Grand Canyon Defeats Nation's Sixth-Ranked Team

Saturday, January 2

GCU

Grand Canyon

SEATTLE PACIFIC

1/2/2010 7:46:18 PM | Men's Basketball

The Grand Canyon University men's basketball team defeated No. 6-ranked Seattle Pacific University, 69-68, tonight at Antelope Gymnasium in what was as exciting, evenly-matched, emotional and combative a game as has been played in college basketball this season.

The Antelopes overcame a six-point deficit in the last 56 seconds to win the game. Senior forward Marco Ramos (pictured, Salinas, CA/North) hit two free throws -- an extreme rarity for GCU, which made just 8 of 21 shots from the charity stripe -- with 48 seconds remaining to make the score 67-63. Ramos missed a layup 15 seconds later, but freshman guard Brad Carroll (Chandler, AZ/Corona del Sol) got the rebound and scored on a put-back to bring the 'Lopes to within two.

Wing Adam Wardell hit one of two free throws to extend the Falcons' lead to three, and then Carroll hit a jumper with 23 seconds left to give GCU the lead.

Point guard Colby Vranes -- playing in place of Seattle Pacific's star, Chris Banchero, who fouled out with 1:27 remaining -- missed a free throw with 19 seconds left, and junior forward Rony Tchatchoua (Little Rock, AR/Christian) grabbed the rebound. After a timeout, freshman guard Alyx Foster (Phoenix, AZ/Thunderbird) substituting for Carroll -- whose fifth foul had sent Vranes to the line -- drove the lane. He missed the shot, but Ramos grabbed the rebound and scored on the put-back with six seconds left, and was fouled. After another timeout, he missed the free throw.

Ramos was replaced by freshman center Brandon Duliakas (Tucson, AZ/Ironwood Ridge), and the Falcons made two substitutions of their own. They managed to get the inbounds pass to guard Brandon Larrieu, who had 24 points, 14 of them in the first half, but all he could do was heave the ball just past midcourt. It clanged off the backboard, but it wouldn't have counted anyway because the clock had expired.

It was the biggest win of the season for the 'Lopes (6-10), and the second loss this week for Seattle Pacific. The Falcons (9-2) lost to a hot-shooting (14 three-pointers) Colorado Christian team, 73-69, on Wednesday in the final game of the Falcons Invitational at Brougham Pavilion in Seattle.

Seattle Pacific beat GCU, 70-57, on Dec. 19 in Seattle. Larrieu led the Falcons with 17 points in that game. The 'Lopes were within two, 49-47, with 9:19 to play, but the Falcons then went on a 15-4 run during a stretch of 5 minutes, 20 seconds that extended the lead to 64-51 with 2:51 remaining.

Four GCU players scored in double figures in tonight's game: sophomore guard Nick Witherill (Phoenix, AZ/Highland), 15; Ramos, 14; freshman guard Steven Morin (Scottsdale, AZ/Saguaro), 13; and Carroll, 12. Junior forward Gaby Ngoundjo (Little Rock, AR/Christian), who along with Seattle Pacific post Rafael Moriera was ejected with seven minutes left, led the team with nine rebounds and scored eight points on 4-of-5 shooting.

Larrieu and Banchero combined for 40 points on 12-of-20 shooting, including 3-of-6 from three-point range.

Both teams shot better than 50 percent for the game (GCU 50.0, Seattle Pacific 51.9), but the 'Lopes' poor free-throw shooting (0 for 4 in the first half, 8 of 17 in the second) nearly cost them the game.

It didn't, though, and now GCU heads into Pacific West Conference play with a two-game winning streak. The 'Lopes host Chaminade (3-6) and 7 p.m. on Thursday and the nation's preseason No. 1-ranked team, BYU-Hawaii (6-2), at the same time on Saturday.

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