Notes: GCU vs. Mississippi Valley State

	vs.
Grand Canyon Lopes (7-3, 0-0 WAC)	Mon. Dec. 18 7 p.m. MST	Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils (0-10, 0-0 MWC)
Grand Canyon Game Notes	Watch Live Listen Live Live Stats	~~Mississippi Valley State Game Notes~~

The Grand Canyon men's basketball team looks to improve to 8-1 at home on the season as they host Mississippi Valley State on Monday, Dec. 18 at GCU Arena. Tip off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. MST and will be broadcasted live in the Phoenix area on YurView (Ch. 4 Phoenix / Ch. 7 Tucson) and streamed online at GCU.tv. Out of market broadcast will also be available on ESPN3 (Subject to blackout within Arizona). Barry Buetel will be providing play-by-play with analyst Scott Williams and Kate Longworth on the sideline.

GCU fans can listen live as Michael Potter and Tom Kuyper will be airing on 1580 AM The Fanatic as well as online via The Fanatic website or mobile app. The pregame show will start 15 minutes before tip and conclude with a postgame show featuring comments from head coach Dan Majerle.

GCU QUICK NOTES:

Grand Canyon will face Mississippi Valley State for the third consecutive year, having won each of the last two contests, including a 72-62 win on Dec. 17 of last season.
The Lopes are 9-0 all-time against SWAC opponents, including an 87-53 win over Grambling State this season on Dec. 9.
GCU lost only their second overtime game in their Division I history on Wednesday night. The 85-80 loss came exactly two years to the day from their first, a 108-104 loss to Omaha on Dec. 13, 2015.
Since the 2014-15 season, the Lopes are 19-0 when returning to GCU Arena following a loss on the road or neutral site.
GCU ranks 12th in the country in scoring defense (61.6 points per game). In the last three seasons, GCU is 26-2 when allowing 61 points or less.
The Lopes rank 4th in 3-point defense, holding opponents to just 26.1 percent from beyond the arc.
Additionally, GCU ranks 16th in the country in effective opponent field goal percentage at 43.7 percent. Effective field goal percentage factors in weighted figures for 3-point field goals.
Keonta Vernon recorded the Lopes' first double-double of the season with 15 points and 12 rebounds at Boise State. It was the 12th double-double of Vernon's career at GCU, most on the team.
The Lopes rank 19th in the country in turnovers forced averaging 18.0 turnovers from opponents each game.
Dating back to last season, the Lopes have won 21 of their last 23 home games at GCU Arena.
Casey Benson is posting career-high averages for points (11.0), assists (5.1), rebounds (4.7), and steals (1.1) on the season.
GCU leads the WAC in scoring defense (61.6), scoring margin (+10.8), field goal percentage defense (.399), three-point field goal percentage defense (.261), turnover margin (+3.70), and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.1).
Mississippi Valley State has not won a non-conference game since defeating North Carolina A&T on Nov. 29, 2014.

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Players Mentioned

Casey Benson

Keonta Vernon

Grand Canyon University Athletics