In a game that featured 11 ties and 13 lead changes, Grand Canyon University was able to convert a layup with 1:06 remaining, but Seattle University was not able to answer as the Antelopes defeated the Redhawks, 66-64, Thursday night in a Western Athletic Conference men’s basketball game at KeyArena.
After Grand Canyon’s Daniel Alexander hit a three-pointer two minutes into the second half to tie the game at 39-39, Seattle U went on an 11-2 scoring run, punctuated by two three-pointers from Isiah Umipig (Federal Way, Wash.), to pull ahead, 50-41. The Antelopes would score 10 unanswered points over the next three-and-a-half minutes to take the lead, 51-50, halfway through the second half.
The game went back-and-forth over the next five minutes, with Emerson Murray (Vancouver, B.C.) hitting a three-pointer and William Powell (Huntsville, Ala.) converting a layup with 4:55 remaining in regulation to put the Redhawks on top, 62-60. Majerle hit a three-pointer to put the Antelopes back on top, but Powell made a free throw with 3:17 to go to tie the game at 63-63.
Each team made one free throw over the next two minutes, and then Grand Canyon came out of a timeout and executed its offense, with DeWayne Russell finding Alexander for a layup. After the Antelopes could not take advantage of a Redhawk turnover, Umipig drove in for a layup, but Royce Woolridge blocked the shot out of bounds, giving the Redhawks one final chance with 1.8 seconds remaining in regulation. Unfortunately, Seattle U did not get up a good shot, allowing Grand Canyon to come away with the victory.
Jarell Flora (Bremerton, Wash.) led all players with 22 points, shooting 7-of-13 from the field, including 4-of-8 from behind the three-point line, and 4-of-5 from the free throw line. Umipig finished with 13 points and four assists, while Powell also scored 13 points to go along with three rebounds, five assists, and two blocked shots.
“I thought we competed hard and did a good job defensively, but we weren’t able to finish tonight,” Seattle U head coach Cameron Dollar said. “We just have to overcome this adversity and keep moving forward.”
After a three-pointer by Woolridge and a layup by Jerome Garrison gave Grand Canyon the early lead, Seattle U scored seven unanswered points, the first five by Flora, to pull ahead 9-5. The Antelopes scored the next five points, and both teams traded the lead until a three-pointer by Flora and a dunk from Shore Adenekan (London, England) put the Redhawks ahead, 17-13, halfway through the first half.
Grand Canyon (13-11, 4-3 WAC) went on an 11-2 run over the next two-and-a-half minutes to take a five-point lead, an advantage they would maintain for the next four minutes. A traditional three-point play by Flora helped bring Seattle U to within one, but Majerle hit a three-pointer to extend the Antelope advantage back to four. Umipig drove in for a layup to cut the Redhawk deficit in half, and the score remained 36-34 in Grand Canyon’s favor at halftime.
Alexander led Grand Canyon with 18 points, seven rebounds, and three steals, while Majerle finished with 16 points in 32 minutes off the bench. As a team, the Antelopes shot 40.7 percent (24-of-59) from the field, including 9-of-24 from behind the three-point line, and 60.0 percent (9-of-15) from the free throw line, plus they enjoyed a slight rebounding edge (30-29) and committed only five turnovers.
Jack Crook (Manchester, England) pulled down a team-high seven rebounds, while Murray collected six points, four rebounds, and three assists in the game. Seattle U shot 47.8 percent (22-of-46) from the field, including 8-of-18 from behind the three-point line, and 70.6 percent (12-of-17) from the free throw line.
Seattle University (10-11, 3-4 WAC) hosts Utah Valley on Homecoming Saturday, Feb. 7, starting at 7 p.m. The game will be streamed online through the WAC Digital Network (www.wacsports.com/watch), plus Dave Grosby and Gary Hill Jr. will broadcast the game live on 770 AM KTTH, starting with the pregame show shortly before tipoff. Tickets for the four remaining Seattle U home games at KeyArena are available through Ticketmaster and the KeyArena Box Office.