Grand Canyon snaps No. 23 Utah State’s 8-game win streak
Brian Moore Jr. and Makaih Williams each scored 20 points as Grand Canyon ended an eight-game winning streak for No. 23 Utah State with an 84-74 victory Saturday at Phoenix.
Jaden Henley scored 12 points, while Nana Owusu-Anane added 11 points and 11 rebounds as the Antelopes (11-6, 4-2 Mountain West) improved to 8-2 at home. Dennis Evans had six blocked shots for Grand Canyon, which shot 50.9% from the floor and held Utah State to 36.2%.
The Antelopes defeated a ranked team for the first time since getting past No. 15 Saint Mary's in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
Mason Falslev scored a game-high 25 points with 12 rebounds while Adlan Elamin and MJ Collins each scored 12 points for the Aggies (15-2, 6-1), who lost for the first time since dropping a road decision to South Florida on Dec. 4.
Utah State entered the game holding opponents to 39.8% from the floor and 32.6% from 3-point range. Grand Canyon went 7 of 20 (35%) from long distance on Saturday.
After trailing nearly the entire game, Utah State pulled to 61-60 with 8:27 remaining on a 3-pointer from Kolby King. Grand Canyon responded with a 5-0 burst for a 66-60 advantage and went up 73-65 with 4:39 left on a 3-pointer from Caleb Shaw.
A jumper from Williams put the Antelopes ahead 77-67 with 3:21 remaining before the Aggies pulled to 79-74 with 1:45 left on a 3-pointer from Collins.
Grand Canyon received 18 points from its bench in the second half -- 16 from Williams -- while going 14 of 18 from the free-throw line over the final 20 minutes.
The Antelopes used an 11-2 scoring burst in the first half to open their first double-digit lead at 41-31 with 2:32 remaining before halftime. Grand Canyon led 42-36 at the half behind 10 points from Moore and nine points with eight rebounds from Owusu-Anane.
Falslev scored 17 first-half points for Utah State.