 7:27 left. That set the stage for Gannon's comeback in the final minutes.

Gannon ended the night shooting 43.5 percent from the floor (27 of 62), making 6 of 17 3-pointers. The Golden Knights were 7 of 12 from the free throw line.  They held the Mountain Cats to 41.4 percent for the game (24 of 58), but they hit 10 of 22 shots from beyond the arc. UPJ was 8 of 11 at the line. The Golden Knights won the rebounding battle for the 15th time in 19 games, 40-32.

Olsen provided a huge spark off the bench, finishing with a game-high 23 points. The redshirt junior scored 18 of those points in the first half. He made 8 of 12 shots, including 4 of 5 3-pointers, and was 3 of 3 at the line. In addition, the 6'0" guard was the game's leading rebounder with nine, and dished out seven assists.

The focus of UPJ's defense all night, Paul battled his way to 12 points. Pickens scored nine points, had two steals and two blocks, while playing outstanding defense against Mulbah, one of the top points guards in the PSAC. Mims finished with eight points and eight boards, and Jonaitis had eight points and seven rebounds.

UPJ had four players in double figures, led by Kromka's 17 points to go with nine rebounds. The PSAC West Defensive Player of the Year the last two years also had four blocks. Magestro finished with 14 points, while Mulbah and Jakubick scored 10 points apiece.

With game one of the week's trio of tough games in the book, the Golden Knights now turn their attention to Mercyhurst. The Lakers claimed a 68-63 win in the first meeting in early January. Wednesday's tipoff at the MAC is set for 7:30 p.m.    
 
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