Box Score

PHOENIX, Ariz. – The Grand Canyon University men's basketball team grabbed its 10th win of the season, a 71-61 non-conference victory over Montana State University Billings Friday.

The Antelopes' (10-2, 2-0 Pac West Conference) held MSU Billings to a season-low 36 percent shooting from the field, while they shot 55 percent. Killian Larson finished with a game-high 22 points leading GCU. He made nine of his 11 attempts from the field. Joshua Lowery added 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds.

“I thought we got better tonight,” MSUB Head Coach Jamie Stevens said. “Our guys played really hard against a very good team in a great environment. We just could not make enough shots to keep us in the game.”

Grand Canyon's 55 percent shooting from the field was its second-highest of the season, and the 'Lopes won their ninth straight game after opening the season winning of their first three. The nine-game win streak matches a program high, as GCU won its final nine games of the regular season last year.

The Yellowjackets committed 17 turnovers, the most since turning it over 20 times against Hawaii-Hilo on Nov. 21. MSU Billings had more turnovers than its opponent for the first time this season in the GCU loss. MSUB outrebounded Grand Canyon, 38-35, and it marked only the second time in 16 occurrences that Montana State Billings lost despite outrebounding its opponent under Stevens.

Montana State Billings had an early five-point lead, four minutes into the game. Grand Canyon responded with 10 unanswered points with just over 10 minutes left in the first half. MSUB would never lead again. GCU had its largest advantage of the opening stanza after a Lowery free-throw gave the 'Lopes a 25-14 lead with 6:43 remaining in the half. In the final six minutes, the Yellowjackets came as close as five points, but trailed 32-25 at halftime.

The Antelopes shot 66 percent in the first half, while MSUB made only 29 percent of its shots. Grand Canyon missed all three of its three-point attempts, and the Yellowjackets made only four of their 16 shots from behind the perimeter.

Grand Canyon opened the second half by scoring the first six points, and MSUB was held scoreless until Jarrell Crayton hit a jumper four minutes into the second stanza. The Yellowjackets slowly cut into the margin and after a 16-5 run, Montana State Billings was within three points with 9:25 remaining in regulation.
A 13-5 GCU run built the lead back to double-digits, 61-50, after a Brad Carroll three-pointer with just over five minutes left in the game. The 'Lopes led by as many as 17 points, but MSU Billings scored the final four points of the contest, making the final score, 71-61.

Grand Canyon turned the Yellowjacket turnovers into a 22-11 points off of turnovers advantage. The 'Lopes also had a 36-28 lead in the paint. MSUB did hold an 18-9 second-chance points advantage. GCU was 2-of-10 from three-point range, and made 17 of its 26 free-throws.

The Yellowjackets (5-5, 0-2 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) had three players finish in double-digits. Crayton recorded double-digit scoring for the eighth straight game with 14 points. The senior added a season-high 14 rebounds. It's the second double-double performance for MSUB this season. Omar McDade and Brian Ridgeway added 12 and 11 points respectively. MSU Billings was held to 8-of-32 from behind-the-arc, and made five of its 14 free-throw attempts.

Montana State Billings welcomes cross-town rival Rocky Mountain College to Alterowitz Gymnasium Monday, in the first of three games for MSUB against Frontier Conference opponents. Unlike the matchup on Oct. 31, this will be a regular-season contest for the Yellowjackets. MSU Billings won at RMC in that exhibition meeting, 81-77. The Battlin' Bears (8-4, 1-0 Frontier Conference) have won three straight regular season games against MSU Billings, including the last two in Alterowitz Gymnasium.

The 166th meeting between Rocky Mountain and Montana State Billings will be sponsored by Cellular Plus, and all children in sixth grade or under will be admitted free. Live video and stats will be available on MSUBSports. A live radio broadcast will be available locally on KFHW 101.1 FM.

MSUB – GRAND CANYON POSTGAME NOTES
* Grand Canyon now leads the all-time series 8-3.
* MSUB is 0-6 all-time at Grand Canyon.
* Grand Canyon won the previous meeting, 77-57, at the GCU Tournament on Dec. 18, 2010.
* MSU Billings won the first meeting on Jan. 26, 1991, but then lost the next five.
* The Yellowjackets last win over GCU came in the MSUB Shootout on Nov. 25, 1994, 108-84.
* The Antelopes' held MSU Billings to a season-low 36 percent shooting from the field.
* Grand Canyon's 55 percent shooting from the field was its second-highest of the season.
* The Antelopes' nine-game win streak matches a program high, as GCU won its final nine games of the regular season last year.
* MSU Billings had more turnovers than its opponent for the first time this season in the GCU loss.
* Jarrell Crayton's 14 rebounds is a team season-high, and the most since Robert Mayes had 15 against Seattle Pacific on Feb. 18, last season.

MSU Billings vs Grand Canyon
12/14/12 6:30 pm at Phoenix, AZ (GCU Arena)
At Phoenix, AZ (GCU Arena)
GRAND CANYON 71, MSU BILLINGS 61
MSU BILLINGS (5-5)
Crayton,Jarrell 7-13 0-0 14; McDade,Omar 5-16 0-3 12; Ridgeway,Brian 3-9 3-5
11; Cusworth,Cameron 3-8 1-2 9; Johnson,Sam 2-7 1-2 6; Hatcher,Kalob 2-6 0-1
5; Trabing,Robby 2-2 0-1 4; Nelson,Tyler 0-0 0-0 0; Desin,Danny 0-1 0-0 0;
Hook,Jimmy 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 24-65 5-14 61.
GRAND CANYON (10-2)
Larson, Killian 9-11 4-7 22; Lowery, Joshua 3-7 4-5 10; Garrison, Jerome 3-6
2-4 8; Pickrel, Braylon 3-7 1-2 8; Carroll, Brad 3-5 0-0 7; Foreman, Justin
2-5 2-2 6; Davis, Blake 2-3 2-2 6; Robbins, Barret 1-2 1-2 3; Lowery, Jeff
0-1 1-2 1; Boone, Camyn 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-47 17-26 71.
MSU Billings..................   25   36  -   61
Grand Canyon..................   32   39  -   71
3-point goals--MSU Billings 8-32 (McDade,Omar 2-11; Cusworth,Cameron 2-7;
Ridgeway,Brian 2-7; Hatcher,Kalob 1-2; Johnson,Sam 1-3; Desin,Danny 0-1;
Crayton,Jarrell 0-1), Grand Canyon 2-10 (Pickrel, Braylon 1-3; Carroll, Brad
1-3; Foreman, Justin 0-2; Davis, Blake 0-1; Lowery, Joshua 0-1). Fouled
out--MSU Billings-None, Grand Canyon-None. Rebounds--MSU Billings 38
(Crayton,Jarrell 14), Grand Canyon 35 (Lowery, Joshua 7). Assists--MSU
Billings 11 (Hatcher,Kalob 4), Grand Canyon 11 (Carroll, Brad 3). Total
fouls--MSU Billings 18, Grand Canyon 19. Technical fouls--MSU Billings-None,
Grand Canyon-None. A-3258