Erie, Pa. - Kyle Goldcamp recorded a double-double by scoring 21 points and grabbing 11 rebounds and he led five Gannon players in double figures as the Golden Knights shot nearly 50 percent from the floor and opened up a double-digit lead early in the second half and never looked back as Gannon defeated Kutztown 84-73 on Tuesday night to capture the NCAA Atlantic Region title and advance to the NCAA Elite Eight.
The Elite Eight will be held next weekend in Springfield, Mass. The Golden Knights advance after also defeating Kutztown last weekend to win the PSAC tournament championship in their first year in the league.
Pierre Howard scored 17 points while Joe Lindsey added 15 for the Golden Knights, who shot 47.7 percent from the floor and had 21 assists compared to just 13 turnovers in the game. Tyler Stoczynski chipped in 13 points and eight rebounds while Cory Knight added 11.
Equally as important for the Knights was their defense, which held Kutztown to just 33.3 percent shooting in the second half after the Golden Bears had opened the game by shotting 54.2 percent in the first half. Dave Ben scored 19 points to lead Kutztown, including 12-for-12 from the free throw line while playing all 40 minutes. Stephen Dennis and Ryan Washington each scored 16 points but both were plagued by foul trouble, as both fouled out late in the game, as did Mark Bower. Gannon also forced Kutztown into 21 turnovers.
The first half was a back-and-forth affair as neither team led by more than five points until late in the first half, when Gannon opened up a seven-point lead with under two minutes to play. It remained a close game for the early part of the second half until Gannon went on a 15-0 run to open up its largest lead of the game, 19 points at 65-46 at the 9:29 mark. From that point, Gannon would not lead by fewer than nine points for the remainder of the game.