Golden Knights 84, Lander 61. A wait of 39 years, erased in one Sunday in Indianapolis.
When the horn sounded April 5 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Gannon had beaten Lander 84-61 for the program’s first NCAA Division II national championship. It was also the first team national title in Gannon Athletics history. Any team. Any sport. Ever.
A Season Built on Blowouts
The Golden Knights finished a program record 34-3 with winning streaks of 10 and 15 games, went 19-1 in the PSAC, and beat rival IUP all four times they met. Only three games all year were decided by single digits. Three players cleared 1,000 career points in the same season: Victor Desmond, Lucas Morgan, and sophomore star Pace Prosser.
The Loss That Lit the Fuse
Gannon’s only stumble down the stretch came March 8, when California (Pa.) took the PSAC title game and snapped a streak that had run since the middle of January. The Knights never lost again.
They defended home court through the Atlantic Regional, erasing a six point halftime deficit against IUP with a 50 point second half to win 81-74. In Pittsburgh, they smothered Michigan Tech 75-49 for their first Final Four since 1987, then dropped Oklahoma Baptist by 18 as win No. 33 set a program record.
The final was a manifesto. A 15-0 run and a Prosser three at the halftime buzzer built a 37-21 lead, and Gannon piled on with a 49-38 edge on the glass, 21 second chance points, and 26 points off turnovers. Prosser scored a game high 28 to earn Most Outstanding Player honors, Mackenzie Morgan joined him on the all tournament team, and head coach Easton Bazzoli, now 61-10 at Gannon, joined John Calipari as the only WPIAL products to coach a team to a Division I or II national title.
“We got to put Gannon on the map a little bit bigger today,” Bazzoli said.
Seven New Knights
Ten weeks later, Bazzoli announced a class of seven headlined by transfers Derek Fairley, an NAIA All American who averaged 23.1 points at Lourdes, and Parker Applegate, a forward with Division I experience at Central Arkansas. Five freshmen follow, including Pennsylvania all state pick Aiden McKee, and three of the newcomers stand at least 6 foot 8. Prosser, meanwhile, spent June earning a spot on a USA Basketball 3×3 Nations League team.
The Banner Goes Up in November
For 39 years, 1987 was the high point in Erie. Now it’s the prologue. The champs return their superstar, the hottest coaching start in program history, and a class built to keep the machine humming. Getting Gannon off the map is somebody else’s problem now.
