Demetrius Mims vs. UPJ
Bryce Dolak

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

Improving Golden Knights Look to Play Spoiler at California (Pa.)

 GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS (2-19, 2-15 PSAC West) at CALIFORNIA (PA) (11-12, 8-9 PSAC West)
DATE/TIME: Wednesday, February 8, 2023 | 7:30 p.m.
ARENA/LOCATION: Convocation Center l California, Pa.
LIVE VIDEO
LIVE STATS


RADIO:  Gannon basketball fans can catch all of the exciting action of Golden Knights' basketball on 90.5 WERG FM. Trevor Kubeja and Logan Wurst will have the call of the game.
 
THE GANNON-CALIFORNIA (PA) ALL-TIME SERIES
Gannon leads 22-18
Gannon has won eight of the last 13 meetings after California (Pa.) came into the Highmark Events Center on January 14 and pulled away for an 83-66 win. A year ago the two teams split the season series. Gannon avenged an earlier 80-59 loss at California (Pa.) with an 87-83 win at Highmark Events Center to conclude the 2021-22 regular season. The series first began in 1949-50.

Last Meeting:  Jan. 14, 2023 – California (Pa.) 83, at Gannon 66 I RECAP
Gannon had three players score in double figures but California (Pa.)'s Jermaine Hall, Jr. got red hot in the second half to lead the Vulcans to an 83-66 win at Highmark Events Center. Demetrius Mims (Baltimore, Md./Baltimore Polytechnic Institute) led the Golden Knights in scoring with 16 points, while Zach Kent (Magnolia, Del./Blair Academy (N.J.)) added 12 and Ronny Raphael (Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep Charter) 11. Mims made 6-of-12 field goals and also pulled down a game-high eight rebounds. Redshirt freshman Thomas Whitley (Laurel, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt) gathered in seven boards. Hall drained 7-of-10 3-pointers to finish with 25 points and led the Vulcans with eight rebounds. He made all five of his shots from beyond the arc in the second half to account for all 15 of his points. Keith Palek III added 23 points and Cam Polak finished with 12 points. Donald Whitehead, Jr., the sister of Gannon women's assistant basketball coach Neely Whitehead, chipped in with nine points, six rebounds and six assists. Gannon went on a 7-0 run to grab a 43-39 lead with 15 minutes remaining. The Vulcans went on a 14-0 run to take control of the contest. Cal ended up outscoring Gannon 54-39 over the final twenty minutes.
 

ERIE, Pa. – Gannon wraps up a stretch of three games in five days with a game at California (Pa.) on Wednesday, February 8. The contest tips off at 7:30 p.m. at the Convention Center.

The Golden Knights continue to challenge the best the PSAC has to offer but unfortunately their improved play of late has not translated into wins. Monday's 73-66 loss to Pitt-Johnstown dropped the Golden Knights to 2-19 and 2-15 in the PSAC West.

California (Pa.) is looking to clinch one of the six spots in the PSAC Tournament with five games to play. The Vulcans are 11-12 and 8-9 in league play, sharing the final two spots with Slippery Rock with a four-game lead over Edinboro. They have won back-to-back games, including an 87-63 win on Monday over Slippery Rock.

Gannon had a UPJ team that is tied for second place in the PSAC West on the ropes on Monday, holding a 54-43 lead in the second half. The Mountain Cats closed the game on 30-12 run.

Chris Clancy (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's) electrified the crowd with his 3-point shooting. The 6'2" redshirt sophomore made a career-high seven 3-pointers in 12 attempts, with several well beyond the NBA line. He scored 18 of his season-high 22 points in the first half as Gannon forged a 42-37 lead at intermission. Clancy has now made 44 3-pointers in 122 attempts.

Demetrius Mims (Baltimore, Md./Baltimore Polytechnic Institute) also continued his hot stretch. A 6'6" redshirt junior, he scored 18 points for his 14th straight game in double figures and has averaged 17.9 ppg. over the last ten games. He added 10 rebounds for his third double-double vs. UPJ after flirting with a triple-double at IUP. He totaled 17 points, nine rebounds and a career-high seven assists against the top-ranked Crimson Hawks. Mims leads the team in scoring (15.6 ppg.) and rebounding (6.9 rpg.).

Gannon catches a much-needed break following the Cal contest. The Golden Knights are off on Saturday before returning to action on Wednesday, February 15 hosting Clarion.
 
 
CLANCY GOES DEEEEP
Chris Clancy (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's) put on an incredible display of outside shooting on Monday vs. Pitt-Johnstown. The 6'2" guard made a season-high seven 3-pointers in 12 attempts to finish with 22 points. Even more amazing was the distance the shots came from. He just kept stepping further out with each attempt, with several coming almost closer to halfcourt than the 3-point arc. He has battled injuries for the last two seasons, missing 28 games during that stretch. The redshirt sophomore is one of the PSAC's top 3-point threats when healthy and the last three games have proven that. Clancy dropped in 20 points last Wednesday against Slippery Rock, his highest total since a 21-point against IUP in March 2021. He added 12 points on Saturday at IUP before scoring a season-high 22 points on Monday. In the last two contests Clancy has made 16-of-32 shots from beyond the arc and leads the Golden Knights with 44 3-pointers in 122 attempts. He is averaging 9.7 ppg.

