'Lopes Fall to Academy of Art

Monday, February 13

GCU Arena

4:30 p.m.

Grand Canyon

18-3, 10-3

Academy of Art

15-7, 11-3

Academy of Art

Grand Canyon

Jallisa Butler scored a career-high-tying 21 points on Feb. 13 vs. Academy of Art.

2/13/2012 5:49:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

The No. 16 Grand Canyon University women’s basketball team fell to Academy of Art, 72-69, tonight at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Ariz. The ‘Lopes are now 18-3 overall and 10-3 in PacWest Conference play. The Urban Knights are 15-7 overall, 11-3 in the conference.

“This is still in our hands and we get to play at home the next four of five games,” said head coach Trent May. “With that, thankfully we have some time off as well and the girls get a break. I tip my hat to them and what they have done the last week and a half. At some point, you give all you can. They fought tonight and left it all out there and as a coach, that’s what you want.”

The ‘Lopes lost back-to-back home games for the first time since Feb. 14-23, 2009 against Notre Dame de Namur and BYU-Hawai’i.

Jallisa Butler scored a career-high-tying 21 points, the second this season she accomplished the feat after also doing so on Jan. 28 at BYU-Hawai’i. Maylinn Smith added 12 points and Stevie Kamp had a season-high-tying 11 points.

“Jallisa had a great game and she put up great stats,” May said. “There are times you want to use her more, but Stevie did a great job tonight and Erica (Paskell) hit a couple big three-pointers in the first half. But tonight it was too little, too late.”

The Knights shot 64.3 percent from the three-point line, the second-highest percentage from behind the arc in the PacWest this season behind GCU’s 66.7 percent (6-for-9) on Nov. 25, 2011 vs. Cal State Stanislaus in San Francisco, Calif.

For the game, the Knights shot 48.3 percent (28-for-58) and were a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line.

“You have to credit them for making those shots,” said May. “If you leave a team open enough, they are going to knock down three-pointers. You really can’t beat 9-for-13 from the three point line.”

The two teams battled back and forth in the first half before the Knights used an 11-2 run beginning with seven minutes remaining in the first half to extend their lead to 33-25 with 4:21 to play. Academy of Art led by as many as 10 points in the first period.

The ‘Lopes went into the half trailing 41-36, just the second time this season they have not taken a lead into the locker room. The 41 points scored by the Knights mark the highest total allowed by GCU at the half this season as they shot 48.4 percent from the field, making 15 of their 31 shots, including a 7-for-10 mark from behind the arc.

GCU used an 8-0 run with just over 14 minutes to pull within one point, 54-53, with 12 minutes to play. Chigozie Ekweozor blocked a shot with nine and a half minutes in the second half and the ‘Lopes took the ball down to tie the score at 56 points with 9:04 on the clock.

The Knights then outscored GCU 14-10 over the next eight minutes to hold a 70-66 lead with 1:42 remaining. GCU held Academy of Art to just two points for the remainder of the game and pulled with three points at 72-69 after Kamp drained two free throws with 44.0 seconds remaining.

GCU will next be in action when they host BYU-Hawai’i on Feb. 20 at Grand Canyon University Arena with tipoff slated for 4:30 p.m.

“From top to bottom, there are good coaches and good teams in this conference and we know we are going to get everyone’s best shot,” added May. “The other teams want to do anything they can to stop us and you have to credit the teams that come here and get that done.”

AAU 72, GCU 69