Nigel Haughton vs. Mansfield
Joe Mattis

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

Game Preview: Fresh Off Late Rally Gannon Looks to Extend Three-Game Winning Streak at Clarion

No. 15/10 GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS (14-2, 8-2 PSAC West) at CLARION GOLDEN EAGLES (6-9, 4-5 PSAC West)
DATE/TIME: Saturday, January 20, 2024 | 3:00 p.m.
ARENA/LOCATION: Waldo S. Tippin Gymnasium l Clarion, Pa.
LIVE STATS l LIVE VIDEO

GAME NOTES
 
THE GANNON-CLARION ALL-TIME SERIES
Gannon leads 48-13     
In a series that first began in 1948-49, Gannon has won the last 15 meetings with Clarion. A year ago Gannon snapped a 15-game losing streak to start the season with a 73-62 win at Clarion on January 23, then completed the sweep with an 81-69 win at the Highmark Events Center on February 15.

Last Meeting:  Feb. 15, 2023 – at Gannon 81, Clarion 69 I RECAP
Gannon withstood a Clarion rally and pulled away late for the victory. A 30-10 burst in the first half gave Gannon a 36-22 lead at the half. But Clarion used an 11-0 run to tie the game at 56-56 with 8:39 remaining. The Golden Knights went on an 11-2 run in the final five minutes to pull away. Gannon shot 52,6 percent from the floor (30-of-57), including 8-of-14 from beyond the arc. Zach Kent (Magnolia, Del./Blair Academy (N.J.)) led three players in double figures with 18 points, while Demetrius Mims (Baltimore, Md./Baltimore Polytechnic Institute) contributed 16 points. Freshmen Josh Omojafo (Hamilton, Ontario/St. Jean de Brebeuf) (13 points, 6 rebounds) and Berkay Yilmaz (Istanbul, Turkey/Fenerbahce Beko) (9 points, 7 rebounds) played key roles as well.
 

ERIE, Pa. – After opening the season with ten straight wins the Gannon men's basketball team has started another winning streak after making it three wins in a row with a 95-90 win in overtime at Slippery Rock on Wednesday.
 
The hard-earned victory boosted Gannon to 14-2 overall and 8-2 in the PSAC West, good for a tie with California (Pa.) for first place in the division. Earlier in the week the Golden Knights moved up in the latest national rankings. They are now 10th in the D2CSC Media Poll and 15th in the NABC Top 25.
 
Gannon looks to extend its winning streak on Saturday, January 20 while playing its second straight game on the road. The Golden Knights head to Clarion for a 3:00 p.m. contest against a much-improved Golden Eagles team. Clarion has already doubled its win total from a year ago when it finished at 3-25, with two of the losses to Gannon. The Golden Eagles come in at 6-10 overall and 4-6 in conference play.
 
The Golden Knights have enjoyed great success against Clarion in recent years. They enter Saturday's game riding a 15-game winning streak against the Golden Eagles and lead the all-time series 48-13.
 
As for the current three-game winning streak, first-year head coach Jordan Fee had to work some magic on Wednesday night at Slippery Rock. The Golden Knights led by as many as 12 points on several occasions only to find themselves trailing by six points in the final minute. Lyle Tipton's (Glenside, Pa./Philadelphia Montgomery Christian Academy) tip-in with four seconds left sent the game into overtime tied at 77-77. The transfer from Geneva then scored nine points in a back-and-forth extra session to lead Gannon to victory.
 
Gannon posted a 3-23 record last season, with two of the three wins coming against Clarion. The Golden Knights have been the surprise team of the PSAC, running out to a 10-0 start under Fee after being picked to finish seventh in the division.  
 
Fee brought in nine new players along with a fast-paced, pressing style of play. The Golden Knights reached 100 points for the tenth time this season, a school record, recently with a 117-96 win at Edinboro. Gannon leads Division II in scoring at 108.4 ppg. They have twice set the school record for points in a game with 146 vs. Penn State DuBois and 140 vs. Glenville State.  
 
The Golden Knights rank among the national leaders in several statistical categories, including second in turnover margin (+10.0), turnovers forced per game (24.6) and steals (13.7).

