Men's Basketball | 3/16/2026 5:30:00 PM

ERIE, Pa. - And then there were just two. The NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional has reached the championship game with Gannon hosting Indiana (Pa.) on Tuesday, March 17 at 7:00 p.m. at the Highmark Events Center.

This marks the fourth meeting between the two PSAC rivals. Gannon has won all three previous meetings, and in fact has won the last meetings with the Crimson Hawks. There's much more riding on this game, with the winner advancing to the Elite Eight.

The Elite Eight quarterfinal and semifinal games will take place in Pittsburgh, Pa. on March 25 and 27, respectively. The Division II championship game is set for April 5 in Indianapolis, Ind.

Gannon entered as the number one seed in the Atlantic Region and has reached the regional final following an 83-58 win over No. 8 Charleston (WV) and an 89-73 victory against No. 4 California (Pa.).

The Golden Knights gained a bit of revenge with the semifinal win over the Vulcans after Cal edged Gannon 80-79 a week ago in the PSAC Championship game.

IUP entered as the number six seed and upset third-seeded Fairmont State 89-83 in the quarterfinals. The Crimson Hawks followed with a 66-62 overtime win over No. 7 Virginia Union in the semifinals.

VUU had upset second-seeded West Liberty in the opening round.

Gannon enters Tuesday's game with a 30-3 record under head coach Easton Bazzoli. The second-year head coach was recently named the PSAC West Coach of the Year. The 30 wins are tied for the second-highest win total.

The Golden Knights were ranked sixth in the latest NABC Div. II Top 25. This is the third straight year Gannon has reached the Sweet 16 and the Golden Knights are in search of a second trip to the Elite Eight in the last three years.

A balanced Gannon squad ranks third in the country in scoring offense at 96.4 ppg. And also rank among the national leaders in turnovers forced per game and turnover margin, among others.

The Golden Knights feature six players averaging over nine points per game, led by sophomore Pace Prosser (Berlin, Pa./Berlin Brothersvalley). The 6-foot-2 guard was named to the All-PSAC West first team and is averaging a team-high 18.2 ppg.

He is tied for the team-lead with 5.2 rpg. While leading the team in steals (74) and ranking second in assists (146).

Prosser led Gannon with 30 points in the semifinal win over Cal and has now scored 599 points this season. That ranks seventh in a season.

Lucas Morgan (Sydney, Australia/Marist Catholic College North Shore) adds 13.5 ppg. and 5.2 rpg. while Lucas Sekasi (Washington, DC/Jackson-Reed) comes off the bench to contribute 11.6 ppg., 5.0 rpg. and a team-leading 155 assists.

Six-foot-eight Precious Idiaru (Speyer, Germany/LA Premier Prep) is a fourth Golden Knight in double digits at 11.1 ppg. Mackenzie Morgan (Sydney, Australia/Marist Catholic College North Shore), Lucas' twin brother, chips in 9.8 ppg. and Layne Sarver (New Madison, Ohio/Tri-Village) adds 9.4 ppg.

IUP, 24-7 under long-time head coach Joe Lombardi, showcases a trio of guards who combine for almost 50 ppg. Dallis Dillard, a 6-foot-3 guard, was named the PSAC West Player of the Year and comes in at 20.3 ppg. along with 5.9 rpg.

Christian Moore adds 17.3 ppg. and has made 102-of-257 3-pointers. The 6-foot-1 guard took over against Virginia Union after Dillard fouled out and finished with 30 points and made 7-of-12 3-pointers.

His two free throws with three seconds remaining sent the game into overtime. He was also a first team All-PSAC West selection.

Kymani Merraro adds 11.9 ppg. and was a second-team all-conference honoree. The 5-foot-11 sophomore provided the winning points for IUP against Virginia Union with a jumper with 37 seconds remaining.

The Crimson Hawks are appearing in the Atlantic Regional championship game for the first time since 2023.
   

THE GANNON-INDIANA (PA) SERIES

Gannon leads 40-26
Gannon has won the last nine meetings with IUP following a 99-85 win in the PSAC Semifinals. In addition to the three meetings in 2025-26, Gannon has beaten IUP three times each of the last two years.
 
This Year's Meetings:
January 17, 2026 – at Gannon 92, Indiana (Pa.) 65  | Recap
February 28, 2026 – Gannon 87, at Indiana (Pa.) 69  | Recap
March 7, 2026 – at Gannon 99, Indiana (Pa.) 85 – PSAC Semifinals  | Recap