Zach Kent vs. Clarion
Bryce Dolak
69
Clarion Clar 3-22,1-18 PSAC
81
Winner Gannon Gannon 3-20,3-16 PSAC
Clarion Clar
3-22,1-18 PSAC
69
Final
81
Gannon Gannon
3-20,3-16 PSAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Clarion Clar 22 47 69
Gannon Gannon 36 45 81

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

Gannon Pulls Away Late to Extend Streak vs. Clarion

ERIE, Pa. – The Gannon men's basketball team withstood a rally by visiting Clarion on Wednesday evening and pulled away late for an 81-69 win. The victory snapped a four-game losing streak as Gannon continued its mastery over the Golden Eagles. The Golden Knights have now won 15 straight meetings with Clarion while improving to 3-20 overall and 3-16 in the PSAC West. Clarion is 3-22 and 1-18, respectively.

Both teams have emphasized youth, and it was clearly evident at the opening tip as Clarion had four freshmen on the floor and Gannon two. The Golden Knights have now had first-year performers start 60 games.

But it was the play of two veterans that ultimately spelled the difference for the Golden Knights. Zach Kent (Magnolia, Del./Blair Academy (N.J.)), a redshirt senior who previously played at Delaware State, scored a team-high 18 points, including several big buckets down the stretch. He added a career-best four assists and two blocks. The outing came after he had scored 14 points in the previous three games due to foul trouble. After battling his own foul trouble early redshirt junior Demetrius Mims (Baltimore, Md./Baltimore Polytechnic Institute) added 16 points with 14 of those coming in the second half.

Freshman guard Josh Omojafo (Hamilton, Ontario/St. Jean de Brebeuf) was a third Golden Knight in double figures with 13 points, adding six rebounds. Freshman point guard Berkay Yilmaz (Istanbul, Turkey/Fenerbahce Beko) added nine points, a career-high seven rebounds, and three steals. Redshirt freshman forward Thomas Whitley (Laurel, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt) drained three 3-pointers to end the night with nine points. In all, first-year players accounted for 41 points.

Gannon outscored Clarion 30-10 over the final 14 minutes of the half to claim a 36-22 lead at the half. The Golden Knights scored nine straight points after Clarion had gone ahead 12-6 and closed the half with the final eight points thanks to 3-pointers by Kent and Whitley.

Clarion opened the second half with back-to-back 3-pointers and while Gannon rebuilt the lead to 12 points with just over 12 minutes to play, the Golden Eagles eventually scored 11 straight points to pull even at 56-56 with 8:39 left to play.

The Golden Eagles were never able to reclaim the lead, however. Kent's 3-pointer gave Gannon a 59-56 advantage with 7:42 remaining. The Golden Knights still led just 64-60 with five minutes left, but they followed with an 11-2 run to put the game away.

Omojafo opened the burst with a layup and Yilmaz hit possibly the biggest basket of the night when he stepped back and hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key for a 69-60 advantage. It was just his fifth 3-pointer of the year. After a Clarion basket cut the lead to seven, Kent made a pair of free throws and followed with a short jumper following a Clarion turnover. Yilmaz' steal and layup gave Gannon a 75-62 lead with 1:56 left to play.

While matching a season high with 81 points, Gannon shot 52.6 percent (30-of-57) from the floor, the second-best total this season. They made 8-of-14 3-pointers, with Whitley a perfect 3-for-3, and went 13-of-16 at the line. Clarion was held to 44.6 percent (25-of-56) but made 10-of-27 3-pointers. The Golden Eagles were 9-of-11 at the line.

Gannon dominated the glass in the first half (26-12) and ended the game with a 34-28 edge. The Golden Knights also committed a season-low nine turnovers while forcing 14. Gannon outscored the Golden Eagles 36-26 in the paint and 15-8 off turnovers.

Justice Easter led Clarion with 19 points and eight rebounds while Fray Nguimbi and Cam Kearney added 16 points apiece.

The Golden Knights return to action on Saturday, February 18 playing at Seton Hill. Tipoff is at 3:00 p.m.
      
 
 
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