ERIE, Pa. – The Edinboro men's basketball team rallied from a 13-point second-half deficit and earned its second consecutive victory at the Hammermill Center Wednesday night before 2,243 fans. The Fighting Scots shot 51.7 percent (15-29) from the field in the second half en route to the 76-72 verdict.
Edinboro did all its damage in the final 11 minutes of the game. Trailing 62-52, the visitors posted a 24-10 scoring edge during the final 10 minutes and 33 seconds.
Head coach Greg Walcavich's club rattled off eight consecutive points to pull within 62-60 on a pair of free throws from Jay Fletcher at the 7:50 mark. The run also included two Cory Somerville baskets and two points from Bobby Davis on a tip-in.
An
Oscar Macias (Cicero, Ill./Morton) jumper from the free throw line momentarily stopped the Edinboro blitz, before the Fighting Scots rolled off another nine straight points to assume a 69-64 advantage with 4:04 remaining.
Back-to-back jumpers from Isaiah Prince tied the game at 64. Theriot's lay-up pushed the Fighting Scots in front for the first time with 4:58 showing on the clock and a three-point play from Sam Moore capped the 17-2 run that lasted six minutes and 51 seconds.
Gannon went five minutes and 39 seconds without a field goal between
Adam Blazek's (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) jumper at the 13:13 mark and Macias' jumper. Following Macias' basket, the Golden Knights then turned the ball over during their next five possessions.
Edinboro grabbed its biggest lead of the evening at 74-66, before Gannon used one last surge in an attempt to win the game.
Brandon Belt (Odenton, Md./Arundel) hit a three-pointer to bring the Golden Knights within 74-69 at the 1:25 mark. Following an Edinboro miss, Belt nailed another long three-pointer from the right wing to cut the deficit to 74-72 with 35 seconds to play.
Gannon then had an opportunity to tie the game after Edinboro only hit one of two free throws, but the Golden Knights turned the ball over with a bad pass on the left wing. Sam Moore recorded the steal and Isaiah Prince's free throw with four ticks left on the clock sealed the Fighting Scots' victory.
Head coach
John T. Reilly's club seemed to have everything under control prior to the final 11 minutes. Gannon raced out to a 16-8 lead 6:35 into the game and later doubled up the Fighting Scots 26-13 with 8:47 left in the first half after seven straight points. Leading 16-13, the run started with a
Shameel Carty (Queens, N.Y./Holy Cross) lay-up and a
Dmitry Martynenko (Moscow, Russia/41) jumper.
Steve Piotrowicz's (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) triple then provided the double dip.
The Gannon lead sat at 37-25, but two free throws from Clint Nicholson and a three-pointer from Fletcher brought Edinboro within 37-30 at the intermission.
Darrell Blanton (Cleveland, Ohio/Euclid) led all scorers with 24 points and six rebounds, before fouling out with 2:01 left in regulation. Belt added 16 points for the second consecutive game, hitting 4-of-9 three-point attempts. Macias completed the double-digit scorers with 10 markers.
Gannon shot 38.6 percent (27-70) from the field, 35 percent (7-20) from three-point range and 78.6 percent (11-14) from the free throw line. The Golden Knights held a 44-33 rebounding advantage, including a 17-5 edge on the offensive glass. But the Fighting Scots out-scored Gannon 22-13 in points off turnovers.
Fletcher guided the Edinboro comeback with 19 points, including a 5-of-9 chart from long range. Nicholson followed with 14 points. Theroit, who entered the game as the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference's leading scorer at 20.5 points per game, was held to 11 points and six rebounds.
Edinboro shot 46.4 percent (26-56) from the floor, including a 51.7-percent (15-29) clip in the second half. The Fighting Scots shot 35 percent (7-20) from behind the arc and 81 percent (17-21) from the charity stripe.
Gannon dropped to 8-5 overall and 6-3 in the PSAC Western Division with Wednesday's setback. Edinboro forged a tie in the standings with identical records of 8-5 overall and 6-3 in conference play. The Golden Knights begin a two-game road swing Saturday, January 14 at California (Pa.). Game time is scheduled for 5 p.m.
