ERIE, Pa. - The Gannon men's basketball team overcame 50 minutes of extremely physical play, three players fouling out, 10 ties, and nine lead changes to post a 73-69 double-overtime victory against rival Slippery Rock Tuesday night in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Quarterfinals at a raucous Hammermill Center. It marked the Golden Knights' first double-overtime postseason win in school history.
Tuesday's contest was the 11th game in school history to go at least two overtimes and the first since Seton Hill defeated Gannon 103-100 in the 2011 Porreco Cup finals on a half-court shot at the buzzer. It represented Gannon's first double-overtime victory since a 67-65 decision at Le Moyne on December 15, 1984. The Golden Knights hadn't played a double-overtime postseason game since an 83-79 loss to Philadelphia Textile in the MEC Tournament on February 27, 1987 at the Hammermill Center.
One year after Slippery Rock defeated Gannon 62-58 in overtime during the conference quarterfinals at the 'Mill, the two squads duked it out in what appeared to be a perfect carbon copy. Neither team could produce a lead larger than five points for the final 7:50 of the second half nor both overtime sessions.
Gannon trailed 45-37 midway through the second half, before reaching deep for a rally. The Golden Knights ripped off a 10-2 run to knot the score at 47 on a pair of free throws from
Matthew Dogan (West Middlesex, Pa./West Middlesex) at the 5:09 mark. Four different players scored during the run.
Slippery Rock regained a 50-47 lead after Maurice Lewis-Briggs' jumper with 2:56 remaining, but
Adam Blazek (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) answered with a lay-up 10 seconds later.
A'Darius Porter (Stockbridge, Ga./Woodland) followed with a jumper after a turnover to push the Golden Knights back in front 51-10 with 2:09 to play.
Both teams had chances to win the game in regulation. A Slippery Rock free throw tied the game with 48 seconds left, but the Rock was called for a lane violation on the second attempt. Gannon missed a jumper with 33 ticks left on the clock and Slippery Rock failed to convert two shots during the closing seconds.
The first overtime did little to settle the outcome despite Slippery Rock gaining the upper hand again. The Rock assumed a 57-53 advantage only to see Blazek drill a huge three-pointer and jumper on consecutive possessions to give the Golden Knights a 58-57 lead. Lewis-Briggs split a pair of free throws to tie the score at 58 with 59 seconds remaining, before defensive stops by both teams forced a second overtime period.
Much like a heavyweight fight, the two squads became deadlocked for the 10th time at 64 all with 1:23 left. That's when Blazek stepped up again, nailing his third triple of the evening with exactly 60 seconds remaining. The PSAC's best free throw shooting team then iced the victory with a 6-of-6 showing from the free throw line during the final 35 seconds. With a two-point lead both times,
Brandon Emmitt (Akron, Ohio/Akron Garfield) calming sank two free throws at the 24-second and 10-second marks to give the Golden Knights a 73-69 victory.
Blazek was the iron man, playing all 50 minutes. It represented the 14th time the junior guard had playing every minute of a game and the second time it occurred during an overtime contest. He played 45 minutes during an overtime loss at Bloomsburg on December 21. Blazek finished with a team-high 25 points, reaching the 20-point plateau for the ninth time this season and 18th time during his career.
Porter followed with 14 points and five rebounds.
Raphell Thomas-Edwards (Leicester, England/The Gateway School) chipped in 12 points and four rebounds.
Rogerio Livramento (Central Falls, R.I./Central Falls) completed the double-digit scorers with 10 points and seven rebounds off the bench.
Gannon shot 43.9 percent (25-57) from the field, 25 percent (3-12) from three-point range and 66.7 percent (20-30) from the free throw line. The Golden Knights hit 10-of-12 free throws during the two overtime periods.
Lewis-Briggs headlined both sides with 31 points and eight rebounds, hitting 11-of-18 field goals. After scoring 27 points during his last trip to the 'Mill, Lewis-Briggs hit 3-of-4 three-pointers and 6-of-9 free throws. Josh Martin and Cornelius Brown chipped in 11 points each.
Slippery Rock shot 37.5 percent (21-56) from the floor, 21.1 percent (4-19) from behind the arc and 65.7 percent (23-35) from the charity stripe.
Gannon, ranked sixth in the latest NCAA Division II Atlantic regional rankings, improved to 19-8 with its eighth consecutive victory and 13th in its last 14. In the process, the Golden Knights completed their first-ever three-game sweep of the Rock. Slippery Rock dropped to 20-10 overall.
Head coach
John T. Reilly's club will make its first conference final four appearance since its first year as a PSAC member in 2008-09. East Stroudsburg will serve as the host school. The Golden Knights will face West Chester Saturday, March 8 in the first semifinal at 1 p.m. East Stroudsburg and Mercyhurst will clash at 3:30 p.m. The championship game is scheduled for Sunday, March 9 at 3:30 p.m. and can be seen live on the Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN).
