Hobbs 1
Ricky Bassman
99
Winner Cal St. San B'dino CSSB 27-7,17-5 CCAA
65
Gannon Gannon 32-3,20-2 PSAC
Winner
Cal St. San B'dino CSSB
27-7,17-5 CCAA
99
Final
65
Gannon Gannon
32-3,20-2 PSAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Cal St. San B'dino CSSB 44 55 99
Gannon Gannon 32 33 65

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

Golden Knights Conclude Season at School-Record 32-3 with Loss in Elite Eight to Cal State San Bernardino

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The Gannon men's basketball team saw the most successful turnaround in NCAA history come to an end in the quarterfinals of the Elite Eight at the Ford Center. Cal St. San Bernardino, the sixth seed, pulled away from the No. 3 seed Golden Knights in the second half to pill away for a 99-65 victory to advance to the national semifinals.

Gannon ends its first season under head coach Jordan Fee at 32-3, a school record for victories. The loss snapped a school-record 21-game winning streak. The 65 points were the fewest of the season for a team that came in ranked second in Division II in scoring at over 100 ppg. CSUSB moves on with a 27-7 record.

The Golden Knights accomplished a great deal in 2023-24 after finishing the previous campaign with a 3-23 record. With Fee orchestrating an incredible turnaround the Golden Knights finished as the PSAC West regular season champion, won their first PSAC championship since 2015 and then went on to win their first Atlantic Region title since 2009. Gannon was making its first NCAA Elite Eight appearance since 2009.

But on Tuesday afternoon Gannon into a Coyotes team that dominated the glass and limited the Golden Knights to just 27.9 percent shooting from the floor (19-of-68). Gannon came in ranked third in the PSAC and 18th in the country in field goal percentage at 49.3 percent. CSUSB held a 59-30 edge on the boards with 18 offensive rebounds.

Gannon held an early 3-point lead in the game before Sedrick Altman gave CSUSB the lead for good at 18-17 with just under 14 minutes remaining in the half. The 6-foot-3 senior guard would continue to make shots all day, going 13-of-18 from the floor, including 7-of-10 3-pointers, to finish with 37 points. Teammate LeAndrew Knights missed just one shot in 13 attempts on his way to a 29-point effort.

A pair of scoring droughts in the first half led to a 44-32 lead for the Coyotes at the half. Gannon pulled to within 48-40 three minutes into the half as Zachary Hobbs (Gilbert, Ariz./Mesa) drained a pair of 3-pointers. CSUSB followed with a 13-4 run with Mike Montano (Alexandria, Va./Thomas Edison) accounting for both of Gannon's baskets on offensive rebounds. That made it 61-44 with 12 minutes left.

Gannon pulled now closer than 16 points the rest of the way and the lead expanded late as the Golden Knights pressured repeatedly in an attempt to comeback. At one point the Golden Knights went four minutes without a basket.

While Gannon was shooting a season-low from the field the Coyotes shot 54.8 percent (40-73), including 62.9 percent (22-of-35) in the second half. Gannon made 4-of-16 3-pointers while the Coyotes were 7-of-16, all seven by Altman. Gannon was 23-of-29 at the line and CSUSB 12-of-17. Gannon forced 20 turnovers and committed just nine.

Josh Omojafo (Hamilton, Ontario/St. Jean de Brebeuf) led the Golden Knights with 19 points after earlier in the day being named an NABC All-American. The 6-foot-5 sophomore was 13-of-16 at the line. He ends the year with 699 points, the second-highest season total. He also set school records for free throws made (244) and attempted (297).

Hobbs, a graduate transfer from Indiana State, added 12 points, making 2-of-4 3-pointers. He made 81 3-pointers on the season, tied for eighth. Montano, a 6-foot-7 freshman, added eight points and a team-high nine rebounds. Derrick James (Columbus, Ohio/Canal Winchester) had four steals to boost his season total to 85, good for a tie for second all-time.

Lyle Tipton (Glenside, Pa./Philadelphia Montgomery Christian Academy) (six points, four rebounds), Nigel Haughton (Bel Air, Md./South Kent) (two points, four assists), and Nathan Schneider (Kersey, Pa./St. Marys Area) (four points, two assists) were other graduate transfers who played a huge role in the team's success.

For Cal St. San Bernardino, Altman and Knight combined for 66 points while making 30-of-41 shots, Six-foot-eight center Robby Robinson had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. 
 
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