THE GAME FACTS 

Final Score: (#3) Gannon 84, (#5) Lander 61 
Records: Gannon (34-3), Lander (30-6) 
Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse – Indianapolis, Indiana – NCAA DII National Championship 
Date: April 5th, 2026 
 
INDIANAPOLIS, In. – The climb is complete. History has been made.  

The Golden Knights are National Champions.  

Words that, for a Gannon team, have never been uttered in program and school history.   

The title is coming home. 

A season already ingrained in history cemented itself as the greatest Gannon men's basketball year on record. The Golden Knights, battle tested and fearless, executed a flawless game plan to storm past Lander, SCORE and capture the NCAA DII National Championship at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana on Sunday. It's the first ever national championship for the program, as well as the first team title in the Gannon Athletic department. 

The emotion poured out from everyone wearing Maroon & Gold inside the building the instant the final buzzer sounded. Hundreds of Golden Knight fans made the trip to Indianapolis. Thousands more watched at home in Erie. 

Head Coach Easton Bazzoli, in tears, saluted the crowd and took in the moment. He, his players, and coaching staff, had all just accomplished their dream. 

"The University deserves this. The community deserves this. We have unique people in Erie, PA, and this team gets to represent everyone in that community. We got to put Gannon on the map a little bit bigger today. This is such a special moment." 

Trailing early, Gannon played their style of basketball for the final 35 minutes of the game, using defensive pressure and a dominant run to build a 37-21 halftime lead. The Golden Knights continued to pour it on after the break, extending the margin to more than 20 behind balanced scoring and strong work on the glass. Gannon capitalized on turnovers and second-chance opportunities throughout, never allowing Lander to generate sustained momentum. The Knights closed out an 84-61 victory to secure the NCAA Division II national championship. 

They did it for each other. They did it for the decades of tradition, dedication, and commitment to success of Gannon Athletics. 

They did it because they knew they could. 

So much to make of a history making day in Indianapolis. Here's how it happened: 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED 

First Half: Gannon weathered an early back-and-forth start before quickly taking control behind its defense and transition game. After Lander briefly grabbed an early edge, the Golden Knights responded with energy on both ends, highlighted by Pace Prosser (Berlin, Pa./Berlin Brothersvalley) turning a steal into a fast-break finish to spark the offense. 

From there, Gannon began to settle in offensively. Mackenzie Morgan (Sydney, Australia/Marist Catholic College North Shore) knocked down a key three-pointer off an offensive rebound to stretch the lead, while the Knights established themselves inside with strong finishes in the paint. 

The turning point of the half came during a dominant run midway through, where Gannon created separation through hustle plays and second-chance opportunities in what was a 15-0 run to take a lead they wouldn't relenquish. Offensive rebounds led to extra possessions, and the Knights capitalized with putbacks and aggressive drives to the rim. 

Gannon's defense continued to fuel the offense, forcing turnovers and immediately converting them into points on the other end. The Knights built their lead into double digits behind a balanced scoring attack, finding success in transition, from beyond the arc, and in the paint. 

By the final minutes of the half, Gannon delivered another push, as a Pace Prosser (Berlin, Pa./Berlin Brothersvalley) three pointer as time expired in the half gave Gannon a 37-21 lead into halftime. The Knights controlled the tempo, dominated the glass, and dictated the style of play throughout the opening 20 minutes 

Second Half: Gannon came out of the break with the same intensity, quickly putting the game out of reach with a decisive early run. The Knights opened the half by attacking inside, as Lucas Morgan (Sydney, Australia/Marist Catholic College North Shore) converted a second-chance layup and Precious Idiaru (Speyer, Germany/LA Premier Prep) followed with a strong finish in the paint to extend the lead . 

Moments later, one of the biggest sequences of the game unfolded. After forcing another turnover, Gannon reset the possession and Pace Prosser (Berlin, Pa./Berlin Brothersvalley) buried a three-pointer off an offensive rebound, pushing the lead past 20 and firmly shifting momentum to the Knights . 

Gannon continued to answer every Lander push. When the Bearcats connected from deep to try and cut into the deficit, Jaden Calloway (Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Hartley) responded with a three-pointer of his own to halt any momentum. 

The Knights maintained control throughout the half, continuing to convert inside and capitalize on extra possessions. Lucas Morgan (Sydney, Australia/Marist Catholic College North Shore) added another key basket in the paint, while Prosser finished at the rim to keep the lead firmly intact . 

