Grand Canyon used a last-second layup to stun WKU Men’s Basketball Saturday, defeating the Hilltoppers in a 74-72 heartbreaker.
Down six with 1:44 left, the Lopes went on an 8-0 run to complete the comeback against the Hilltoppers, setting up the game-winning layup off a turnover by senior guard Don McHenry.
WKU shot 45.9% from the field in the game, outshooting Grand Canyon’s 40%. However, a 22-8 free-throw advantage and a 16-12 turnover advantage aided in the Lopes win.
Grand Canyon only made four threes in the game, shooting 4-17 for the game. WKU shot 8-21 from beyond the arc. Despite being up nine with under six minutes left, Grand Canyon made their way back into the game, knocking down three of their four threes in the second half.
McHenry notched his second straight 20-point game of the season, scoring 23 points on 9-16 shooting while adding five rebounds. Tyrone Marshall Jr. added 15 points and eight rebounds.
The loss drops WKU to 0-2.
The Hilltoppers will return to Diddle Arena to host the Campbellsville Tigers on Tuesday, Nov. 12.
First Half:
After winning the opening tip, WKU jumped to an early 6-2 lead led by Marshall Jr. Grand Canyon responded with a 6-0 run. A two-minute scoring drought by WKU was ended by a three by Julius Thedford, giving WKU a 19-16 lead with 11:14 remaining in the first.
The Hilltoppers went on an 8-0 run, assisted by a four-minute Lopes scoring drought, giving WKU a 29-22 lead with 6:14 remaining. The Lopes answered with an 8-2 run, cutting their deficit to 31-30.
The remaining 2:21 was a defensive affair, scoring five points each to close out the half. WKU led 36-35 to end the half.
Second Half:
The two teams opened the second half trading buckets back and forth, but with 15:12 remaining, a Grand Canyon three gave them their first lead since the 1:02 mark of the first half.
The Lopes jumped up to a four-point lead before WKU reclaimed the lead with 12:50 remaining. McHenry scored eight straight points to give them a 61-58 lead with 8:43 left in the game. Marshall helped stretch the WKU lead to nine with 5:53 remaining.
Despite a 2:34 scoring drought for the Lopes, they went on a 6-0 run in 1:02 to tie the game off of an and-one basket. After a turnover with 26 seconds remaining, Grand Canyon made the game-winning layup with four-tenths of a second remaining to give the Lopes the win, ending the game on an 8-0 run.
Sports Reporter Michael Givner Jr. ca be reached at [email protected].
