Lopes pull away in second half, advance in CIT

Thursday, March 17

Phoenix, Ariz.

7 P.M.

Grand Canyon

27-6

Jackson State

20-16

JACKSTM

Grand Canyon

3/17/2016 10:01:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: Jake Hernandez

PHOENIX – The Grand Canyon men's basketball team used a second-half surge to defeat Jackson State 64-54 on Thursday night. The Lopes claim their second postseason victory in the school's Division I basketball history to advance to the quarterfinals of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.

"That was a really, really, really good win," head coach Dan Majerle said. "Our guys just played with a lot of heart, competitiveness, and just got after it. I couldn't be more proud of them. I think that I'm proud of that win as much as any this year because of the way those guys really competed in the second half. We talked about just finding a way to win, anyway, anyhow, so I'm proud of them. We're 18-2 at home this year, I told them they didn't want to go out losing and that was just an exceptional win. Really proud, really proud."

Joshua Braun scored 18 points on a 3-of-7 shooting clip, including 2-of-5 beyond the arc and a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw line to lead the Lopes to a second-half comeback victory. DeWayne Russell added 11 points on 3-of-9 shooting from the field and 5-of-7 from the free throw line.

After GCU jumped out to an early 5-0 lead with a Keonta Vernon dunk and a 3-pointer from Braun, the Tigers responded with back-to-back 3-pointers to take their first lead of the game at the 16:52 mark of the first half.

The Lopes took a 7-6 lead off a Gerard Martin layup, JSU went on a 9-2 run to take a 15-9 lead at the 10:30 mark. The Lopes stepped up on the defensive side of the ball, including two blocks from Vernon to climb back within four points as the Tigers led 25-21 with 46 seconds left in the half. GCU could not cut the lead as it went to the locker room down 27-21 at the half.

After shooting only 33.3 percent from the field in the first half, including 1-of-8 beyond the arc, the Lopes caught fire as they shot 52.2 percent in the second half, including four 3-pointers (4-of-10).

It was an offensive battle, as the teams traded shots during the second half. The Lopes heated up in the second half as they went on a 6-0 run within 45 seconds to tie the game 29-29 at the 16:45 mark. The early second half surge was led by couple steals that resulted in back-to-back layups by Grandy Glaze. The Lopes continued to score as a layup by Russell gave GCU a 41-39 lead, their first lead of the game since the 16:32 mark in the first half and they never looked back the rest of the game.

"We just tried to give energy and do whatever it takes when we come into the game," Matt Jackson said. "The crowd was unbelievable tonight, we fed off them and we were able to pull together for a big win."

Jackson and Ryan Majerle combined for 17 points off the bench as Majerle surged GCU's 7-0 run with a pair of free throws, a 3-pointer and a layup to put the Lopes up 49-41 at the 8:12 mark left in the game. Jackson and Majerle alone outscored the Tigers' bench 17-13 as the Lopes bench finished with 19 points.

"Ryan's had a heck of a year," Dan Majerle said on Ryan Majerle. "He kind of went into a slump and lately he's been shooting the ball well. I couldn't be happier for him because he plays hard, he practices really hard and I trust him out there. This is his last go around as a senior and I think he deserves a lot of playing time, and he's getting it, and he's really playing well."

With an announcement coming this weekend on location, date and opponent, the Lopes advance to the quarterfinals of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.