ERIE, Pa. (November 28, 2008) - Lake Erie College was the early leader in Gannon University's Gary Miller Classic Friday night against the tournament host, as it led by as many as seven and held a lead until midway through the opening half. The Golden Knights got the best of the Storm, picking up its offensive momentum just under the 10-minute mark to take the lead and push to a 17-point halftime advantage at 44-27 before going on to outscore the Storm by three in the second half to walk away with a 76-56 win.

Lake Erie held the NABC Division II No. 8 ranked Gannon to 12 less points in the second half, while forcing the nationally-ranked program into 14 turnovers for the game. Lake Erie shot 39-percent from the field (22-for-56) while struggling at the line (5-for-12).

Three Storm players ended the night in double figures, including senior forward Derrick Thornton (University Heights, Ohio/Lutheran East) with 14, sophomore guard Ethan Bradshaw (Cincinnati, Ohio/Harmony Prep) with 12 and junior center Veljko Lalovic (Podgorica, Montenegro/Lake Region) with 10. The trio combined for 15 of the Storm's 22 field goals, shooting 56-percent. The Storm totaled 31 rebounds for the night with senior forward Rick Leasure (Concord, Ohio/Riverside) grabbing a team-high of six. Bradshaw and freshman forward Matt Grendel (Independence, Ohio/Independence) had five apiece.

Lake Erie (1-5) takes on Goshen in the consolation game at 6 p.m. on Saturday. Gannon advances to the championship against Daemen at 8 p.m.