Hot-Shooting Lopes Fall to Chippewas

Saturday, November 29

Mount Pleasant, MI

4 p.m.

Grand Canyon

2-4

Central Michigan

5-0

Grand Canyon

Central Michigan

Josh Braun had 21 tonight

Photo by: Darryl Webb

11/29/2014 5:46:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Lopes shot 57.4% from floor

The Grand Canyon men's basketball team dropped a hard-fought 79-77 contest to Central Michigan tonight at McGuirk Arena in Mt. Pleasant, Mich.

The loss drops the Antelopes to 2-4 overall. The Chippewas improved to 5-0.

Click here to listen to Dan Majerle's postgame interview with Michael Potter.

The Antelopes were led by Joshua Braun who finished with 21 points and seven rebounds. Braun was 7-for-10 from the floor, including 4-for-6 from the line.

GCU was down five, 77-72, when Braun drove through the lane for a layup and was fouled, cutting the CMU lead to two. The Antelopes forced a turnover with 25.2 seconds left, but Braun's jumper with 10 seconds from 15 feet rimmed out.

After CMU's Austin Stewart hit one of two free throws to increase the Chips lead to 78-75, Sam Daly drove the ball up the court forcing a foul with 4.9 on the clock. Daly would make both free throws bringing the Lopes back within one.

Trailing 79-77 with 4.2 seconds left, Daly took the inbounds pass and drove the length of the floor and passed back to a following Jerome Garrison for the potential game-winning three, but time expired before the shot was released.

Grand Canyon was red-hot throughout the game, shooting a season-best 57.4 percent (27-for47) from the floor. They also shot 40.9 percent (9-for-22) from the 3's. For the third-straight game, GCU outrebounded its opponent, doing so 31-27 tonight.

GCU turned the ball over 15 times tonight, compared to only four for the Chips, leading to a 15-2 CMU advantage in points off turnovers.

Royce Woolridge scored 14, while Ryan Majerle and Jerome Garrison each had 12. Majerle also grabbed seven rebounds.

GCU trailed at the half, 41-37, and fell to 0-3 on the season when falling behind at the break. The Antelopes were 10-for-12 from the line in the first half, but were only 4-for-8 in the second half.

Grand Canyon will remain on the road and make the short trip to Chicago where they will face Illinois-Chicago on Dec. 2 at 6 p.m. (AZ time). UIC is 2-5 to begin the season. The game can be viewed on ESPN3 (check local provider for availability) or heard on KXXT 1010 AM. Go to www.gculopes.com for online links to follow the action.

CMU 79 GCU 77