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Mitchell Saxen had 14 points and 11 rebounds
and Aidan Mahaney scored 13 points but was just 5 of 21 from the
field for fifth-seeded Saint Mary's (26-8). Mason Forbes and
Luke Barrett each tallied 11 points and Augustas Marciulionis
added 10 points and eight assists for the Gaels, who lost for
just the third time in 26 games.
Grand Canyon will face No. 4 Alabama in Sunday's second round.
"This is our third time coming, so this is kind of the next step
in the maturation of a winning program, is being able to win a
game in the tournament," Lopes coach Bryce Drew said. "For
myself and I think for our program -- and for our school -- it's
just a huge step so people can realize how special a school GCU
is."
The Lopes connected on 42.9 percent of their shots, including 5
of 18 from behind the arc. Lok Wur had four of Grand Canyon's
nine blocked shots.
Saint Mary's shot 38.8 percent from the field and made 7 of 25
from 3-point range.
Mahaney said, "We're a good-shooting team. We just didn't shoot
well tonight."
Gaels coach Randy Bennett added of the Lopes, "They have some
guards who put some pressure on you, but it's a big discrepancy
to overcome. And having said that, we still should have overcome
it. We didn't guard well enough and definitely weren't good
enough offensively for the first 30 minutes."
The Gaels pulled within 35-34 on back-to-back baskets by Mahaney
before Grand Canyon exploded with a 17-1 run.
McGlothan scored six straight points and Foster followed with
five on a 3-pointer and a dunk to give the Lopes a 46-34 lead.
After Marciulionis split two free throws, Harrison scored six
straight points to push the Grand Canyon lead to 52-35 with
11:15 left in the game.
Saint Mary's answered with a layup from Forbes, a 3-pointer by
Marciulionis and another hoop by Forbes to creep within 10 with
9:16 remaining.
A short time later, the Lopes led by 13 before the Gaels
received a 3-pointer by Alex Ducas, a layup from Saxen and a
trey by Mahaney to move within 57-52 with 6:37 left.
Two free throws apiece by Harrison and Moore allowed Grand
Canyon to make it a nine-point lead with 5:42 remaining.
Mahaney drilled another trey as his team moved within 64-58 with
4:34 remaining but the Lopes kept Saint Mary's from getting
closer. Harrison's layup made it 69-60 with 1:41 left and
Grant-Foster made two free throws with 1:01 to go as Grand
Canyon closed it out.
Grand Canyon held a 28-27 halftime edge. Saxen had 10 points in
the half for the Gaels.
Grant-Foster was Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year
in his first season with Grand Canyon.
He collapsed at halftime of a game while playing for DePaul on
Nov. 10, 2021, was revived in the locker room and three more
times in the ambulance. Grant-Foster underwent two heart
surgeries and was away from the game for 16 months before being
cleared and signing with the Lopes. Friday was an occasion he
envisioned when he was sidelined.
"All the time, all the time," Grant-Foster said. "Just because I
couldn't play, the dream never went away."
--Field Level Media
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