Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball at Baylor on October 10, 2025 at 2 p.m. (MST)
M Basketball
2 p.m. (MST)
at Baylor
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Grand Canyon University Athletics
Friday, November 23
GCU Arena
5:00 PM
Grand Canyon
74
vs
68
Northwest Nazarene
Joshua Lowery had a season-high 21 points against Northwest Nazarene
Photo by: Darryl Webb
Men's Basketball Defeats Northwest Nazarene
11/23/2012 7:11:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Overcomes 19-point deficit in first game of GCU Thanksgiving Classic
The Grand Canyon University men’s basketball team came away with a 74-68, come-from-behind win over Northwest Nazarene tonight in their first game as part of the GCU Thanksgiving Classic. The win was the second straight for the Antelopes, improving their overall record to 4-2. The Crusaders fell to 2-2 on the season.
GCU trailed by as many as 19 points in the opening half before rallying to remain perfect at home this season.
The ‘Lopes were led by Joshua Lowery, who collected a season-high 21 points, while Jerome Garrison also finished in double-digits with 18 points. Lowery also led the way with seven rebounds.
The Crusaders outshot the ‘Lopes for the game, 49 percent to 44 percent. However, GCU used an offensive outburst in the second half to outscore Northwest Nazarene by 11 points on 13-for-21 shooting (61.9 percent). GCU was also aided by an 81.3 free throw percentage (26-for-32).
GCU was led by Lowery in the first half with 13 points, while Garrison added nine and Justin Foreman had seven points.
GCU held a significant advantage in free throws, draining 16 of 20 attempts in the first 20 minutes, while Crusaders went 1-for-2 in that same time.
The Crusaders led by as many 19 in the first half, as they shot a blistering 59.3 percent from the field (16-for-27) and at one point, owned a 71 field goal percentage. With an 8-for-27 mark (29.6 percent) from the field, GCU found themselves trailing by double-digits for most of the first half before closing the gap to five points on two free throws and a layup by Lowery. The ‘Lopes outscored Northwest Nazarene 12-3 over the final three minutes to close the gap at 39-34 heading into the locker room.
The ‘Lopes pulled within one at 42-41 with 18:08 on the clock, but the Crusaders used a 6-0 run to extend the lead back to seven points. GCU then had a 13-5 run of their own and took their first lead of the game, 54-53, on a Foreman layup with just under 10 minutes remaining in the game.
GCU took their largest lead of the game with just under three minutes to play at 70-63 on a Barret Robbins dunk. The Crusaders made it a two-point game at the 1:05 mark after draining two free throws and a three-pointer. Braylon Pickrel extended the lead back to four points with a jumper and two Garrison free throws with 10.1 seconds secured the win.
The ‘Lopes will next be in action when they play their final contest of the GCU Thanksgiving Classic against CSU Dominguez Hills tomorrow at 5 p.m. Fans can follow the action live at www.gculopes.com.
GCU 74, NNU 68
GCU trailed by as many as 19 points in the opening half before rallying to remain perfect at home this season.
The ‘Lopes were led by Joshua Lowery, who collected a season-high 21 points, while Jerome Garrison also finished in double-digits with 18 points. Lowery also led the way with seven rebounds.
The Crusaders outshot the ‘Lopes for the game, 49 percent to 44 percent. However, GCU used an offensive outburst in the second half to outscore Northwest Nazarene by 11 points on 13-for-21 shooting (61.9 percent). GCU was also aided by an 81.3 free throw percentage (26-for-32).
GCU was led by Lowery in the first half with 13 points, while Garrison added nine and Justin Foreman had seven points.
GCU held a significant advantage in free throws, draining 16 of 20 attempts in the first 20 minutes, while Crusaders went 1-for-2 in that same time.
The Crusaders led by as many 19 in the first half, as they shot a blistering 59.3 percent from the field (16-for-27) and at one point, owned a 71 field goal percentage. With an 8-for-27 mark (29.6 percent) from the field, GCU found themselves trailing by double-digits for most of the first half before closing the gap to five points on two free throws and a layup by Lowery. The ‘Lopes outscored Northwest Nazarene 12-3 over the final three minutes to close the gap at 39-34 heading into the locker room.
The ‘Lopes pulled within one at 42-41 with 18:08 on the clock, but the Crusaders used a 6-0 run to extend the lead back to seven points. GCU then had a 13-5 run of their own and took their first lead of the game, 54-53, on a Foreman layup with just under 10 minutes remaining in the game.
GCU took their largest lead of the game with just under three minutes to play at 70-63 on a Barret Robbins dunk. The Crusaders made it a two-point game at the 1:05 mark after draining two free throws and a three-pointer. Braylon Pickrel extended the lead back to four points with a jumper and two Garrison free throws with 10.1 seconds secured the win.
The ‘Lopes will next be in action when they play their final contest of the GCU Thanksgiving Classic against CSU Dominguez Hills tomorrow at 5 p.m. Fans can follow the action live at www.gculopes.com.
GCU 74, NNU 68
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