STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Tarleton State Men's Basketball snapped its eight-game home winning streak in a heart-breaker to Grand Canyon, 64-60, on Thursday night in Wisdom Gym.
The Texans (10-16 overall, 5-6 WAC) drop below .500 in conference play for the first time this season. Grand Canyon (18-7, 8-2) is one game behind Utah Valley for the top seed in next month's WAC Tournament.
Dantwan Grimes led the Texans in scoring for the third time this season with 16 points. He also tied for the team-lead with six boards and dished out a team-best six assists. The junior transfer swiped a game-high six steals, the fourth Texan to notch at least six in a game this season.
Freshman
Jordan Mizell played all 40 minutes for the third time this season. He was one of three Texans to score in double figures notching 15 points. The Plano, Texas, native, matched Grimes with six boards. He shot 66 percent from the floor making six of his nine attempts.
Izzy Miles was the last Texan in score double figures also scoring 15. Miles seemed to be all over the floor, recording three boards, two assists and a block.
The Texans forced 22 turnovers while committing just 12. For the third time this season, Tarleton State used just seven players bringing only Grimes and
Nick Krass off the bench
The battle started in the first half with both teams' neck-and-neck. GCU grabbed the first bucket, but
Chris Mpaka scored off a lob within the first minute to tie it up in front of the load, raucous Wisdom Gym crowd. The first three minutes saw three ties and two lead changes. Trailing 6-4, the Texans took the lead for the first time off a Grimes triple in the corner.
The Lopes regained the lead and held it for the rest of the half, but with the loud Texan nation, the game never seemed out of reach and seemed as if the Texans were in the lead. GCU used a 7-0 run to break out to a six-point lead at the under-16 timeout. The two teams swapped baskets over the next few minutes with GCU leading by eight, 19-11 with 12:18 remaining.
Then, it was the Texans turn. Mizell started the 6-0 run with a layup before the Texans scored four points in 13 seconds. Miles made a fallaway jumper moving through the paint to start the run. On the inbound, the Lopes pressed and Mpaka swatted away a one-on-one breakaway. The ball ended in the hands of Grimes where he went coast-to-coast for the score to bring the Texans within two and forced a GCU timeout.
GCU responded on a 4-0 run to take a six-point lead. Over the next few minutes, the Lopes led by as many as 11, 32-21 at the 5:40 mark. In the final five minutes, trailing by 10, the Texans cut their deficit to five with less than a minute to go. Grimes knocked down his second triple of the game after realizing the shot clock didn't reset and draining a triple from behind the arc. On the next possession,
Keitenn Bristow registered a steal and found Miles for his seventh point of the half.
The Lopes scored in the final 30 seconds of the half, to head into the break leading, 37-30. Both teams were even on the stat sheet making 12 from the floor at a 33 percent rate, and two threes at a 33 percent clip. But, the difference was free throws. The Lopes went to the free throw line more connecting on 11 of their 13 attempts compared to the Texans making four of their seven chances. The seven-shot difference between the two led to the GCU seven-point halftime advantage.
Grand Canyon scored the first points of the second half, but the Texans responded with the next four, to cut their deficit to just five. Back-to-back paint baskets by Mizell and Mpaka fueled the Texans. Over the next several minutes the two teams engaged in a back-and-forth affair with the Lopes ending up leading 50-40 with 12:46 remaining in the contest.
Tarleton State needed just 72 seconds to run off a 7-0 spurt and bring themselves within three, 50-47. After back-to-back turnover by GCU's NBA prospect Tyon Grant-Foster, Grimes and Mpaka converted on easy buckets in the paint. On the next play after a media timeout, Mizell swiped the inbound pass and took it to the rim drawing a foul and making the basket. He converted the and-one to bring the Texans within three.
After GCU missed one of two from the line, Miles hit a bunny from the baseline to bring the Texans within two. Grimes recorded a steal on the Lopes offensive end and broke to tie the game but was fouled before he was able to get the layup off. He brought TSU within one, connecting on one of his two freebies. The Lopes knocked down a pair from the line thirty seconds later, before it was Grimes' turn to tie the game. Grimes knocked down a pull-up triple from the top of the arc to tie the game at 53.
The Lopes battled back running off four-straight points to take a 57-53 lead with five minutes left. Neither team scored for the next three minutes, and then the Lopes opened the lead to eight with a pair of free throws. Grimes notched one of his six steals and passed it ahead to Mizell to cut the deficit to four with just under two minutes to play. The Lopes made two free throws with 1:34 left to lead, 61-55.
But then, Mizell picked up a loose ball and drove down to score and drew the foul, cutting the deficit in half on a single play. On the next possession, Grimes forced a GCU turnover and found Miles for the open court dunk to cut the score to 61-60 with 59 ticks left. The Lopes made a layup in the paint to stretch it to a three-point advantage with 40 seconds left. After a Texan timeout, Grimes got a wide-open look at a three but it nicked off the rim into the hand of the Lopes. GCU closed the game with a made free throw in the final seconds to take the victory, 64-60, their first in Wisdom Gym in 1,496 days.
The Texans had one of their worst nights from the free throw line of the season only making 53 percent (eight-for-15). GCU shot 49 percent from the floor compared to TSU's 41 percent. The Lopes won the battle of the boards, 39-26, but the Texans had more points in the paint, 36-30.
Tarleton State will host Seattle U on Saturday night at 7 p.m. to end the week. The Texans seek to avenge last week's road loss at the Redhawk Center.
