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
Saturday, December 14
Flagstaff, AZ
3 p.m.
Grand Canyon
5-4
61
at
63
Northern Arizona
3-7
1
2
F
Grand Canyon
35
26
61
Northern Arizona
33
30
63
Daniel Alexander
Northern Arizona Edges Grand Canyon in First Meeting Since 1987
12/14/2013 5:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Alexander scores 14 points in debut for 'Lopes
Northern Arizona University's Max Jacobson drained a jumper with 18 seconds on the clock to put an end to Grand Canyon University men's basketball four-game win streak. In their first meeting since 1987, the Lumberjacks' 63-61 win over the Antelopes today at the Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff, Ariz., pushed their record to 3-7 while GCU is now 5-4 on the season.
The game saw 12 lead changes and four tied scores, including two changes in the lead and three tied scores over the final eight minutes.
After sitting out for the past year due to his transfer from Texas A&M, Daniel Alexander made his presence felt for the 'Lopes, scoring 14 points, aided by a team single-game high of four three-pointers. That point total marked a new career-high for Alexander, besting his previous high of 12 points, which he set with Texas A&M on Feb. 1, 2012 versus Baylor.
Killian Larson led the squad with 16 points, while Demetrius Walker and Jerome Garrison each added 15. Larson also grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds for his seventh double-double in nine games for the 'Lopes.
Despite shooting just 28.0 percent from the field (7-for-25) in the final 20 minutes, the Lumberjacks' 39.2 field goal percentage (20-for-51) was just a shade higher than GCU's at 38.0 percent (19-for-50). NAU forced 18 'Lopes turnovers and were able to convert 22 points off of those opportunities.
Making his debut with the 'Lopes, Alexander opened the game with a three-pointer just 46 seconds after tipoff and accounted for five of GCU's seven points as the two teams traded the lead for the first four minutes.
The Lumberjacks built a 20-13 lead with 12:56 to play in the first half following a 9-0 run spanning nearly two minutes. GCU closed that gap to 22-20 with just under 10 minutes remaining following a 7-2 spurt of their own and reclaimed the lead (25-24) following an Alexander three-pointer with 7:25 on the clock.
Continuing the trend of exchanging leads, the game went back and forth until the 'Lopes built a four-point lead, their largest of the half, at the 2:25 mark and carried a 35-33 advantage into the locker room.
In a first half that saw 10 of those lead changes, GCU shot 46.2 percent from the field (12-for-26) while NAU posted a 50.0 percent mark (13-for-26). Walker led GCU scorers at the half with 11 points on 4-for-9 shooting, including two three-pointers. Garrison added nine points while Larson led the rebounding efforts with four.
The 'Lopes scored the first nine points of the second half to build their lead to 44-33 with 16:52 remaining, six of which came off the hand of Garrison and three by Alexander. The Lumberjacks used a 13-3 run to pull within one point, 47-46, with under 11 minutes to play. NAU took the 52-51 lead with 8:01 on the clock, this time by virtue of scoring six unanswered points after GCU led 51-46 with nine and half minutes to play.
NAU reclaimed a 59-57 lead on a three-pointer from the corner with just over two minutes on the clock. Walker knotted the score at 61 with 45.3 seconds to play before the Lumberjacks ran down the court and drained a jumper at the 18-second mark, which would stand as the game-winner.
GCU also struggled from the field in the second half, posting a 29.2 mark (7-for-24). NAU was aided by 18 free throw attempts in the final 20 minutes and outscored the 'Lopes 30-17 over the final 16 minutes of the game.
The 'Lopes will continue their five-game road swing when they travel to Tulsa for a 6 p.m. (Arizona time) game on Wednesday, Dec. 18. The game can be heard live on 960 AM The Patriot or at www.960thepatriot.com. Tulsa head coach Danny Manning and GCU head coach Dan Majerle were teammates on the Phoenix Suns and also played together on the 1988 bronze-medal winning Olympic squad.
NAU 63, GCU 61
Click here to hear Michael Potter's postgame interview with head coach Dan Majerle
The game saw 12 lead changes and four tied scores, including two changes in the lead and three tied scores over the final eight minutes.
After sitting out for the past year due to his transfer from Texas A&M, Daniel Alexander made his presence felt for the 'Lopes, scoring 14 points, aided by a team single-game high of four three-pointers. That point total marked a new career-high for Alexander, besting his previous high of 12 points, which he set with Texas A&M on Feb. 1, 2012 versus Baylor.
Killian Larson led the squad with 16 points, while Demetrius Walker and Jerome Garrison each added 15. Larson also grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds for his seventh double-double in nine games for the 'Lopes.
Despite shooting just 28.0 percent from the field (7-for-25) in the final 20 minutes, the Lumberjacks' 39.2 field goal percentage (20-for-51) was just a shade higher than GCU's at 38.0 percent (19-for-50). NAU forced 18 'Lopes turnovers and were able to convert 22 points off of those opportunities.
Making his debut with the 'Lopes, Alexander opened the game with a three-pointer just 46 seconds after tipoff and accounted for five of GCU's seven points as the two teams traded the lead for the first four minutes.
The Lumberjacks built a 20-13 lead with 12:56 to play in the first half following a 9-0 run spanning nearly two minutes. GCU closed that gap to 22-20 with just under 10 minutes remaining following a 7-2 spurt of their own and reclaimed the lead (25-24) following an Alexander three-pointer with 7:25 on the clock.
Continuing the trend of exchanging leads, the game went back and forth until the 'Lopes built a four-point lead, their largest of the half, at the 2:25 mark and carried a 35-33 advantage into the locker room.
In a first half that saw 10 of those lead changes, GCU shot 46.2 percent from the field (12-for-26) while NAU posted a 50.0 percent mark (13-for-26). Walker led GCU scorers at the half with 11 points on 4-for-9 shooting, including two three-pointers. Garrison added nine points while Larson led the rebounding efforts with four.
The 'Lopes scored the first nine points of the second half to build their lead to 44-33 with 16:52 remaining, six of which came off the hand of Garrison and three by Alexander. The Lumberjacks used a 13-3 run to pull within one point, 47-46, with under 11 minutes to play. NAU took the 52-51 lead with 8:01 on the clock, this time by virtue of scoring six unanswered points after GCU led 51-46 with nine and half minutes to play.
NAU reclaimed a 59-57 lead on a three-pointer from the corner with just over two minutes on the clock. Walker knotted the score at 61 with 45.3 seconds to play before the Lumberjacks ran down the court and drained a jumper at the 18-second mark, which would stand as the game-winner.
GCU also struggled from the field in the second half, posting a 29.2 mark (7-for-24). NAU was aided by 18 free throw attempts in the final 20 minutes and outscored the 'Lopes 30-17 over the final 16 minutes of the game.
The 'Lopes will continue their five-game road swing when they travel to Tulsa for a 6 p.m. (Arizona time) game on Wednesday, Dec. 18. The game can be heard live on 960 AM The Patriot or at www.960thepatriot.com. Tulsa head coach Danny Manning and GCU head coach Dan Majerle were teammates on the Phoenix Suns and also played together on the 1988 bronze-medal winning Olympic squad.
NAU 63, GCU 61
Click here to hear Michael Potter's postgame interview with head coach Dan Majerle
Team Stats
GCU
NAU
FG%
.380
.392
3FG%
.318
.308
FT%
.800
.864
RB
34
33
TO
18
12
STL
5
13
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
15
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
5
Pts
15
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
6
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
4
FTM
0
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