ERIE, Pa. – The No. 5 Gannon men's basketball team delivered a dominant wire-to-wire performance Tuesday night, rolling past Slippery Rock, 117–73, in PSAC action inside the Highmark Events Center.

The Golden Knights erupted for a season-high 117 points to improve to 23-2 overall and 16-1 in the PSAC. 
 
With the victory, head coach Easton Bazzoli became the fastest head coach in program history to reach 50 career wins, accomplishing the milestone in just 59 games, less than two full seasons. 
 
The previous program record was held by Tom Chapman, who reached 50 wins in 66 games, accomplishing the feat four games into his third season (1984–85 to 1986–87), and held a 50–16 record at that point.
 
Gannon built a commanding 69–38 halftime lead and never looked back, controlling the game on both ends of the floor en route to the 44-point victory.

The win also marked the Golden Knights' fifth straight victory over Slippery Rock, extended their overall winning streak to 10 games, and improved Gannon to 13–0 at home this season.

THE GAME FACTS
Score: Gannon 117, Slippery Rock 73
Records: Gannon 23–2 (16–1 PSAC) | Slippery Rock 15–10 (8–9 PSAC)
Location: Highmark Events Center
Date: February 18, 2026

THE KNIGHT CAP

• Fastest to 50: Easton Bazzoli became the fastest head coach in Gannon men's basketball history to reach 50 career wins, doing so in just 59 games.
• Balanced Scoring: Five Golden Knights scored in double figures, led by Lucas Morgan (Sydney, Australia/Marist Catholic College North Shore) with 19 points.
• Double-Digit Support: Pace Prosser (Berlin, Pa./Berlin Brothersvalley), Precious Idiaru (Speyer, Germany/LA Premier Prep), and Lucas Sekasi (Washington, DC/Jackson-Reed) each finished with 13 points, while Layne Sarver (New Madison, Ohio/Tri-Village) added 11.
• From Deep: Sarver knocked down three three-pointers in the win.
• On the Glass: Morgan and Jaden Calloway (Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Hartley) each grabbed five rebounds.
• Sharing the Ball: Prosser, Julian Rivera (Gainesville, Va./Highland), and Calloway dished out four assists apiece.
• Season High: Rivera recorded a season-high eight points.
• Century Mark: Gannon reached the 100-point mark for the 10th time this season.
• Home-Court Dominance: Gannon improved to 14–0 at home this season and has now posted a 47–1 home record over the past three seasons.
• Regional Rankings: Gannon appeared in the first set of NCAA Division II Atlantic Region rankings.

 
Up Next
Gannon closes out the home portion of its regular season on Saturday, February 21, hosting Pitt-Johnstown for Senior Day and the Gannon Athletics Hall of Fame Game, sponsored by Sheraton Erie Bayfront. Tip-off is set for 3:00 p.m. inside the Highmark Events Center.
 
This story was written using the support of AI.