MEECH LEADS THE WAY
Demetrius Mims (Baltimore, Md./Baltimore Polytechnic Institute) complemented Chris Clancy (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's) with 18 points against Pitt-Johnstown. He added 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. He flirted with a triple-double in Gannon's 74-58 loss to Indiana (Pa.) on Saturday. The 6'6" redshirt junior has been a bright spot this year and has now scored in double figures in 14 straight games. Mims leads the team in scoring (15.6 ppg.) and rebounding (6.9 rpg.) and steals (27) along with ranking second in assists (55) and blocked shots (14). He is the lone player to start all 21 games this season and also started all 27 games last year.

OMOJAFO, YILMAZ GIVE KNIGHTS FOUR IN DOUBLE DIGITS VS. UPJ
First-year players have played key roles throughout the 2022-23 season. On Monday head coach Kelvin Jefferson employed a starting lineup with three freshmen for the 15th straight game. All told freshmen and redshirt freshmen have started 56 games this season. On Monday night Josh Omojafo (Hamilton, Ontario/St. Jean de Brebeuf) and Berkay Yilmaz (Istanbul, Turkey/Fenerbahce Beko) joined Chris Clancy (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's) and Demetrius Mims (Baltimore, Md./Baltimore Polytechnic Institute) in double figures with 11 points apiece. Omojafo, a 6'5" guard, is averaging 8.0 ppg., while the 11 points were a season-high for Yilmaz. The 6'0" guard from Turkey is only scoring 2.2 ppg. but leads the team with 65 assists compared to 34 steals.  

GOLDEN KNIGHTS NOT FAR AWAY
Monday's game against Pitt-Johnstown typifies Gannon's season as it has navigated youth and injuries. The Golden Knights have held second-half leads in seven of the last nine games, including wins over Clarion and Edinboro, but have been unable to close it out. That includes leads over Mercyhurst, Pitt-Johnstown and Millersville, three of the top teams in the PSAC. With first-year players accounting for over half of the games started this season and 40 percent of the offensive production, maturity and experience could translate into victories in the future.
 
SCOUTING CALIFORNIA (PA)
California (Pa.) enters Wednesday's game with an 11-12 overall record and 8-9 in the PSAC West. The Vulcans have been on a win-two, lose-two streak over their last ten games, winning for the second straight time on Monday with an 87-63 victory vs. Slippery Rock. They ranks second in the PSAC in scoring at 81.1 ppg.  Head coach Danny Sancomb is in his fifth season at Cal after enjoying a highly successful run at Wheeling where he posted a 216-115 record in 11 seasons. The Vulcans suffered a big loss when Philip Alston transferred to Division I Loyola-Chicago, but they still have plenty of firepower. Five players are averaging in double figures, led by Keith Palek III at 18.4 ppg., good for second in the PSAC. A 6'8" sophomore, Palek has made 40-of-111 3-pointers and pulls down 7.1 rpg. Jermaine Hall, Jr., a 6'4" swingman, adds 16.8 ppg. and a team-leading 7.5 rpg. Cam Polak is one of four players with 30-or-more 3-pointers with 53 in 146 attempts. The 6'2' sophomore is averaging 13.6 ppg. KJ McClurg, a 6'3" freshman, adds 13.7 ppg. and 6.7 rpg. and has made 34-of-89 3-pointers, while Donald Whitehead, Jr., the sister of Gannon women's assistant coach Neely Whitehead, is at 13.0 ppg. He is a 5'10" redshirt freshman who comes off the bench but leads the Vulcans with 65 assists.

NEXT FOR THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS
Gannon finally gets a break after playing eight games in 19 days, as the Golden Knights are off on Saturday and don't play again until Wednesday, February 15. Clarion visits the Highmark Events Center for a day-after-Valentine's Day contest at 7:30 p.m.
 
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Players Mentioned

Chris Clancy

#5 Chris Clancy

G
6' 2"
Redshirt Sophomore
Demetrius Mims

#1 Demetrius Mims

F
6' 6"
Redshirt Junior
Thomas Whitley

#22 Thomas Whitley

F
6' 6"
Redshirt Freshman
Josh Omojafo

#4 Josh Omojafo

G
6' 5"
Freshman
Ronny Raphael

#21 Ronny Raphael

G
6' 0"
Freshman
Berkay Yilmaz

#0 Berkay Yilmaz

G
6' 0"
Freshman
Zach Kent

#33 Zach Kent

F
6' 10"
Redshirt Senior

Players Mentioned

Chris Clancy

#5 Chris Clancy

6' 2"
Redshirt Sophomore
G
Demetrius Mims

#1 Demetrius Mims

6' 6"
Redshirt Junior
F
Thomas Whitley

#22 Thomas Whitley

6' 6"
Redshirt Freshman
F
Josh Omojafo

#4 Josh Omojafo

6' 5"
Freshman
G
Ronny Raphael

#21 Ronny Raphael

6' 0"
Freshman
G
Berkay Yilmaz

#0 Berkay Yilmaz

6' 0"
Freshman
G
Zach Kent

#33 Zach Kent

6' 10"
Redshirt Senior
F