LAST TIME OUT
Gannon 95, Slippery Rock 90 ot – Gannon led for much of the game with several double-digit leads. But the Golden Knights found themselves trailing by six points with 52 seconds remaining before staging a miraculous comeback. Josh Omojafo's (Hamilton, Ontario/St. Jean de Brebeuf) 3-point play cut the deficit in half and after an SRU free throw, Tipton scored on a layup, then tipped in a missed shot with four seconds left to send the game into overtime. The overtime period featured four lead changes before Gannon finally gained the lead for good at 88-87 on a pair of Tipton free throws with 34 seconds remaining. Tipton would score nine points in the overtime period to finish the night with a season-high 25 points. Omojafo led Gannon with 26 points and Zachary Hobbs (Gilbert, Ariz./Mesa) contributed 12. The victory snapped a four-game losing streak to The Rock.
 
California (Pa.) 93, Clarion 80 – the Golden Eagles played the first of back-to-back games against nationally-ranked teams on Wednesday, hosting No. 18/13 California (Pa.). Cal jumped out to a 16-point halftime lead at 54-38. Clarion made a late run to pull withing ten points with 3:31 remaining but could get no closer. The Vulcans dominated the glass 43-24, scoring 17 second-chance points. Gavin Cote led Clarion with 20 points, making 5-of-6 3-pointers. Cam Kearney added 19 points and eight rebounds with Justice Easter (15 points) and Jayson Harris (13) also in double digits.
 
Tipton With the Tip-In
When things looked most dire on Wednesday night at Slippery Rock Lyle Tipton (Glenside, Pa./Philadelphia Montgomery Christian Academy) refused to give in. The 6'3" swingman who scored over 1,700 points in his career at Geneva carried the Golden Knights down the stretch and in overtime as the Golden Knights rallied for a 95-90 win in overtime. Gannon found itself trailing by six points with 52 seconds remaining in regulation but Tipton scored the final four points to tie the contest at 77-77. His tip-in of a missed shot with four seconds showing sent the game into overtime. He then accounted for nine of his season-high 25 points in the overtime period. In fact his two free throws with 34 seconds remaining gave Gannon the lead for good at 88-87.
 
Overtime Win the First Since 2018-19
Wednesday's 95-90 win in overtime at Slippery Rock was the first overtime victory for Gannon since the 2018-19 season when the Golden Knights defeated California (Pa.) 70-62. Since that time Gannon had lost overtime games to Kutztown in 2019-20 and again last year.
 
Omojafo Named to Bevo Francis Top 100 Watch List
Earlier this week Josh Omojaco was named to the Bevo Francis Top 100 Watch List for the 2023-24 season. The National Awards Committee and Small College Basketball announced the Top 100 Watch List that consists of some of the top players from NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA, USCAA and NCCAA on Tuesday. The Clarence "Bevo" Francis Award is presented annually to the player who has had the finest overall season within Small College Basketball. Omojafo is a 6'5" sophomore from Hamilton, Ontario who has played a huge role in the resurgence of Gannon men's basketball under first-year head coach Jordan Fee.  One of the most improved players in the PSAC after averaging 8.2 ppg. as a freshman, Omojafo leads Gannon and ranks second in the PSAC in scoring at 21.0 ppg. He is shooting 53.6 percent from the floor, good for sixth in the PSAC, with 13 3-pointers in 44 attempts. In addition he is 117-of-143 from the free throw line, good for sixth in the PSAC in free throw percentage at 81.8 percent. He is first in the PSAC and third nationally in free throws made and attempted. Omojafo is tied for third on the team in steals (28) and has 22 assists. He celebrated his selection to the Bevor Francis Top 100 Watch List with a 26-point effort at Slippery Rock on Wednesday. It was his ninth game with 20-or-more points and second straight. That includes three games of 30-or-more points. He dropped in a career-high 32 points vs. West Chester along with scoring at Bloomsburg and 30 at California (Pa.).   
 
Tipton Approaching 2,000 Career Points
Lyle Tipton (Glenside, Pa./Philadelphia Montgomery Christian Academy) enjoyed a storied career at Geneva College before joining Gannon this season. The 6'3" swingman departed Geneva as the seventh all-time leading scorer with 1,758 career points and was a two-time Presidents' Athletic Conference Player of the Year. After scoring 21 points in each of the two outings against Edinboro and IUP he poured in a season-high 25 points at Slippery Rock. Tipton has now scored 221 points in his first 16 games as a Golden Knight and has 1,979 career points.
 
Win Total the Most Since 2019-20
After finishing with just three victories last year Gannon now has a 14-2 record following Wednesday's overtime victory at Slippery Rock. That's the most wins since the 2019-20 squad finished the year at 14-13. The 2017-18 team is next with a 22-10 ledger.

Eight is Great
Gannon had eight players score in double figures in the recent 116-75 win over Mansfield. It's the second time this season eight Golden Knights have reached double figures. It happened for the first time in the season-opener vs. Glenville State. In addition, Gannon had seven double-figure scorers vs. Penn State-DuBois, six at East Stroudsburg and five against Lincoln, Bloomsburg and West Chester.

