Tasman Goodrick
Bryce Dolak
62
Indiana (PA) IUP 11-11,6-7 PSAC
84
Winner Gannon Gannon 18-6,13-3 PSAC
Indiana (PA) IUP
11-11,6-7 PSAC
62
Final
84
Gannon Gannon
18-6,13-3 PSAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Indiana (PA) IUP 37 25 62
Gannon Gannon 36 48 84

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

Gannon Clinches Top Seed in Western Division with 84-62 Win over IUP

Goodrick dominates inside with 23 points, 14 rebounds

ERIE, Pa. – The Gannon men's basketball team used a dominant performance in the paint and big finish in the second half for an 84-62 win over Indiana (Pa.) on Saturday at the Highmark Events Center. The victory clinched the number one seed in the Western Division for the second straight year.
 
The Golden Knights are now 18-6 overall and 13-3 in the PSAC West while IUP dipped to 11-11 and 6-8, respectively. California (Pa.) and Edinboro are Gannon's closest competitors at 9-7.
 
After losing three straight games the Golden Knights have run off back-to-back wins. On Saturday head coach Easton Bazzoli wasn't sure who would take the court to meet the Crimson Hawks. With the flu hitting the team he had just ten players, and all of those weren't 100-percent.
 
But IUP had no answer for Tasman Goodrick (Sydney, Australia/St. Joseph's College). The 6-foot-9 sophomore had a double-double at the half and finished with 23 points and 14 rebounds, adding three assists for good measure. It was his 12th double-double of the season.
 
Former Golden Knight Alfonso Pickens Jr. hit a shot just before the buzzer to give the Crimson Hawks a 37-36 halftime lead. But after IUP scored the opening backet of the second half Gannon went on a 17-3 run, scoring 13 straight points at one point.
 
Gannon would end up outscoring the Crimson Hawks 48-25 over the final 20 minutes and closed the game on a 14-1 run.
 
While the Golden Knights played short-handed they did welcome back on Isiah Warfield (Monaca, Pa./Central Valley). The 6-foot-5 guard made his first appearance in two months after missing 14 straight games. While his numbers weren't huge the Howard transfer's presence was.
 
Gannon ended the game with a 47-29 edge on the glass, pulling down 17 offensive boards. They outscored IUP 38-10 in the paint.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
A young IUP team hung with Gannon throughout a first half that featured two ties and five lead changes. After taking a 26-20 lead with just under five minutes left in the half on two Ernest Shelton (Philadelphia, Pa./Father Judge) free throws the Golden Knights suddenly found themselves trailing 33-26 as IUP ran off 13 straight points.
 
Gannon countered with a 10-2 run capped by a Tasman Goodrick (Sydney, Australia/St. Joseph's College) dunk to regain the lead, but Alfonso Pickens Jr. just beat the horn at the end of the half with a jumper to make it 37-36 at the half.
 
IUP opened the second half with a bucket but Gannon took the lead for good at 43-42 on Rocco Morabito's (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan) 3-pointers and eventually capped a 17-3 run with Goodrick's layup. That gave the Golden Knights 53-42 advantage seven minutes into the half.
 
A pesky IUP squad refused to go away, scoring the next seven points to close to 53-49 with 11:44 left. Gannon closed the game outscoring the Crimson Hawks 31-13.
 
Still maintain just a 64-57 lead with 6:33 left Gannon turned up the defensive pressure and forced five turnovers down the stretch. In addition, Layne Sarver (New Madison, Ohio/Tri-Village) hit two nig 3-pointers. Leading 70-61, Gannon closed the game on a 14-1 run that featured nine points from Goodrick.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
Gannon made it five straight wins over IUP while maintaining a four-game lead over California (Pa.) and Edinboro in the PSAC West standings. With four regular season games remaining the Golden Knights have clinched the top seed out of the Western Division.
 
The Golden Knights made 18-of-28 shots in the second half (64.3 pct.) to finish at 49.2 percent for the game (30-of-61). Meanwhile the Gannon defense stepped up to limit IUP to 7-of-27 in the second half as the Crimson Hawks finished at 33. Percent (19-of-57). Gannon was 8-of-18 from beyond the arc while IUP was 7-of-24. Gannon made 16-of-23 free throws while the Crimson Hawks came in at 17-of-24.
 
Gannon dominated the glass, outrebounding the Crimson Hawks 47-29. That included 17 offensive boards. It led to a 38-10 advantage in points in the paint. Gannon committed 18 turnovers and forced 17 IUP miscues.
 
Tasman Goodrick (Sydney, Australia/St. Joseph's College) finished with his 12th double-double of the season with 23 points and 14 rebounds, eight coming on the offensive end. The 6-foot-9 sophomore made 10-of-14 field goals, although he struggled at the line with a 3-for-9 showing. He added three assists and two blocked shots.
 
Layne Sarver (New Madison, Ohio/Tri-Village) came off the bench to finish with 14 points in 17 minutes. He made 4-of-5 3-pointers, including two key ones in the second half.
 
Versatile Victor Desmond (Onalaska, Wisc./Onalaska) added 10 points and a team-leading six assists, going 6-for-6 at the line. Ernest Shelton (Philadelphia, Pa./Father Judge) and Justin DeBuck (Broward County, Fla./Pembroke Pines Charter) added nine points apiece.
 
Though playing under the weather, Pace Prosser (Berlin, Pa./Berlin Brothersvalley) matched his season-high with 10 rebounds. The freshmen guard contributed five points, four rebounds and two steals.
 
NEXT FOR THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS
Gannon plays its next three games on the road before returning for the final regular season game on March 1. The Golden Knights are at Slippery Rock on Wednesday, February 12 with tipoff set for 7:30 p.m. 
 
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