PHOENIX – The Northwestern State men's basketball team battled Grand Canyon for stretches Saturday night, but a pair of extended Lopes runs proved too much to overcome in an 85-72 road loss at GCU Arena.
"I think we're the best 1-5 team in the country," head coach Rick Cabrera said. "I'm extremely proud of the way our guys fought. I despise losing, but we competed, we put ourselves in position to win a game and, most importantly, my team got better today. That's all I can ask for."
NSU (1-5) traded blows with GCU early, answering the Lopes' first punch with balanced scoring.
Izzy Miles got the Demons on the board with a jumper, and Micah Thomas, Moustapha Loum and Omar Adegbola all chipped in as Northwestern State climbed back from an early six-point deficit.
Adegbola's 3 from the wing and two free throws from Justin Redmond pulled NSU even, and Redmond's second foul shot gave the Demons their first lead at 13-12 with just over 13 minutes left in the first half.
From there, Grand Canyon (3-2) seized control with the first of its big runs.
The Lopes strung together a 16-2 burst, fueled by perimeter shooting and repeated trips to the foul line, to move in front 28-15.
NSU stemmed the tide behind a midrange jumper and three-point play from Landyn Jumawan, a free throw and jumper from junior guard Chip Brunt, and late offense from J.C. Riley Jr. and Thomas.
Riley converted a jumper and free throw in the final two minutes of the half, and Thomas added a three-point play to trim the deficit, but GCU still carried a 41-31 lead into the break.
"We just played patiently and we shared the ball well," Cabrera said. "We made shots when it was time to make shots. We finally got Landyn going. He was a big part of our offense coming into the season and he didn't get off to the greatest start, but his last two games have been really good. Kordrick Turner is a monster in the post, and when you have a balance inside and outside, you're going to score a lot of points. We scored enough to compete, not enough to win. I thought we did solid defensively. I know the numbers don't say that, but that's a very good team and very big at every position. They scored some tough buckets."
Northwestern State came out of halftime with purpose, and Thomas led the charge.
The senior guard opened the half with a jumper, added a layup in the paint and knocked down another midrange shot as the Demons put together a 10-5 push to pull within 46-41.
During that stretch, Thomas crossed the 1,000-point plateau for his Division I career, adding his name to an exclusive scoring club while keeping NSU within striking distance.
"It's a joy to coach such a talented player and a great human being. I'm so proud of him," said Cabrera. "You only get one college experience, and he's been a joy to coach. Not many people can say they scored 1,000 points in college, and he deserved every bit of it."
A layup from Turner and another finish from Riley brought additional life to the Demons' offense, but every time NSU made a move, GCU had an answer.
The Lopes responded to Northwestern State's surge with another decisive run, this time using a combination of transition baskets, paint scoring and free throws to rebuild the margin.
A 3 from GCU's Dusty Stromer and a highlight dunk from Jaden Henley turned what was a five-point game into a 61-46 deficit midway through the second half.
Still, the Demons refused to go away quietly. Thomas and Jumawan led a late push that again trimmed the gap to single digits.
Thomas buried a 3 from the top of the key, attacked the lane for multiple finishes and added a pair of free throws, while Jumawan connected on three second-half triples, including one in transition and another from the corner to make it 74-66 inside the final four minutes.
Adegbola drilled a timely 3 during that stretch as well, helping NSU piece together a 9-5 run that gave the Demons a chance to make things interesting late.
GCU, however, closed the door at the line and at the rim, converting free throws and finishing in transition in the final two minutes to push the lead back out and seal the win.
Despite the loss, the numbers showed how competitive NSU was offensively.
Offensively speaking, the Demons held their own, shooting 48 percent from the field to GCU's 49 percent, while NSU shot 30 percent (6 for 20) to GCU's 32 percent (7 for 22) from 3-point range. Northwestern State also held a 12-10 edge in points off turnovers while committing just 10 giveaways to GCU's 12.
The difference came in the trenches: Grand Canyon owned a 41-17 advantage on the glass, including 12 offensive rebounds that led to an 11-3 edge in second-chance points, and the Lopes outscored NSU 30-16 at the free-throw line on 39 attempts.
GCU also used its depth and transition game to build separation, posting a 33-15 edge in bench points and a 13-6 advantage in fast-break scoring.
Away from the box score, Cabrera pointed to the way his team has handled a front-loaded schedule that has featured five road games in the first six contests.
"They've bonded really well. Our guys like each other," Cabrera said. "I enjoy watching them from afar when they're conversing with each other and laughing and joking. That brings so much joy to my mind and my soul, just knowing that our guys are connected and they don't have any ulterior motives. They're just playing together and trying to win for each other. Seeing them in timeouts, just being so positive, encouraging and believing in each other, it means a lot. The teams we've played are NCAA Tournament-caliber teams, and it's only going to help us when it's time for conference."