Gannon Among National Leaders in Numerous Categories
The Golden Knights rank among the NCAA Division II leaders in numerous statistical categories. Most prominent is the top figure in the country in scoring offense at 108.4 ppg. Gannon is first or second in the PSAC in numerous statistical categories. Not only are they first in Division II in scoring offense, but also lead the nation in free throws made per game (23.3) and fastbreak points per game (29.06) while ranking second in turnover margin (+10.0), bench points per game (43.81) and turnovers forced per game (24.63). What's a bit surprising is that Gannon leads the PSAC and ranks third Division II in offensive rebounds per game (15.63) despite a small team physically.

Ten-Game Winning Streak Longest to Start Season Since 2001-02
Gannon's 10-0 start was the best getaway since the 2001-02 squad opened the season with 14 straight wins. The Golden Knights saw that winning streak come to an end with a 99-78 loss at Millersville.

Golden Knights Set Record for 100-Point Games
Gannon also saw a streak of five straight 100-point games come to an end as Millersville held the Golden Knights to a season-low total recently. Gannon has already set the season record for 100-point games in a season and did it for the tenth time last Wednesday with the 117-96 win at Edinboro. The 1968-69 team held the previous record for 100-point games with six. Gannon has also set the single-game record for points twice this season. The previous record was 130 points against Hilbert in the 1996-97 season. The Golden Knights opened the season with 140 points against Glenville State. Two games later they scored 146 against Penn State DuBois. 

Fee Breaks Sparling's Darling's Record for Best Start Ever by First-Year Coach at Gannon
Gannon's ten straight wins under head coach Jordan Fee to open a season represents the best start ever by a first-year coach at Gannon. The previous record for the best start by a first-year Gannon coach was held by Ed Sparling, who led the 1974-75 Gannon squad to eight straight wins to open his first season. 
 
Scouting Clarion
Clarion comes in with a 6-10 record and is 4-6 in the PSAC West following a 93-80 loss to California (Pa.) on Wednesday. The Golden Eagles now play a second nationally-ranked team while looking to snap a skid of five losses in the last six games. Head coach Damian Pitts is working on turning around the fortunes of the Golden Eagles after finishing with a 3-25 record a year ago. Pitts has an improving young squad that has lost five games by seven points or less. Four Golden Eagles are scoring in double figures as they average 75.8 ppg. Six-foot-six-inch sophomore Cam Kearney leads the way at 15.3 ppg. while ranking second on the team with 5.4 rpg. Kearney is one of six Golden Eagles with 10-or-more 3-pointers with 20 in 56 attempts. Steve Kelly, the lone senior on the roster, adds 12.4 ppg. while leading the team with 67 assists and 24 steals. Jayson Harris, a 6'9" sophomore, adds 11.9 ppg. and 4.3 rpg. with Gavin Cote coming in at 11.5 ppg. The 6'5" transfer from Pace lead the team with 36 3-pointers in 73 tries, an impressive e49.3 percent.
 
Next for the Golden Knights
It's showdown time as Gannon hosts crosstown rival Mercyhurst on Wednesday, January 24. That game starts a stretch of four home games over the next five contests. Mercyhurst has won the last ten meetings in the series. Tipoff at Cathedral Prep's Hagerty Family Events Center is 7:30 p.m. 
 
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Demetrius Mims

#1 Demetrius Mims

F
6' 6"
Redshirt Junior
Zach Kent

#33 Zach Kent

F
6' 10"
Redshirt Senior
Zachary Hobbs

#24 Zachary Hobbs

G/F
6' 4"
Graduate Student
Josh Omojafo

#4 Josh Omojafo

G
6' 5"
Sophomore
Lyle Tipton

#33 Lyle Tipton

G/F
6' 3"
Graduate Student
Berkay Yilmaz

#0 Berkay Yilmaz

G
6' 0"
Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Demetrius Mims

#1 Demetrius Mims

6' 6"
Redshirt Junior
F
Zach Kent

#33 Zach Kent

6' 10"
Redshirt Senior
F
Zachary Hobbs

#24 Zachary Hobbs

6' 4"
Graduate Student
G/F
Josh Omojafo

#4 Josh Omojafo

6' 5"
Sophomore
G
Lyle Tipton

#33 Lyle Tipton

6' 3"
Graduate Student
G/F
Berkay Yilmaz

#0 Berkay Yilmaz

6' 0"
Sophomore
G