Edinboro Fighting Scots (5-3, 5-1 PSAC West) vs. Gannon Golden Knights (2-7, 1-5 PSAC West)
Wednesday, December 16, 2015 7:30 PM | McComb Fieldhouse | Edinboro, Pa.
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/edinboro/mbball/
Radio: WFSE-FM 88.9 (http://streamdb4web.securenetsystems.net/v5/WFSE) The Game StoryThe Edinboro University men's basketball team returns home after a four-game road trip to begin a three-game home stand against Gannon, the defending PSAC champions, on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in McComb Fieldhouse. The Fighting Scots are 5-3 overall and 5-1 in the PSAC West.
The Fighting Scots look to extend their four-game PSAC win streak after victories against Mansfield, Mercyhurst, East Stroudsburg, and West Chester that propelled them to first place in the PSAC West. Edinboro saw its three-game win streak end on Saturday, losing at Daemen, 88-79.
The Boro will also attempt to end a four-game losing streak against Gannon. Their last victory over the Golden Knights came during the 2012-13 season, when Edinboro defeated 17
th-ranked Gannon at the Hammermill Center, 67-64. Gannon has swept the Fighting Scots the last two seasons and have won six of the last seven matchups against Edinboro, including the last four at McComb Fieldhouse. The rivalry dates back to the 1948-49 season, with Gannon holding a 66-35 lead in the all-time series.
As a team, Edinboro averages 76.3 ppg. while holding the opposition to 76.0 ppg. The Scots are 41.9 percent from the field (207-for-494) and are at 35.9 percent on 3-pointers (61-for-170), good for fifth in the PSAC. They are second in the PSAC and 18
th in Division II with a 77.1 free throw percentage. Pitt-Johnstown leads the PSAC with a 78.0 percentage.
Senior guard
Henri Wade-Chatman provided a bright spot in Edinboro's loss at Daemen on Saturday, as he became the 27
th Fighting Scot to reach the 1,000-career point milestone. He scored a season-high 29 points to boost his career total to 1,020 points.
Wade-Chatman is one-half of the top scoring tandem in the PSAC at 40.4 ppg. He averages 18.8 ppg., which is seventh in the PSAC. Backcourt mate
Jaymon Mason is scoring 21.6 ppg., good for second in the PSAC and 38
th in Division II. Seton Hill's Kameron Taylor leads the conference with 23.9 points per game. He ranks first in the PSAC and 13
th in Division II in free throw percentage at 93.8 percent, making 45-of-48 at the line.
Senior center
Tommy Scales is eighth in the PSAC in rebounding with 8.8 rpg. He is third on the team in scoring with 12.9 ppg.
On the RadioThe Edinboro-Gannon game can be heard live on WFSE FM 88.9, with Mike Fenner providing the play-by-play and Joshua Kaufer handling the color commentary.
All-Time SeriesGannon leads Edinboro, 66-35
First Meeting: 1948-49 - Edinboro 57, Gannon 48
Last Meeting: 2014-15 - Gannon 66, Edinboro 61
Current Streak: Gannon has won the last four meetings
Cleary vs. Gannon: 0-4
Last Meeting2/4/15 – Gannon 66, Edinboro 61 at McComb FieldhouseTrailing 60-51 with 6:23 to play, Edinboro ran off ten straight points for a 61-60 lead with 2:14 remaining. However, Gannon would score six points to post a season sweep for the second straight year. Girbran Smith's jumper with 1:25 left gave Gannon the lead for good. Over the final two minutes, Edinboro went 0-for-2 from the field and the line, and committed three turnovers.
Henri Wade-Chatman had a game-high 26 points and
Jaymon Mason 14 for Edinboro. Adam Blazek led Gannon with 20 markers.
Last Time Out12/12/15 – Daemen 88, Edinboro 79Senior guard
Henri Wade-Chatman scored a season-high 29 points, shooting 6-for-8 from 3-point range, and eclipsed the 1,000 career point milestone in the loss at Daemen, becoming the 27
th Fighting Scot to accomplish this feat. Edinboro led at the half, 42-37, and was ahead by as much as 11 with 2:17 remaining in the first half. After bringing the Boro's lead down to five at halftime, the Wildcats took control in the second half, scoring 51 points and leading by as much as 14 points.
