Dixie State Home Win Streak Snapped by Morin Three

Fifteen game string extinguished; GCU connects on nine triples

Whitehead led all DSC scorers with 23 points

BOX SCORE

PHOTO GALLERY

ST. GEORGE, UTAH (January 8) – With the score tied in the closing seconds of Saturday night's Pacific West Conference opener, Steven Morin drained a wide-open three from the right wing to give the visiting Grand Canyon Antelopes a 71-68 win over Dixie State College.

The loss inside the Burns Arena was the first for the Red Storm in regular season play since February 20, 2009 – snapping a string of fifteen straight DSC victories.

Grand Canyon improved to 6-5 on the year thanks to the outside shot. The Lopes connected on seven three-pointers in the first half and nine in total. GCU hit 25-of-48 shots overall (52.1-percent) led by Rony Tchatchoua with 17 points.

Dixie State had just one player in double figures – Tom Whitehead (St. George, UT/Dixie) netted 23 points on 7-of-15 field goals.

A close game at the 11:48 mark of the first half turned when the Lopes hit four triples over a four-minute span. DSC trailed by as many as 13, but defended well late to cut the halftime deficit to nine, 35-26.

Dixie State opened the second half on a 10-0 run culminating on a Whitehead three to turn the momentum of the game. A Maurice Cole (Norwalk, CA/Santa Fe) steal and coast-to-coast layin put the Storm in front 49-44 with 11:46 left.

The game's finale minutes saw multiple lead changes, a Dixie State charge and Morin's game-winner. Grand Canyon enjoyed a four-point lead with 21 seconds thanks to a pair of Kyle Speed free throws.

Jeremiah Barnes (Compton, CA/Los Altos) slashed to the hoop for a layup plus a foul. Barnes missed the freebie, but DSC corralled the offensive board to seem to have put in the tying bucket. The referees waved off the hoop because the clock had not moved. Dixie State maintained possession and drew a foul. Solomon Jensen (Centerville, UT/Viewmont) nailed both charity shots to tie the game with six seconds.

After a short timeout, GCU got the inbound to Speed who raced right down the middle of the court. He dished to Morin who spotted up from the wing and drained the go-ahead three-pointer. A 30-foot shot from Brett Adams (Sandy, UT/Alta) fell short at the buzzer ensuring the Antelope triumph.

Dixie State drops to 7-4 on the year and 0-1 in the Pacific West Conference.

League play continues on January 17 in San Francisco when the Red Storm battle Academy of Art University in the historic Kezar Pavilion. Tip is scheduled for 8:30pm Mountain.

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