Gannon Knight Sports

     In its first two weeks of Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference play, the Gannon University men’s basketball team was unable to pull off a sweep of either of its opponents. Each time the Knights won the first game of that week, they lost the next.
     Entering week three, with two more games including one against rival Edinboro University on the schedule, the team looked to break the trend.
     One big comeback and two close games later, the goal was achieved as the team came away with two victories, one Wednesday with a 61-60 defeat of Edinboro and the other a 51-48 win over Lock Haven University on Saturday night.
     It was an unexpected outcome of the Edinboro game, as the Knights fell behind the Fighting Scots early, trailing by as much as 17 points near the end of the first half.
     That was as big as the lead got, however, and Gannon closed the gap to 11 before the buzzer and picked up right where it left off in the second half as the Knights chipped away at the lead before finally tying the game at 53-53 with just over five minutes to play.
     The teams traded leads from there and found themselves squared once more, 60-60, withthree seconds remaining, and it was junior guard George Johnson’s free throw at that time that provided the winning margin when Edinboro’s last-minute shot went begging.
     Johnson (pictured below - Terry Carson/ Knight) added his most important point to his total of nine for the game.

     His total was third highest for the Knights on the night, behind senior forward Alfonso Scandrett’s game-high total of 16 and junior forward Travis Brannen’s 15.
     Brannen coupled his points with 11 rebounds, producing the game’s only double-double.
     Gannon coach John Reilly said he was happy with his team’s effort during the comeback.
     “We were down early in the game and fortunate enough to hang in there,” he said. “We got excellent leadership from Alfonso and George. We were able to make some plays down the stretch. It showed a lot about our character and toughness and it’s hopefully something we can build on.”
     And build on it they did.
     Just a few nights later the team engaged in another nail-biter, though this time there was no double-digit deficit to overcome, only a back-and-forth game that saw no team hold more than an eight-point advantage.
     Johnson was once more in the thick of the action, as his free throws with four seconds left gave the Knights a three-point lead.
     Johnson led both teams with 15 points on the night to go with eight rebounds.
     He was joined in double figures by Brannen, who had 10.
     The team also received contributions from junior guard Larry Swann and sophomore guard Steve Piotrowicz who had seven points apiece.
     “It was a tough road game,” Reilly said. “We knew we had our hands full. We were able to rebound and pressure the ball and take them out of things they wanted to run and we hit some timely shots.”
     The Knights will try to build on their 4-2 record in the PSAC as they continue conference play at crosstown rival Mercyhurst College 7:30 p.m. Wednesday
     Reilly and his team have been excited to get the game underway.
     “It’s another big road and league game, a rivalry game,” he said. “They’re very good and we need to play well. It’s a game we’re looking forward to playing.”