Bobcats Lose at Grand Canyon, Drop Season's Second Game

Monday, November 17

7 pm

Montana State University

0-2

Grand Canyon

1-1

Team	1	2	F
Montana State	18	27	45
Grand Canyon	28	33	61

Danny Robison led the Cats with 17 points Monday

Photo by: Scott Quintard

11/17/2014 9:59:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Antelopes pull away from Cats with strong finish to first half

By: Bill Lamberty

Grand Canyon closed the first half with a 10-0 run and scored the first four points of the second half for good measure, rolling to a 61-45 win over Montana State in Phoenix on Monday.

The Antelopes turned 22 Bobcat turnovers into 18 points, a difference the Bobcats couldn't overcome. "When you turn the ball over and don't even get a shot attempt, that hurts," said Bobcat coach Brian Fish. "And when you have 22 turnovers in a low-scoring game, that magnifies the importance of each possession."

The Bobcats pulled into a 16-16 tie with the team picked to finish second in the WAC this year with five minutes remaining in the first half on a pair of Danny Robison free throws, but a Daniel Alexander three-pointer gave the hosts a lead they would never relinquish. A key turn of events ensued on the next possession, as the Cats missed a pair of three-pointers, and guard Marcus Colbert picked up his second foul.

"We got stagnant," Fish said of MSU's end-of-the-half struggles. "Marcus got in foul trouble and we had to take him out, and we got mismatched on some guys. That little four-minute stretch gave them some separation, and that changed the whole game."

The Antelopes converted five straight free throws without MSU getting a clean shot at the basket – the only Bobcat attempt in the last two minutes of the half was a missed free throw by Michael Dison – and in the last 10 seconds Royce Woolridge's steal set up a layup by De'Andre Davis to push the advantage to 28-18 at the intermission.

Grand Canyon pushed the advantage to 21 at one point in the second half, but Fish was pleased with the fight his team showed. "I thought the last 10 or 15 minutes of the game we started attacking, making jump stops, and got some things done," he said.

Junior forward Danny Robison set a career scoring high for the second straight outing on Wednesday, netting 17 points on 5-for-12 shooting. He hit MSU's only three three-pointers, and grabbed four boards. Zach Green, the Gilbert, Ariz., product, was a perfect 4-for-4 from the field and 3-for-3 from the line for 11 points, and he added two steals.

Ryan Majerle, the son of GCU head coach and former NBA All-Star Dan Majerle, led the Lopes with 13 points, while Woolridge scored 11 points with eight assists and a couple of steals. Alexander added 10.

Montana State's 11-day road trip to open the season continues Wednesday when the team returns to the Los Angeles area for a contest with Cal State Northridge at 8 pm MT.