PHOENIX, Ariz. (11/16/18) – Ty Cockfield II scored a game-high 24 points but it was not enough as the Arkansas State men's basketball team fell to Grand Canyon 96-72 Friday evening at the GCU Arena.
A-State trailed 28-27 throws with 4:37 to go in the first half, but the Lopes ended the half on a 16-3 run to push the advantage to double-digits at the halftime break. Grand Canyon extended the lead to 53-40 early in the second half, but the Red Wolves cut the deficit down to nine after a putback jumper by Cockfield and a layup from Marquis Eaton.
The Red Wolves would get not get any closer however, as the Lopes extended their advantage over the next six minutes and led 74-54 with 9:47 to go in the game.
“That is a very good team and they are going to win their league and be an NCAA Tournament team,” A-State head coach Mike Balado said. “I made this schedule hard on purpose and I don't want people to get discouraged at all because I'm not. I thought we did some very good things tonight. I know the score doesn't look that way, but defensively this was probably one of the better halves we have had with what we did in the first half tonight.”
Cockfield led the way with his 24 points on 11-of-16 shooting, while collecting four rebounds and three assists on the night. Grantham Gillard added 16 points, including four 3-pointers, and seven rebounds while Tristin Walley finished with 11 points in 26 minutes of work.
Both teams traded baskets throughout the first 15 minutes of the game with neither side building more than a five-point advantage until late in the first half. A-State jumped out to a quick 9-6 lead after Cockfield scored on a layup on a fastbreak opportunity. Grand Canyon took the lead back, but Gillard followed with a 3-pointer to go up two with 14:53 left in the period.
A free throw by Alessandro Lever gave Grand Canyon the lead back at 13-12 with 13:43 remaining. A-State tied the game later in the half at 15-15 after a free throw by Shaquillo Fritz, but the Lopes quickly scored five points to regain a lead they would not relinquish. Fritz finished the night with five points and five blocked shots, most since Anthony Livingston had five against Appalachian State on January 15, 2015.
A-State continues the five game road trip with the VisitCurrituckOBX.com Battle in the Blue Ridge. The Red Wolves play three games in three days beginning with a matchup against UNC-Wilmington on Friday at 6:30 p.m. (CT). For the latest on A-State men's basketball, follow the Red Wolves on Twitter @AStateMB, at Facebook.com/AStateMB and on Instagram at 'AStateMB'.
