Lopes slow down Roadrunners, win 12th straight

Thursday, January 28

Phoenix, Ariz.

7 p.m.

Grand Canyon

19-2, 6-0

CSU Bakersfield

14-7, 4-2

CSUB

Grand Canyon

1/28/2016 9:32:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: Samantha Fell

PHOENIX – The GCU men's basketball team defeated the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners 70-64 on Thursday, Jan. 28 at GCU Arena. The Lopes extend their winning streak to 12 games and improve to 19-2 on the season. Grand Canyon also remains unbeaten in the WAC with a 6-0 record.

"What a grind out game," head coach Dan Majerle commented. "I was worried about this game. That's a good team, very physical, very good defensively, and it showed. Overall, I'm very happy with that win. Our guys just keep rolling."

CSU jumped out to an early lead to start the game. Matt Jackson hit a three with 15 minutes remaining in the first half to grab the first lead of the game for the Lopes, putting them up 9-8.

Grandy Glaze went to work around the hoop and helped the Lopes extend their lead to 14 points with 4 minutes remaining in the half. Glaze had 12 points and 7 rebounds at the break, another impressive first half performance for the forward. At the half, GCU held a 38-31 advantage entering the locker room.

Both teams traded baskets for the majority of the second half. Gerard Martin took his third, and most important, charge of the half with 23.2 seconds remaining. The Roadrunners had battled back to 68-64 after trailing for most of the second half before Martin's charge. After the call, Glaze and DeWayne Russell each knocked down 1-of-2 free throws to secure the victory.

"One of Gerard's strengths is to get down there and sacrifice his body," Majerle said. "It takes a little bit of guts to stand there and take a hit like that. Our guys definitely had that."

Glaze finished the game with 24 points and 13 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season. Joshua Braun nearly recorded a double-double of his own after scoring 14 points and pulling down 8 rebounds. Point guard Russell led the team with 5 assists and added 9 points.

"This is huge for us," Glaze said. "To get nineteen wins is not an easy task; I don't care who you're playing against. We came out focused, energized and we were able to get the win tonight."

Grand Canyon University is the first Division I team in the NCAA to reach 19 wins this season.

"It's just another milestone for these guys," Majerle said. "It's a dream season, so let's just keep it rolling."

Next up, the Lopes will face WAC foe Seattle University on Saturday, Jan. 30. The game will be played at 7 p.m. at GCU Arena.