ERIE, Pa. – Gannon's Girbran Smith hit a three-pointer from the left wing with 2.4 seconds left, giving Gannon the lead and the eventual 69-66 win over IUP in the 2015 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Men's Basketball Championship game on Sunday.
 
The Crimson Hawks had one last chance to tie the game, but a half court pass was deflected and Gannon gained control of the ball and ran out the clock.
 
The final shot for the Golden Knights came after hotly contested second half that included four ties and four lead changes over the final nine minutes of play.
 
Down 42-35 at the half, the Crimson Hawk chipped away at Gannon's lead to tie the score at 53-53 on a three-pointer by Devante Chance (Philadelphia, Pa. /Electrical & Technology Charter) with 9:09 to play. The triple was a part of an 11-4 run by IUP that was started with a three by Chance.
 
The Crimson Hawks later took a 59-56 lead after a pair of free throws by Daddy Ugbede (Gardena, Calif./Serra) and held a 61-58 lead after a jumper by Shawn Dyer (Marion, Ohio/Marion Harding) with 5:15 to play. Gannon's Adam Blazek came right down and tied the game with a three, but Chance answered that with a three of his own before converting a layup on IUP's next possession to give the Crimson Hawks a 66-61 lead with 3:32 to play.
 
Unfortunately for the Crimson Hawks, that would be their last points of the game, as Gannon tied things up with 1:36 to play after Blazek converted the second try of his two free throw attempts. Dyer missed a layup on the other end and Gannon would try to take the lead with one minute remaining, but missed both three-point attempts to keep things even.
 
After a timeout, the Crimson Hawks had the ball with 32 seconds remaining but would turn over possession to Gannon with 15.2 seconds left, setting up the final go-ahead shot.
 
Chance and Dyer were on a tear for the Crimson Hawks all day long, each scoring 22 points in defeat. The pair shot a combined 13-of-23 on the day, with Chance draining six three-pointers and Dyer making three. Dyer also went 7-of-9 from the foul line.
 
The Crimson Hawks outrebounded Gannon 27-to-26 and finished 17-of-22 from the foul line, but the Golden Knights shot 52 percent from the floor and forced IUP into 11 turnovers.
 
It was the first PSAC championship game loss for IUP head coach Joe Lombardi, who falls to 13-5 all-time in the conference tournament and 3-1 in the title game. It's the school's first championship loss since falling to California (PA) in 1996, winning the PSAC title in 2000, 2002, 2004, 2010, 2011 and 2013.
 
It's Gannon's second PSAC title, also winning it in 2009. Smith was named the PSAC Tournament MVP for the Golden Knights, finishing with 27 points in the title game.
 
The Crimson Hawks fall to 26-6 on the season and will wait to see what seed they secure as the NCAA announces its field of 64 for the Division II championships on Sunday night at 10:30 p.m. The selection show will air live on NCAA.com.
 
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