VIENNA -West Virginia and Pennsylvania split here Friday night at the Snyder Activity Center as Ohio Valley University opened its basketball season with a win while Glenville State suffered a season-opening setback.
In a basketball doubleheader, Gannon nipped Glenville, 70-67, and OVU won a thriller from Millersville, 93-92. The evening showcased a pair of teams from both the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and the West Virginia Collegiate Athletic Conference. Those who attended couldn't have witnessed two more exciting games as neither was decided until the final buzzer.
The four-team classic will continue today with Glenville meeting Millersville at 2 p.m., followed by OVU taking on Gannon.
Gannon 70, Glenville 67
Glenville led by as many as 13 points in the first half only to see Gannon tie the game at 37 at intermission.
The two teams battled to the buzzer with Gannon scoring the final three points of the game to earn a hard-fought win over the Pioneers.
The game represented a Homecoming of sorts for former Parkersburg High School star Andy Dollman, who scored seven points for Glenville, including a pair of 3-point field goals. He also had three rebounds and contributed an assist in his 25 minutes of playing time.
Leading the way for the Pioneers was Jamel Morris with 19 points while Kevin Gray and DJ Blanks added 10 points each.
Gannon was led by Darrell Blanton, who took over down the stretch and finished with a game-high 21 points. Adam Blazek added 11 and Robert Wilson 10.
Glenville thought it had sent the game into overtime when Gray's last-ditch three-pointer hit off the glass and then into the basket, but the officials ruled the buzzer went off before the shot, thus ending the contest.
Gannon dominated the boards, winning the rebound battle by a whopping 40-23 margin. The Pioneers kept themselves in the game with 10 3-point field goals, but missed 12 of their 27 free throws.
Glenville was coming off an exhibition loss to West Virginia University earlier in the week.
Ohio Valley 93, Millersville 92
It was an first half of basketball here Friday night with 10 lead changes, eight ties and seven turnovers as the home team would go to the locker room with a 36-35 halftime lead.
OVU would keep its advantage throughout the second half, extending it to as many as 11 points on two occasions. Texas A&M Kingsville transfer Ashton Brown led all scorers with 43, and also was tops in rebounds (9) and assists (7). Brown had 16 points at halftime to lead all scorers. Jerry Macon Jr. scored 21 points, including 17 in the second-half to keep the Scots in front.
The scoring leader for the Marauders was Elijah Obade, who finished with a double-double with 27 points and 13 rebounds.
The Marauders last chance to win the game with 1.3 seconds left would not make it to the cylinder as the potential game-winning shot hit the roof of the Snyder Center as time expired.
The Marauders kept the game within reach, outrebounding the Scots, 43-35, including a 20-13 margin in the deciding period. OVU managed to keep the lead by playing great defense, causing 11 turnovers and blocking six shot attempts in the second half.
OVU begins the season 1-0 by earning its first win over a PSAC team since 2007 when it last defeated nationally-ranked Shippensburg. OVU has a chance to notch its second victory over the PSAC at 4 p.m. today against Gannon, who defeated Glenville, 70-67 in the early game of Friday night's doubleheader.
