ERIE, Pa. - The Gannon men’s basketball team has gone through an up-and-down season. One thing hasn’t changed - the team’s effort in games following a loss. The Golden Knights rallied from a 17-point deficit and earned a stunning 61-60 victory over rival Edinboro Wednesday night at the Hammermill Center. In the process, the squad improved to 7-2 in games following a loss this season.
Wednesday’s rivalry game between Gannon and Edinboro seemed all but over until the final minute of the first half. Trailing 15-14, the visiting Fighting Scots went on a 16-2 run over the span of four minutes and four seconds. The Golden Knights were limited to 1-of-8 shooting with two turnovers during the run, getting only a
Steve Piotrowicz (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) lay-up.
Meanwhile, Edinboro was red hot with seven field goals in eight attempts. The Fighting Scots hit five straight shots at one point. Danny Walsh hit back-to-back three-pointers, before Al Muteba drilled one of his own for a 30-17 lead with 7:01 left in the first half.
A Justin Moore free throw gave Edinboro its largest lead at 37-20 with 2:13 showing on the clock. But it may have been the final two minutes that provided Gannon with the energy it would need in the second half. The Golden Knights rolled off the final six points of the half, capped by back-to-back lay-ups from
Alfonso Scandrett (Greensboro, N.C./Northwest Guilford). The last one with 10 seconds left send Gannon into the break with a 37-26 deficit.
The second half was a different story. Gannon shot 56.5 percent (13-23) from the field while limiting Edinboro to 28.6-percent (8-28) shooting in the final 20 minutes. The second-half shooting eventually offset 18 Edinboro offensive rebounds and 20 Gannon turnovers.
Gannon never put together a large second-half run, but slowly chipped away at the Edinboro lead. A mini 8-2 run brought the Golden Knights within 46-44. Scandrett ignited the run with his first three-pointer since the 2007-08 season.
Tanner Furno (Columbus, Ohio/Whetstone) followed with a conventional three-point play, before
Travis Brannen (Elmira, N.Y./Elmira Free Academy) dropped in a lay-up.
The final 10 minutes proved to be full of back-and-forth swings. Trailing 52-46, Gannon forged back ahead with a 9-1 blitz. Piotrowicz’s only triple of the game tied the game at 53 with 5:45 to play. The two teams went scoreless for the next 2:16, before
George Johnson’s (Arlington, Va./Broad Run) lay-up with 3:29 left in regulation gave the Golden Knights their first lead since the 12:09 mark of the first half.
Edinboro quickly regained the lead on a Byron Knight three-pointer and extended its lead to 58-55 on a jumper by Chris Bess. Things looked bleak when Gannon turned the ball over and Walsh went to the free throw line with 2:26 to play. However, the 81-percent free throw shooter missed the front end of the one-and-one. Brannen followed with his second three-pointer of the season to knot the score at 58.
Gannon had a 59-58 lead when Bess missed a jumper that bounced off the top of the backboard. Play continued and Knight scored on a put-back while being fouled. The score put Edinboro back in front 60-59, but Knight missed the ensuing free throw to set up the dramatic finish.
Johnson worked the clock down and was fouled driving to the basket with three seconds left. The junior guard calmly sank both free throws for a 61-60 lead. A long three-pointer by Bess was just off the mark at the buzzer, setting off a Hammermill Center celebration.
Gannon had a large 30-6 edge in bench points and held Edinboro without a fast-break point. The Fighting Scots hit 11 of their first 15 free throws, but were only 6-of-14 from the line in the second half.
Scandrett led all scorers with a career-high 16 points off the bench, hitting 7-of-11 shots. The senior forward has scored 28 points while going 12-of-17 from the field in the last two games. Brannen recorded his third double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. He also recorded five assists, four blocks and one steal. Piotrowicz continued his fine play at point guard, committing only one turnover in 29 minutes. He scored seven points while grabbing five rebounds.
Knight led the Edinboro attack with 14 points. Walsh and Cory Somerville added 12 points each. Somerville entered the game as Edinboro’s leading scorer, but was held to 3-of-13 shooting while going 6-of-12 from the line.
Edinboro shot 32.8 percent (20-61) from the floor, 40 percent (6-15) from behind the arc and 53.8 percent (14-26) from the charity stripe.
Gannon improved to 8-9 overall and 3-2 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division. Edinboro dropped to 8-10 overall and 2-3 in conference play. The Golden Knights return to action Saturday, January 30 at Lock Haven. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.
For a complete box score from Wednesday’s Gannon-Edinboro men’s basketball game, please
click here.