PSAC Semifinals - Saturday, March 8, 2014 – East Stroudsburg, Pa.
West Chester (19-8, 11-5 PSAC East)
vs.
Gannon (19-8, 13-3 PSAC West)
1 p.m.
Pre-Game Information/Live Gameday Outlets Â
ERIE, Pa. - The Gannon men's basketball team heads to East Stroudsburg University this weekend to participate in its first Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Final Four since winning the league title during its first year as a member in 2008-09. The Golden Knights will face West Chester in the semifinals scheduled for Saturday, March 8. The contest is slated for 1 p.m. and can be heard live locally on Jet Radio 1400.
Tickets will be available at the door both days. However, only two-day passes that grant admission to all three weekend games will be available Saturday. Cost is $14 for adults, $5 for non-PSAC students and free for PSAC students with a valid school ID. Ticket prices to attend Sunday's championship games only will be on sale Sunday only at $8 for adults, $3 for non-PSAC students and free for PSAC students with a valid school ID.
Fans unable to make the trip can follow the Golden Knights online through gameday statistics, audio and video at the links above. The Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN) will televise Sunday's championship game live. PCN is available through Time Warner Cable on Channel 22 in the City of Erie and Erie County. Sunday's coverage can also be viewed online and on-the-go by subscribing to PCN Select at the link above for a $7.99 fee.
Gannon (19-8, 13-3 PSAC West) advanced to the Final Four with a 73-69 double-overtime victory against Slippery Rock during the PSAC Quarterfinals Tuesday night in front of a raucous Hammermill Center crowd. It represented the first double-overtime postseason win in the program's 70-year history.
Head coach
John T. Reilly's club has climbed to No. 5 in the latest NCAA Division II Atlantic regional rankings released this week on the heels of 13 victories during its last 14 games. Gannon has also been helped by the 11th-toughest schedule in NCAA Division II. Its opponents own a combined 57.4 winning percentage.
A pair of Gannon winning streaks is among the best in the country. Gannon's eight consecutive victories represent the 10th-longest active streak in NCAA Division II while its 11 straight home wins are tied for the 11th-longest active home win streak in the country.
Gannon clinched the PSAC Western Division's top seed with the third perfect February in school history, finishing the month with a spotless 7-0 mark. Only the 1974-75 (9-0) and 2000-01 (7-0) teams had previously accomplished that feat during the program's 70-year history.
Adam Blazek was named PSAC Western Division Athlete of the Year Thursday afternoon, becoming the first Golden Knight to earn the award since Gannon joined the conference in 2008-09. The junior guard also earned All-PSAC West first-team honors for the first time.
Senior
C.J. Oldham picked up the PSAC Western Division Defensive Athlete of the Year honor. He is the first Golden Knight to be chosen in the award's three-year history. The accolade was introduced in 2012.
Reilly was named PSAC Western Division Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season, becoming the first coach in program history to be named a conference coach of the year twice. In addition to his two PSAC awards, he was also named the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Atlantic Region Coach of the Year in 2009.
West Chester (19-8, 11-5 PSAC East) advanced to its third consecutive PSAC Final Four with a 99-89 victory against Bloomsburg Tuesday night in the conference quarterfinals. The Golden Rams finished second in the Eastern Division during the regular season. WCU ranks second among PSAC schools in scoring offense (80.9), steals per game (9.4) and offensive rebounds per game (13.73).
Gannon has dropped three consecutive games against West Chester, but still holds a slim 4-3 edge in the all-time series. It has been a match-up dominated by the home team. Gannon is 3-0 at the Hammermill Center while West Chester has won three of four contests played at the Koehler Fieldhouse. Saturday marks the first-ever postseason meeting between the two clubs.
Saturday's second PSAC semifinal contest features East Stroudsburg against Mercyhurst. The semifinal winners meet Sunday, March 9 at 3:30 p.m. The NCAA Division II Selection Show is scheduled for later that night at 10:30 p.m. It can be viewed live at
http://www.ncaa.com/live/player?vid=2014/1346&date=2014/03/09.
