GCU heads to San Diego State, aims for first road win

Friday, December 18

San Diego, Calif.

8 p.m.

Grand Canyon

San Diego State

Photo by: Darryl Webb

12/18/2015 6:29:00 AM | Men's Basketball

By: Charles Hampton

The Grand Canyon men's basketball team hits the road for another tough test as they face off with the San Diego State Aztecs on Friday, Dec. 18, 2015 at Viejas Arena in San Diego. This will be the second all-time meeting between the two schools with the Antelopes winning the first matchup 86-68 on Feb. 23, 1980 at the San Diego Sports Arena.

The Aztecs will be playing their first game in eight days having wrapped up their final exams. Their last time out on the court, they took down Nicholls State 84-47 for their second consecutive win to start a season-long five-game home stand. The Aztecs shot 48.3 percent from the field, including 40.0 percent from beyond the arc, while limiting the Colonels to just 24.6 percent from the floor. Eleven games into their season, Jeremy Hemsley leads the team, average 13.5 pointers per game while also dishing out 27 assists. Phoenix native Zylan Cheatham, who played his high school ball at South Mountain High School, is San Diego State's leading rebounder, averaging 5.7 rebounds per game. The Aztecs, who have been regular attendees of the NCAA Tournament, are 98-8 in their last 106 home games at Viejas Arena.

"They are a really, really good team," head coach Dan Majerle said after his team's win over Delaware State. "They are a really talented team. They'll challenge everything. They trap, they pressure and they are big, strong athletes so it will be quite a test for our guys to see where we're at."

The Lopes have a much quicker turnaround having hosted the Delaware State Hornets on Tuesday night at Grand Canyon University Arena. Making his first start of the season, forward Keonta Vernon recorded his first double-double, scoring 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field and pulling down 10 rebounds to go along with 3 steals in only 20 minutes of action.

"The way he rebounds and the way he attacks, he is a great athlete," Majerle said about Vernon. "He does a good job around the boards, defensively he is quick because he can guard smaller guys and he can guard big guys. Keonta can run the floor."

DeWayne Russell had his second consecutive game with double-digit assists as he dished out 10 assists and missed his second double-double of the year by just one point as he scored 9 points and joined Vernon with the team-lead with 3 steals.

"DeWayne has been doing well," Majerle said of his senior point guard. "He played good last game with 12 assists--he didn't shoot the ball particularly well, but for 12 assists and to have 10 assists tonight is what I expect of him. There are nights where he is going to be able to score but if he continues to throw the ball and lead the break the way he is leading, that is terrific. Anytime a point guard in the college game has 10 assists and 12 on Sunday is terrific."

Coming off the bench, guard Ryan Ryan Majerle followed up a 13-point effort against Omaha with his best shooting night of the season, as he scored 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field, including 4-of-7 from three-point range.

"Ryan is a good player that played well in the WAC last season, "Majerle said of his nephew. "If you leave him open when his feet are set then I am surprised when he misses. This is a team that played zone and he stepped in and we did a good job of getting him open--DeWayne finding him and setting him picks."