PHOENIX – A historic eight-game win streak to open Western Athletic Conference play came to halt Thursday night in Phoenix as Grand Canyon held off a late Seattle U surge and send the Redhawks to a 78-66 defeat at GCU Arena.
The loss was just the fifth of the season for Seattle U, which moves to 17-5 overall and 8-1 in WAC play. GCU, which returned home following a 19-day road stretch, snapped a three-game skid, moving to 15-5 overall and 6-3 in the WAC.
In one of the league's toughest places to play, the Redhawks struggled to get going on offense for most of the night, shooting just 38 percent from the field and 6-of-19 from deep. They did make good on 20-of-26 from the charity stripe.
Darrion Trammell finished with 23 points to lead the Redhawks. Cameron Tyson added 16 and Brandon Chatfield and Kyree Brown chipped in eight points each.
GCU was led by Jovan Blacksher Jr., who seemingly could not miss, finishing with 26 points. Holland Woods added 22 of his own as the Lopes hit at nearly a 52 percent clip in the first half and 48 percent for the night.
Seattle U trailed by as many as 22 in the second half, but would slowly chip away midway through the frame. An 8-0 spurt forced a GCU timeout at the midpoint of the half.
With just under three minutes to play, eight straight points, including two threes, from Trammell brought the Redhawks to within eight, 72-64. But they would get no closer as the Lopes knocked down four straight free throws and the Redhawks went without a field goal in the final two minutes.
GCU opened the game with a 7-0 lead before Chatfield scored Seattle U's first bucket nearly four minutes in. A Tyson three at the 4:13 mark made it a three-point ballgame, 26-23, but the Lopes would outscore the Redhawks 12-3 int he remainder of the half to take a 38-26 lead into the break.
The road swing gets no easier for Seattle U as they head to Las Cruces, N.M., to face NM State on Saturday. Tip off from the Pan American Center is scheduled for 4 p.m. MT, 3 p.m. Pacific. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and can be heard on the airwaves on KXSU 102.1 FM in Seattle and kxsu.org.
The loss was just the fifth of the season for Seattle U, which moves to 17-5 overall and 8-1 in WAC play. GCU, which returned home following a 19-day road stretch, snapped a three-game skid, moving to 15-5 overall and 6-3 in the WAC.
In one of the league's toughest places to play, the Redhawks struggled to get going on offense for most of the night, shooting just 38 percent from the field and 6-of-19 from deep. They did make good on 20-of-26 from the charity stripe.
Darrion Trammell finished with 23 points to lead the Redhawks. Cameron Tyson added 16 and Brandon Chatfield and Kyree Brown chipped in eight points each.
GCU was led by Jovan Blacksher Jr., who seemingly could not miss, finishing with 26 points. Holland Woods added 22 of his own as the Lopes hit at nearly a 52 percent clip in the first half and 48 percent for the night.
Seattle U trailed by as many as 22 in the second half, but would slowly chip away midway through the frame. An 8-0 spurt forced a GCU timeout at the midpoint of the half.
With just under three minutes to play, eight straight points, including two threes, from Trammell brought the Redhawks to within eight, 72-64. But they would get no closer as the Lopes knocked down four straight free throws and the Redhawks went without a field goal in the final two minutes.
GCU opened the game with a 7-0 lead before Chatfield scored Seattle U's first bucket nearly four minutes in. A Tyson three at the 4:13 mark made it a three-point ballgame, 26-23, but the Lopes would outscore the Redhawks 12-3 int he remainder of the half to take a 38-26 lead into the break.
The road swing gets no easier for Seattle U as they head to Las Cruces, N.M., to face NM State on Saturday. Tip off from the Pan American Center is scheduled for 4 p.m. MT, 3 p.m. Pacific. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and can be heard on the airwaves on KXSU 102.1 FM in Seattle and kxsu.org.