As the game progressed, Gannon's depth and composure took over. The lead grew as large as 23, and the Knights never allowed Lander to mount a serious comeback. Gannon closed things out with confidence, securing an 84-61 victory and the national championship 

BY THE NUMBERS 

• 84 — Points scored by Gannon in the national championship win  

• 23 — Largest lead of the game for the Golden Knights  

• 34-3 — Final overall record for Gannon this season  

• 31:35 — Time Gannon held the lead in the game  

• 49 — Total rebounds by Gannon, compared to 38 for Lander  

• 21 — Second-chance points generated by the Knights  

• 17 — Fast break points that fueled the offense  

• 15 — Total assists on 31 made field goals  

• 13 — Team steals, showcasing defensive pressure  

• 11 — Made three-pointers at a 40.7% clip  

• 28 — Points from Pace Prosser (Berlin, Pa./Berlin Brothersvalley) to lead all scorers  

• 26 — Points off turnovers, turning defense into offense

POSTGAME COMMENTS 
Head Coach Easton Bazzoli: "God has been really good to let me coach these guys. They are a joy to be around. They are loaded with competitiveness, but they do it with class and character. I'm truly grateful to be a small part of this title. I'm proud of our guys and proud of our university." 

"We talked so early in the season that we could have a year like this. From being able to host the regional, have success there, win two games in Pittsburgh, and now taking home the title here shows how committed they were to the process of winning and dedicating their lives to winning a title. Our players bought in." 

"We have an amazing family here at Gannon. I'm shaking hands and hugging people after the game that are tearing up for what it means to Gannon and to Erie. We have the most passionate fan base in the country and I'm beyond thrilled that we could win this both for our basketball family and family back at home."   
 
Guard Pace Prosser (Berlin, Pa./Berlin Brothersvalley): "This was the biggest game of my life, so I knew we needed to show even more emotion. This is the most fun I've ever had, playing this style of basketball. The speed of the game has allowed us to be at our best all season. We've had the freedom to play our game and do it to the best of our ability." 

Guard Mackenzie Morgan (Sydney, Australia/Marist Catholic College North Shore): "It's about 5:00 am in Australia so I'm thrilled that my family was able to be out and watch this game in person. It's really special to be able to bring this title home. This was a whole team effort. You can't be successful in the system with everyone playing their part. We did that today and we did that all season." 

MAKING HISTORY 

• This is the first team NCAA National Championship in Gannon Athletics history. Gannon men's basketball had previously made the national final in 1987, where the Golden Knights were defeated by Kentucky Wesleyan in the title game, 92-74. 

• Gannon finished the season with a 34-3 record, extending a program record total for wins in a season, which had already been set in the final four victory over OBU.  

• Head coach Easton Bazzoli is now a remarkable 61-10 in his current tenure at Gannon, a winning percentage of .859. He became the fastest Gannon bench boss to 50 career wins earlier this season. 

• Sophomore guard Pace Prosser (Berlin, Pa./Berlin Brothersvalley) was named the Most Outstanding Player for the 2026 NCAA Division II Championship All-Tournament Team. Mackenzie Morgan (Sydney, Australia/Marist Catholic College North Shore) was also named to the team.  

• Head Coach Easton Bazzoli becomes just the second ever player from the WPIAL to coach a team to a Division I or II title. The other? Legendary head coach John Calipari. 

• This was the 28th appearance in the NCAA Tournament for the Golden Knights and seventh time in the Elite Eight or further.  

• Gannon won the title with a mix of new and returning players. Five players (Lucas Sekasi (Washington, DC/Jackson-Reed), Victor Desmond (Onalaska, Wisc./Onalaska), Layne Sarver (New Madison, Ohio/Tri-Village), Pace Prosser (Berlin, Pa./Berlin Brothersvalley), Mason Kemp (Shawnee, Kan./Mill Valley)) were part of the 2024-25 team that advanced to the regional final. All other players were new to the squad this year, either as freshmen or transfer students. 

• GU won its last six games of the season to clinch the national title. In fact, the Golden Knights had three distinct winning streaks on the season that helped propel them to the championship: one of 10 straight wins early in the year, and a string of 15 consecutive victories between January 14th and March 8th.  

• Possibly one of the most impressive parts of the season was Gannon's ability to put teams away early. The Golden Knights played just three games all season that were decided by single digits and went 2-1 in those games. All other contests (32-2) were decided by 10 points or more. Gannon won its final three games of the season by 26, 18, and 23 points. 

(Information regarding the teams' return to Erie will be made available soon. Be sure to check back to our website to learn more about how you can welcome the Golden Knights back home this week.)