PHOENIX. Ariz. (DSC) – David Cuen scored 21 points and his brother Eric added 13 as Grand Canyon defeated Dixie State 78-64 in non-conference men's basketball Friday night.
Although both teams are members of the Pacific West Conference. the game didn't count in the league standings. Conference members play one another three times during the season with the two-to-one home game advantage rotating from year to year. Dixie State and Grand Canyon will end the regular season with two games in St. George. Utah. on March 5 and 6. The teams played on Thursday and the coaches elected to play Friday's extra game to fill out their schedules.
Milee Karre added 15 points and Brandon Dempster had 11 for Grand Canyon (2-2. 8-8). Andy Palmer (St. George. UT/Pine View) paced Dixie State (3-0. 8-7) with 18 points while Ryan Sanchez (Ogden. UT/Fremont) added 10 points and eight assists. Hartman finished with nine points and Kevin Lindquist (Gilbert. AZ/Lone Peak) had eight.
Grand Canyon led most of the first half. Dixie State used a 17-6 run to take a 23-21 lead on Ben Hartman (Santa Clara. UT/Snow Canyon)'s 3-point basket with 7:55 left in the half. Grand Canyon responded with a 21-6 streak of its own to take a 42-29 lead into the locker room at intermission.
Dixie State opened the second half with a 13-4 run. hitting three 3-point baskets along the way to close within 46-42. But Grand Canyon pulled away from there.
“When we had chances. we didn't take advantage.” Dixie State coach Jon Judkins said of those early moments in the second half. “Our guys came in thinking they were going to come in and win and this conference is too good for that. You've got to come out ready to play and I didn't see that tonight.”
Grand Canyon had a 38-32 rebounding edge while Dixie State committed 20 turnovers to 12 for the Antelopes.
The win was the first for Grand Canyon in the series. Dixie State. which is in its third year of NCAA membership. had won the previous five meetings.
Dixie State returns home for back-to-back league games against Notre Dame de Namur on Monday and Tuesday. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. both nights.
The new mascot for Dixie State will be unveiled at halftime of the game.

BOB HUDSON-DIXIE STATE SPORTS INFO