Jaymon Mason fell into foul trouble after picking up his fourth personal foul with 16:08 to go in play. Edinboro's leading scorer would play just 28 minutes and score 19 points.
Sheldon Brogdon came off the bench and scored 15 points. The Fighting Scots shot 59.3 percent (16-for-27) from the floor and 66.7 percent (8-for-12) on 3-pointers in the first half, with Wade-Chatman and Mason accounting for 29 of those first half-points. Edinboro struggled in the second half with a 28.2 percentage from the field (11-for-39). The Wildcats shot 50.0 percent (18-for-36) from the floor in the second half and converted on 6-of-10 3-point attempts. Edinboro turned the ball over 15 times while the Wildcats turned the ball over nine times. This resulted in Daemen scoring 20 points off turnovers, compared to the Fighting Scots scoring five. The Wildcats outshot the Scots in the paint, 36-20.
Tommy Scales and
Art Cook each grabbed a team-high eight boards.
12/12/15 – Wheeling Jesuit 89, Gannon 60Gannon suffered its fifth consecutive loss for the first time since 2006-07. Wheeling Jesuit scored the final nine points of the first half to assume a 41-35 edge at the break. The visitors controlled the second half, out-scoring the Golden Knights 48-25. The Cardinals scored the first six points and never relinquished a double-digit lead the rest of the way. Kevin Kuteyi led all scorers with a career-high 26 points, hitting 4-of-8 3-pointers. He was the only Golden Knight to post double-digit point totals in the game. Jean Yves Toupane led the team with seven rebounds while finishing second with eight points. Wheeling Jesuit outscored Gannon in points off turnovers (23-12) and points in the paint (40-20). The Golden Knights committed 17 turnovers while the Cardinals gave the ball up 10 times.
The Head CoachesEdinboro: Pat Cleary (29-32, 3rd Year)Pat Cleary sat at the right side of Edinboro head men's basketball coach Greg Walcavich for 14 years. On March 26, 2013, Cleary was officially introduced as Edinboro's tenth head coach after Walcavich announced his retirement. Cleary's first season ended with a 10-16 record. Edinboro lost three games to nationally-ranked teams and suffered a number of close losses, including two overtime losses and two defeats at the buzzer. Season number two saw the Fighting Scots make the PSAC playoffs as the number five seed after being picked to finish eighth in the PSAC coaches' poll. Edinboro ended the year with a 14-13 record, falling at Slippery Rock, 64-60, in the first round of the PSAC Playoffs. Among the victories was a 79-77 overtime upset of 16th-ranked Indiana (Pa.). The Crimson Hawks would go on to reach the NCAA Division II national championship game.
Gannon: John T. Reilly (186-112, 11th year; Career Record: 418-257, 23rd year)Reilly begins his 11th season as the head coach at Gannon University in 2015-16. The longest-tenured coach in program history, Reilly watched as his Golden Knights won the 2015 PSAC championship and made an NCAA tournament appearance. He also earned his 400th career victory last season and became Gannon's all-time winningest men's basketball coach. He has had four 20-win seasons and one 30-win season while at Gannon. They have qualified for six conference tournaments and four NCAA tournaments. Prior to his arrival at Gannon, Reilly spent 12 seasons as the head coach at Brescia University. He compiled a 232-145 record at Brescia.
The Fighting ScotsLast Game's StartersTop Reserves Players to WatchHenri Wade-Chatman (G, Sr.) was named to the first team All-PSAC West after finishing second in the PSAC with 18.9 ppg. and third in total points with 511. Wade-Chatman became the 27
th player in Edinboro history to eclipse the 1,000 career point milestone for his career with a season-high 29 points on Saturday at Daemen. He currently has 1,020 career points and is second on the team in scoring and seventh in the PSAC with 18.8 ppg. Wade-Chatman leads the team and is tenth in the PSAC in 3-point field goal percentage with 41.5 percent (22-for-53). He is third in the conference and 35
th in Division II with 2.3 steals per game. He has posted double figures in points in every game this season and recorded team highs in points in four contests.
