PHOENIX – A wire-to-wire battle that featured four lead changes and eight tie scores would be decided by free throws and rebounds Thursday night in Phoenix as the Grand Canyon Lopes sent Seattle U men's basketball to an 80-77 defeat in Western Athletic Conference play.
With GCU (8-11, 3-2 WAC) holding a four-point lead with 6:09 to play, Delante Jones drained his fourth three of the night and Terrell Brown powered his way to a layup pus the and one free throw to swing the game in the Redhawks' favor, 63-61.
Two GCU free throws would tie the score briefly, before Brown answered again for a 65-63 Seattle U advantage just inside five minutes on the clock. But the Lopes would answer again, this time on an Alessandro Lever old-fashion three-point play. His efforts would give the home team a lead they would not relinquish down the stretch as the Lopes went 8-10 from the charity stripe to seal the win.
The Redhawks best chance to tie the score late came from an Aaron Nettles corner three attempt that just rimmed out. GCU would hit its final four free throws to keep the game out of reach.
Brown led all scorers with 31 points, going 13-28 from the field and 5-6 from the line. Jones came off the bench to add 19 points, while Morgan Means chipped in 10. Myles Carter finished just shy of a double-double with nine points and 11 boards.
Five Lopes scored in double figures, led by Carlos Johnson's 17.
While each side finished with 26 made field goals, the Lopes hauled in 16 more rebounds, including 14 offensive boards that led to 11 second-chance points. GCU also earned eight more trips to the free-throw line where they finished with 27 points to the Redhawks' 19.
Seattle U (10-11, 3-3 WAC) got off to a slow start and found themselves in an early 9-1 hole. Jones jump started the offense with back-to-back threes and Brown reeled off a personal 7-0 run to give the Redhawks a 24-21 lead with 8:10 to play in the half.
But the Redhawks would go cold again as the half wound down, hitting just two of their final 11 field goal attempts before heading into the locker room trailing by three, 37-34.
Those three points would be all the difference in the second half as the teams tied the frame, 43-43. GCU would open up an eight-point lead, 58-50, midway through. The Redhawks battled back courtesy a 13-3 spurt to lead 63-61, but could not add to the spread before the Lopes sealed the game at the line.
Seattle U's WAC road swing continues Saturday with a final trip to CSU Bakersfield. Tip off from the Icardo Center is set for 7 p.m.
With GCU (8-11, 3-2 WAC) holding a four-point lead with 6:09 to play, Delante Jones drained his fourth three of the night and Terrell Brown powered his way to a layup pus the and one free throw to swing the game in the Redhawks' favor, 63-61.
Two GCU free throws would tie the score briefly, before Brown answered again for a 65-63 Seattle U advantage just inside five minutes on the clock. But the Lopes would answer again, this time on an Alessandro Lever old-fashion three-point play. His efforts would give the home team a lead they would not relinquish down the stretch as the Lopes went 8-10 from the charity stripe to seal the win.
The Redhawks best chance to tie the score late came from an Aaron Nettles corner three attempt that just rimmed out. GCU would hit its final four free throws to keep the game out of reach.
Brown led all scorers with 31 points, going 13-28 from the field and 5-6 from the line. Jones came off the bench to add 19 points, while Morgan Means chipped in 10. Myles Carter finished just shy of a double-double with nine points and 11 boards.
Five Lopes scored in double figures, led by Carlos Johnson's 17.
While each side finished with 26 made field goals, the Lopes hauled in 16 more rebounds, including 14 offensive boards that led to 11 second-chance points. GCU also earned eight more trips to the free-throw line where they finished with 27 points to the Redhawks' 19.
Seattle U (10-11, 3-3 WAC) got off to a slow start and found themselves in an early 9-1 hole. Jones jump started the offense with back-to-back threes and Brown reeled off a personal 7-0 run to give the Redhawks a 24-21 lead with 8:10 to play in the half.
But the Redhawks would go cold again as the half wound down, hitting just two of their final 11 field goal attempts before heading into the locker room trailing by three, 37-34.
Those three points would be all the difference in the second half as the teams tied the frame, 43-43. GCU would open up an eight-point lead, 58-50, midway through. The Redhawks battled back courtesy a 13-3 spurt to lead 63-61, but could not add to the spread before the Lopes sealed the game at the line.
Seattle U's WAC road swing continues Saturday with a final trip to CSU Bakersfield. Tip off from the Icardo Center is set for 7 p.m.