NKU's David Palmer (34) was named MVP of the Gary Miller Classic.
Box score
ERIE, Pa. – The Gannon (Pa.) men's basketball team pulled out a 40-38 win over Northern Kentucky University in the Gary Miller Classic Saturday night.
Danard Crouch scored 11 points as Gannon (1-2) won the defensive struggle with NKU (4-2). Preston Harris made two free throws with 11.7 seconds remaining in the game to give Gannon a 40-36 edge and seal the victory. NKU's
Scott Bibbins hit a short jumper at the buzzer to account for the final margin.
David Palmer scored 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead NKU, and the 6-foot-9 senior center was named the most valuable player of the two-day event. NKU, however, shot 31.9 percent from the field and committed 20 turnovers.
The 38 points scored by the Norse were the fewest in school history. The previous mark for fewest points was 42 on three different occasions, the most recent in 2007 against Grand Valley State.
NKU did not score for the first seven minutes of the game, but Gannon managed just four points during that span.
Dennis Gagai scored the Norse's first points by draining a 3-pointer to make it 4-3.
The teams went into halftime tied at 13-all. NKU eventually built a seven-point lead in the second half, but the Norse finished 1-for-18 from 3-point range and were 7-for-13 from the free-throw line.
NKU begins Great Lakes Valley Conference play this Thursday with a road game at Indianapolis. The Norse then travel to Evansville, Ind., on Saturday for a showdown against Southern Indiana
