PHOENIX – The Northwestern State men's basketball team continues its early-season road stretch Friday night with a first-time visit to Grand Canyon, closing out its multi-team event with a matchup against the Lopes.

The Demons and Lopes tip off at 8 p.m. Central on the Mountain West Network.

The Demons (1–4) are looking to rebound after Tuesday's matchup at San Francisco.

Senior guard Landyn Jumawan is coming off a season-high 13-point performance as he continues to build confidence as the season goes on.

Justin Redmond added 11 points, including two second-half 3-pointers, while J.C. Riley Jr. supplied valuable minutes with strong finishes at the rim.

Omar Adegbola continued to be productive on both ends, scoring efficiently inside and at the free-throw line.

As a team, the Demons produced 32 bench points and connected on 38 percent of their 3-point attempts, flashes of offensive rhythm they aim to carry into Friday's contest.

For the second straight game, the Demons will face a first-time opponent.

Grand Canyon (2-2) is coming off a 78–64 road loss at Saint Louis.

Under the direction of head coach Bryce Drew, the Lopes have built a reputation for defensive toughness, a structured half-court offense, and one of the most energetic home atmospheres in college basketball.

"GCU just made a move to the Mountain West, which is a borderline high-major conference," third-year head coach Rick Cabrera said. "We're excited to go to the state of Arizona and play in that atmosphere.
They've got a good ball club, and coach Drew has done a phenomenal job. But we like our chances. I'm not a guy that's going to sit here and say if we play perfect, we'll have a chance. We've got a chance in any game we play, but we just got to do the right things."

The Lopes rank 16th nationally in free-throw percentage (80.7) and 72nd in rebounding margin (plus-9.0), strengths that have powered their early-season success.

Senior guard Jaden Henley leads GCU with 15.5 points per game on 45 percent shooting, while Nana Owusu-Anane is among the nation's top rebounders, averaging 10.8 boards per game (20th nationally) and already recording two double-doubles this season.

With the Demons away from home for an extended stretch, Cabrera said the trip is as much about growing together as it is about results on the floor.

"We're going to be gone from (Nov. 16) all the way until Saturday," Cabrera said. "Our guys like each other. They're great guys, but it's more of being in the trenches with each other. From this day until Saturday, we won't be separated. We're going to be around each other the entire time. It's a great time as we prepare in this non-conference stretch. We try to win every game we play, but then we'll start getting ready for our conference pretty soon."