Mike Montano vs. Mansfield
Joe Mattis
109
Winner Gannon Gannon 17-2,11-2 PSAC
86
Pitt.-Johnstown Pitt-J 5-14,3-10 PSAC
Winner
Gannon Gannon
17-2,11-2 PSAC
109
Final
86
Pitt.-Johnstown Pitt-J
5-14,3-10 PSAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Gannon Gannon 50 59 109
Pitt.-Johnstown Pitt-J 37 49 86

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

Relentless Golden Knights Wear Down UPJ to Win Sixth Straight Game

Montano has first career double double in 109-86 victory

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Five players scored in double figures and the Gannon press and depth wore down a game Pitt-Johnstown team as the Golden Knights made it six wins in a row with a 109-86 win at the UPJ Sports Center on Saturday afternoon. The Golden Knights remained in first place in the PSAC West while improving to 17-2 overall and 11-2 in the Western Division.

The 100-point game was the school-record 11th of the season for first-year head coach Jordan Fee's team, who came into the game leading Division II in scoring at 106.0 ppg. It snapped a string four straight games without hitting the century mark.

Gannon gained the lead for good at 11-10 on Mike Montano's (Alexandria, Va./Thomas Edison) layup, but every time the Golden Knights looked to pull away the Mountain Cats would claw back. Gannon closed the half on a 13-4 run to take a 50-37 lead at the half. But the Mountain Cats came out and scored the first eight points of the half and pulled to with a point at 52-51 with 16:46 remaining.

Ernest Shelton's (Philadelphia, Pa./Father Judge) 3-pointer gave the Golden Knights some breathing room at 55-51 and Gannon used a 10-2 run to take a 63-53 lead with 13 minutes remaining. UPJ still trailed by just eight points at 73-65 with 8:56 to play but after that it was all Golden Knights.

Gannon ran off nine straight points as the lead suddenly ballooned to 82-65 just a minute later. It was courtesy of four UPJ turnovers. Derrick James (Columbus, Ohio/Canal Winchester) scored following a steal, and after another steal Nigel Haughton (Bel Air, Md./South Kent) drained a three from the right corner. Yet another turnover led to two Lyle Tipton (Glenside, Pa./Philadelphia Montgomery Christian Academy) free throws, and Josh Omojafo (Hamilton, Ontario/St. Jean de Brebeuf) came up with a steal on the ensuing possession and scored to make it 82-65.

Another 9-0 run in the final four minutes led to Gannon's largest lead of the game at 28 points at 105-77 with just over two minutes to play. Haughton capped that run with yet another 3-pointer.  

Montano came off the bench to record his first career double-double. The 6'7" sophomore finished with 14 points and a season-high 13 rebounds, eight on the offensive end. For the second straight game the bench turned in a huge effort, scoring 48 points.

Tipton led five Golden Knights in double figures with 17 points, going 8-for-8 at the line, and also pulled down six rebounds. Nathan Schneider (Kersey, Pa./St. Marys Area), another member of the bench brigade, added 14 points, four assists and five steals. Omojafo also scored 14 points and had three steals. Zachary Hobbs (Gilbert, Ariz./Mesa) rounded out the double figure operatives with 12 points, going 4-of-10 on 3-pointers.

Three other Golden Knights fell a point shy of double digits. Haughton and Shelton made three 3-pointers to total nine points, with James contributing nine points, five assists and three steals.

Ryan Smith led three Mountain Cats in double figures with a game-high 25 points. Nick Watts added 19.

Gannon posted near-record numbers in the team statistics. The Golden Knights attempted 82 shots, making 35 (42.7 pct.), including 14-of-36 3-pointers. The 36 3-point attempts would have been a new school record heading into the season, but it is just the third-highest total this season. Gannon attempted a school-record 39 trifectas against Glenville State and Salem earlier this year. They were 25-of-32 from the line.

The biggest factor, though, was the turnovers. Gannon forced UPJ into 27 turnovers, including 19 in the second half when Gannon outscored the Mountain Cats 59-49.  The Golden Knights, meanwhile, turned the ball over just 12 times leading to 35-12 advantage in points off turnovers, equaling the margin of victory.

Gannon begins a three-game homestand on Wednesday, January 31 hosting Seton Hill. The contest gets underway at 7:30 p.m. at Hagerty Family Events Center and signals the end of the first half of Western Division competition.  
 
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