Mason Kemp vs. Bloomsburg
93
East Stroudsburg ESU 3-1,0-1 PSAC
105
Winner Gannon Gannon 6-2,2-0 PSAC
East Stroudsburg ESU
3-1,0-1 PSAC
93
Final
105
Gannon Gannon
6-2,2-0 PSAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
East Stroudsburg ESU 35 58 93
Gannon Gannon 42 63 105

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

Turnovers Lead Golden Knights to 105-93 Win over East Stroudsburg

Gannon extends winning streak to six games

ERIE, Pa. – The calendar said November but the atmosphere inside the Hagerty Family Events Center felt more like March. Gannon hosted PSAC East preseason favorite on Saturday afternoon and the Golden Knights extended their winning streak to six straight games with a 105-93 win over the Warriors.

Gannon is now 6-2 overall and 2-0 in PSAC play while East Stroudsburg was playing its first PSAC contest and dipped to 3-2 overall. The Warriors were 25-5 a year ago.

The final score was indicative of Gannon's dominance in the second half as the Warriors closed the game on an 8-0 run. But it also doesn't tell the back-and-forth battle that went on until the Golden Knights went on the tell-tale run in the second half.

Gannon led 42-35 at the half after a half that saw six ties and three lead changes. An 8-0 run late in the half opened the gap a bit. With turnovers then playing a huge role the Golden Knights used an 18-6 burst to pull away from the Warriors.

ESU ended up turning the ball over 27 times, and Gannon held a 40-14 advantage in points off turnovers. It came against a team that brought the fullcourt pressing style of play to the PSAC many years ago under long-time head coach Jeff Wilson.

The Golden Knights now prepare to host the 40th Annual Gary Miller Classic on Saturday, November 30 and Sunday, December 1. Gannon faces West Virginia State the first day and Walsh the second. Mansfield is the fourth team in the tournament.

HOW IT HAPPENED     
The first half featured six ties and three lead changes. East Stroudsburg jumped out to an early six-point lead at 14-8 with 13:16 left on a pair of free throws by Lakeem McAliley. A three-time All-PSAC East performer, McAliley battled foul trouble all day and played just 15 minutes.

Still tied at 30-30 with just over four minutes to play, Gannon grabbed the lead for good with eight consecutive points fueled by three turnovers. Mason Kemp (Shawnee, Kan./Mill Valley), a six-foot-seven freshman, scored three of the four baskets, capped by back-to-back dunks. Gannon headed to halftime ahead 42-35.

East Stroudsburg was unable to trim much of the lead in the second half as the Warriors continued to be haunted by turnovers. Gannon's lead was 51-45 with 16:51 left following a Carson Howard basket. Over the next four minutes Gannon outscored the Warriors 18-6. Ernest Shelton (Philadelphia, Pa./Father Judge) accounted for ten of the points including a pair of 3-pointers. Four of the baskets included a Shelton dunk and three layups.

The Warriors ran off seven straight points midway through the half to pull to within 79-67 with seven minutes remaining. It proved to be the Warriors last grasp, however, as the Golden Knights proceeded to outscore ESU 13-4 over the next two minutes. Six different players scored during the run.

BY THE NUMBERS
Gannon has now scored 100-or-more points three times and 90-or-more points in five of the six straight wins. The other game was an 89-point effort vs. Virginia State.

The Golden Knights shot a season-high 56.8 percent from the floor, making 42-of-74 shots. That included an 8-for-23 showing on 3-pointers. ESU finished at 47.2 percent (34-of-72) and was 5-of-22 from beyond the arc. Gannon went 13-of-19 at the line and the Warriors were 20-of-28. Gannon's unselfish effort also included 25 assists.

ESU held a 45-33 advantage on the glass, including 19 offensive boards, and held a 24-4 edge in second chance points. But that wasn't enough to overcome 27 turnovers as Gannon scored 40 points on ESU miscues. The Golden Knights had 18 steals.

All five starters scored in double figures led by Ernest Shelton (Philadelphia, Pa./Father Judge) matched his season high with 23 points, one shy of his career high. The sophomore guard made 8-of-16 field goals, including three 3-pointers, and was 4-of-4 at the line. He added four rebounds and three steals.

Justin DeBuck (Broward County, Fla./Pembroke Pines Charter) added 19 points on a variety of turnaround jumpers in the paint. He made 9-of-11 shots while handing out four assists and registering two steals. DeBuck was one of five players with four assists.

Pace Prosser (Berlin, Pa./Berlin Brothersvalley) and Isiah Warfield (Monaca, Pa./Central Valley) added 14 and 13 points, respectively. Prosser, a freshman guard, continued to fill up the box score with two 3-pointers, four rebounds, four assists and five steals. For Warfield, a grad transfer from Howard, the 13 points were a season high. He also two three's, four assists and a pair of steals.

Tasman Goodrick (Sydney, Australia/St. Joseph's College) rounded out the players in double figures with 10 points. The 6-foot-9 sophomore posted his fourth double double with 11 rebounds, adding three blocked shots.

The contributions of the freshman class bears noting, as well. In addition to Prosser, Mason Kemp (Shawnee, Kan./Mill Valley) had six points in nine minutes, while Lucas Sekasi (Washington, DC/Jackson-Reed) had five points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals in 18 minutes. Rocco Morabito (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan) had his top game as a Golden Knight with nine points (2-of-4 FGs, 5-of-6 FTs), three assists and two steals.

East Stroudsburg also had five players in double figures led by three-time All-PSAC East honoree Lakeem McAliley. Though playing just 15 minutes he finished with 20 points. Davon Lee added 15 points and Carson Howard had 14.

NEXT FOR THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS
It's time for the Gary Miller Classic. The 40th annual edition of the Thanksgiving weekend tournament is set for Saturday, November 30 and Sunday, December 1. Gannon will play West Virginia State the first day followed by Walsh on day two.       
 
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