Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Grand Canyon
@HerdMBB Comeback Falls Short against Antelopes, 85-81
12/23/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
LAS VEGAS - Marshall men's basketball (4-8) rallied from a 15-point deficit to take the lead in the final two minutes of play, but could not withstand hot shooting by Grand Canyon (11-2) and fell, 85-81, in the championship game of the Global Sports Classic at Cox Pavilion on Tuesday night.
Junior Austin Loop (South Webster, Ohio) led the Herd with 20 points on 7-of-11 from the field, 6-of-10 from long range. Stevie Browning (Logan, W.Va.) and senior forward James Kelly (Ann Arbor, Mich.) each had 17 points, and Ryan Taylor (Indianapolis) rounded out double-figure scoring for the Herd with 10 points. Marshall was led on the boards by Kelly and sophomore forward Terrence Thompson (Durham, N.C.) with seven rebounds apiece.
Taylor gave the Herd its first lead, 3-0, when he was fouled on a layup and made the resulting free throw. Grand Canyon immediately responded with an 8-0 run over the next three minutes. From 13:39 to 11:13, there were two ties, and then the Lopes pulled away on a 20-5 run to reach a largest lead of 15 (34-19) at 5:37. Marshall kept its composure and cut the deficit to as few as four (36-32) on a 13-2 run, which included eight consecutive points from Loop. GCU had the upper hand at halftime, 42-35.
The Herd chipped away at the Antelopes' lead in the first part of the second half, and eventually surmounted it at the 12:37 mark on a 3-pointer by Loop, going up 55-53. It was Marshall's first lead since 19:17 in the first half (3-0). The score tied three more times, and then a hot streak put the Herd into a largest lead of eight points (72-64) with 6:44 left to play. However, an 8-0 run by GCU evened the score for the seventh time at 4:52 (72-72). A three by Browning and a layup by Kelly pushed the Herd back up by five points, but the pesky Lopes kept within striking distance. With only a one-point margin and 24 seconds left to play, Joshua Braun sunk a 3-pointer to put GCU ahead, 83-81. Marshall was forced into desperation fouling and could not overcome the Lopes' hot streak, falling, 85-81.
MILESTONES
- Terrence Thompson: 8 points, 7 rebounds career high
- Jon Elmore: 8 assists, career high
UP NEXT
After the holiday, the Herd will travel to College Park, Md., to face the No. 4/4 Maryland Terrapins on Sunday, Dec. 27, at 4 p.m. on the Big Ten Network. For the latest information about Marshall men's basketball, follow @HerdMBB on Twitter.
---HerdZone.com---