Tommy Scales (C, Sr.), a former transfer from Fairmont State, leads the Scots and is eighth in the PSAC with 8.8 rebounds per game and is third on the team in scoring with 12.9 ppg. Scales has led the team in rebounding in seven of eight games. He is seventh in the PSAC with a 50.6 field goal percentage (41-for-81). He recently posted consecutive double-doubles at Mercyhurst (15 points, 11 rebounds) and at East Stroudsburg (16 points, 11 boards). Last season, Scales finished third on the team in scoring (7.7 ppg) and was second on the team in rebounding (5.9 rpg). He also shot 55.8 percent from the floor and blocked 23 shots.
Jaymon Mason (G, R-So.) was named the 2015 PSAC Freshman of the Year, the first Fighting Scot to receive this honor since Dan Grabill in 2002. Mason is the Scots' leading scorer with 21.6 ppg., which puts him at 38th in NCAA Division II and second in the PSAC. He notched a career-high 39 points against Kutztown earlier this year. Mason was named the PSAC West Men's Basketball Athlete of the Week for the week of November 30 after averaging 23 ppg. in three PSAC road games, including a double-double showing at East Stroudsburg (27 points, 11 rebounds). Mason is 45.4 percent from the field (54-for-119) and 39.2 percent in 3-pointers (20-for-51). He is second in the PSAC and 13
th in Division II in free throw percentage at 93.8 percent (45-for-48). He has led in scoring for Edinboro in four games and led in rebounding in three games.
Scouting GannonGannon enters Wednesday's game riding a five-game losing streak with a 2-7 overall and 1-5 in the PSAC West. The Golden Knights have won the last four contests against Edinboro.
Gannon has dropped five consecutive games for the first time since 2006-07, including PSAC games against Indiana (Pa.), Lock Haven, and Bloomsburg and a pair of non-conference matches against Ashland and Wheeling Jesuit. Their only two wins came against PSAC opponent Shippensburg and Le Moyne.
Gannon looks to retain their PSAC crown after a 23-win season last year that saw them defeat Indiana (Pa.) in the conference championship and lose to Slippery Rock in the first round of the NCAA tournament. They have posted three consecutive 20-win seasons. Under 11
th-year head coach John Reilly, Gannon has produced four 20-win seasons and one 30-win season. They have won two PSAC championships, appeared in six PSAC tournaments, and made four NCAA tournament appearances.
The Golden Knights average a PSAC-low 61.1 ppg. while their opponents have scored 72.0 ppg. They are 39.8 percent from the field and are 34.2 percent from behind the arc (40-for-117). Gannon is fourth in the PSAC with a 74.7 free throw percentage.
Senior forward Jean Yves Toupane leads Gannon in both scoring and rebounding with 14.6 ppg. and 6.8 rpg, while shooting 41.1 percent from the field (51-for-124). Junior guard Kevin Kuteyi is second on the Gannon squad with 11.6 ppg. He has posted back-to-back career highs with 24 points against Bloomsburg and 26 points against Wheeling Jesuit. He is also 50.0 percent from 3-point range (17-for-34) and 49.4 percent from the field (38-for-77). Senior guard Tony Boykins in second in rebounding with 4.9 boards per game.
Last Game's Starters| P / No. | Player | Ht/Wt/Yr | Hometown | PPG / RPG |
| F / 23 | Cyril Clarke | 6-5/190/Fr. | Tema, Ghana | 1.3 / 2.7 |
| F / 24 | Jean Yves Toupane | 6-7/195/Sr. | Dakar, Senegal | 14.6 / 6.8 |
| G / 1 | Emmanuel Matey | 5-10/195/Jr. | Lanham, Md. | 1.8 / 1.7 |
| G / 0 | Ian Gardener | 6-4/190/Fr. | Norwalk, Conn. | 4.8 / 2.4 |
| G / 5 | Kevin Kuteyi | 6-1/175/Jr. | Lanham, Md. | 11.6 / 1.1 |
Top Reserves| G / 21 | Marcus Jones | 6-1/185/R-So. | Brantford, Ontario | 3.8 / 2.1 |
| G / 15 | Matthew Dogan | 6-7/200/Jr. | West Middlesex, Pa. | 7.9 / 4.0 |
| G / 33 | Tony Boykins | 6-3/200/Sr. | Kalamazoo, Mich. | 5.6 / 4.9 |
