Braun Scores Career High in Victory Over Black Hills State

Tuesday, November 17

Phoenix, Ariz.

7 p.m.

Grand Canyon

2-0

Black Hills State

1-1

Black Hills State

Grand Canyon

Photo by: Darryl Webb

Braun Scores Career High in Victory Over Black Hills State

11/17/2015 9:14:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: Steven Gonzalez

PHOENIX – The Grand Canyon men's basketball team continued its home stand to start the 2015-16 season with a matchup against Black Hills State. Josh Braun shot a perfect 7-for-7 from the field for a career-high 27 points as the Antelopes defeated the Yellow Jackets 88-72 in front of 5,102 fans to improve to 2-0 this season.

The Lopes took a lead they would never relinquish just 33 seconds into the game as nine players scored for head coach Dan Majerle. The Lopes finished shooting 64.6 percent, the highest percentage since the Lopes joined the Division I ranks.

Braun got GCU off to a hot start, scoring eight points in the first three minutes of the game as the Lopes jumped out to a 10-2 lead. Grand Canyon was able to create pressure on the defensive end, as Black Hills State did not score a point from the 11:19 mark until 7:40 minutes left in the first half. The Lopes were able to exploit the Yellow Jackets on the glass as GCU outrebounded BSHU 27-11 in the first 20 minutes of play including eight offensive rebounds. Keonta Vernon led the charge on the boards pulling down eight rebounds including five on offense.

"Josh came out and played really well for us," Majerle said. "He can score in so many different ways. He can post up, he gets to the free throw line, and he can make the three. I can call a lot of different plays to get Josh his shots. He's such a nightmare for mismatches. Josh is going to be a big part of what we do offensively."

The Lopes were able to exploit the Yellow Jackets on the glass as GCU outrebounded BSHU 27-11 in the first 20 minutes of play including eight offensive rebounds. Keonta Vernon led the charge on the boards pulling down eight rebounds including five on offense..

Braun, GCU's leading scorer, was quick to deflect the praise to the Lopes' efforts on the boards. "We're going to get to the line a lot," Braun said. "We've got a lot of guys who are big and going to grab boards. We're happy to have those guys who can rebound."

In the first game of the season against Portland State, Braun scored 15 points and against Black Hills State, Braun scored 17 points in the first half alone. The Lopes were efficient on offense in the first half, shooting 50 percent from the field and 55.6 percent from the 3-point line. Grand Canyon went into halftime with the 42-29 lead on Black Hills State.

The Antelopes avoided a sluggish second half start as they used an 11-3 run to extend their lead to 53-32. Grandy Glaze recorded his first double-double at Grand Canyon with 14 points and a team-high 11 rebounds. The offense did not slow down when Majerle turned to his bench as GCU outscored Black Hills State's bench 38-6.

Grand Canyon effectively distributed the ball, finishing with 21 assists on its 31 made field goals. DeWayne Russell led Grand Canyon with seven assists – just one shy of his career best set last year.

Ryan Riley led the Yellow Jacket's offensive charge with a game-high 34 points.

The Lopes will be back in action on Thursday, Nov. 19, against Alcorn State. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at GCU Arena.