Valley Finale for Red Storm (MBB Game Notes)

Dixie State Game Notes
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GAMEDAY CENTRAL
Dixie State College (20-5, 15-2 PWC) at Grand Canyon (18-7, 12-5 PWC)
DATE: March 3, 2012
SITE: GCU Arena (5,000)
TIP-OFF: 6:30 p.m. Mountain
RADIO (Red Storm Radio Network): SportsRadio 1210, 107/102 FM The Fox, online at DixieAthletics.com
TALENT: John Potter (play-by-play)
SERIES: Dixie State leads 10-3 over Grand Canyon

VALLEY FINALE: Dixie State College, the 2011-2012 Pacific West Conference champions, close out the 2011-2012 regular season with a tough road test against the Lopes of Grand Canyon University. Start time from the GCU Arena is set for 6:30 p.m. Mountain, with live coverage on the Red Storm Radio Network (SportsRadio 1210, 107/102 Cool FM The Fox, DixieAthletics.com) beginning 15 minutes prior to tip with John Potter (@PotterSez).

STORM WATCH: DSC enters the game with a 20-5 overall record and a 15-2 mark in the Pacific West. The Red Storm have averaged 76.6 points per game in the victories while posting just 60.2 points per game in five losses. Dixie State is led in scoring senior point guard Maurice Cole (Norwalk, CA/Santa Fe) at 12.7 points per game while dishing out 4.9 assists a game. Senior forward Griffon Jones (Cheney, WA/Cheney) leads the club with 6.0 rebounds a game and is second in scoring at 11.7 points. Junior guard McKay Massey (Payson, UT/Payson) averages 9.8 points per contest and Dalton Groskreutz (Santa Clara, UT/Snow Canyon) tops all scorers off the bench with just fewer than eight a game (7.9). DSC is averaging 73.4 PPG while holding opponents to 65.8 points on the defensive end, including a conference-best 41.2 field-goal percentage defense.

LAST TIME OUT: Chaminade did not look like a team that had lost seven games in a row. Behind a career night from Rickey Clayborn and Lee Bailey's last-second lay-in, the Silverswords defeated the Pacific West Conference champs of Dixie State College 73-71 on Saturday inside the Burns Arena. Clayborn scored 24 points and ripped down eight rebounds for Chaminade (10-13, 8-8 PWC). Bailey added 14, including a left-handed scoop shot on the Swords' final possession. Dixie State had its 13-game winning streak snapped to drop to 20-5 on the year and 15-2 in the PacWest. McKay Massey (Payson, UT/Payson) scored all 14 of his team-high points in the second half. His last effort, a 28-foot shot with less than a second on the clock, bounced off the back iron. The Silverswords used a 10-0 run, primarily off lay-ups, early in the first half to open a 14-9 lead and extended the advantage to as many as 13 points at the 8:03 mark using long-range shots. A short rebuttal by the Red Storm put the score in favor of Chaminade at 36-28 at the break. Dixie State whittled away at the Swords' lead over the first 10 minutes of the second half, eventually tying the game at 54-54 with a Griffon Jones (Cheney, WA/Cheney) bucket. CUH center Matt Cousins fouled out with 7:25 remaining and a subsequent 8-0 run put Dixie State ahead 66-63 with 4:21 left. The Swords went back to the outside shot, retying the game with three-ball. Massey countered with an outside shot at the 2:08 mark. But it would be the last points DSC scored. Bennie Murray connected with the equalizer after Chaminade corralled two offensive rebounds after missing from three-range. DSC turned to Jones on the ensuing possession. Held up on the low block, Jones was called for a travel. The Swords took the ball. Clayborn missed a lay-up, but got the offensive board. After a timeout, Bailey drove to the hoop and scored. Chaminade shot 49 percent from the floor and hit eight-of-25 shot from beyond the arc. Dixie State hit 24-of-60 shots (40 percent) and shined from the free throw line (20-22, 90.9 percent).

LAST GAME vs. GCU: Tied at the half, Dixie State College began the second half of play with 13 unanswered points, building a cushion the Red Storm would ride to a 73-56 win in Pacific West Conference play against the Grand Canyon Antelopes. Maurice Cole (Norwalk, CA/Santa Fe) scored 11 of his 16 points after intermission for the Red Storm (10-4, 5-1 PWC), who captured their third consecutive league win. Kyle Speed (12 points) and Braylon Pickrel (11 points, nine rebounds) were the only Grand Canyon (8-5, 2-3 PWC) players in double figures. “We matched their intensity after being unable to break the press early,” DSC head coach Jon Judkins said. “The run to start the second half proved we could run when we wanted to and take it to a pretty good team.” GCU flustered the home team with a high-energy press that led to 13 Red Storm turnovers in the first half. Extra opportunities gave the Lopes a 10-point lead with 7:22 left before the break. The Storm responded by instituting a press of its own and reeling off nine straight points, part of an 18-5 run. Three Canyon free throws knotted the game at halftime, 33-33. DSC snapped the tie with a 13-0 run over the first 3:39 of the second half. McKay Massey (Payson, UT/Payson) sparked the run with his lone 3-pointer. Four short-range shots and two free throws later, the Storm led 46-33. GCU chipped away at the lead, closing within five. Massey turned the tide with his sticky fingers. The junior guard tied a single-game DSC record with six steals, leading the way as the Storm swiped 13 steals – a team best in 2011-12. The Red Storm shot 49.1 percent from the floor and outrebounded GCU 38-29.

GRIFFON JONES ON TOP 10: Griffon Jones (Cheney, WA/Cheney) - Dixie State (Sr., 6-5, 215, F, Cheney, WA/Cheney)...led Red Storm to a 1-1 week, the PacWest Championship and a berth in the NCAA II Championship Tournament by averaging 12.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.

REGIONALLY SPEAKING: In the final Western Region rankings released by the NCAA prior to Selection Sunday, Dixie State College sits at a familiar spot – No. 4. DSC entered the 2011 NCAA Tournament is the same spot, defeating Chaminade and Seattle Pacific before bowing out to BYU-Hawaii in the region's championship game. Ahead of the Red Storm in the top three spots are Western Washington, Alaska Anchorage and SPU representing the Great Northwest. One more GNAC school on the list is Western Oregon at six. Representing the CCAA are Chico State (5^th), Cal Poly Pomona (7^th), Humboldt State (8^th) and Sonoma State (9^th). The only other PacWest school in the rankings is Grand Canyon at number 10.

CAREER MARKS: Maurice Cole (Norwalk, CA/Santa Fe) sits 3 assists behind Jeremiah Barnes (Compton, CA/Los Altos) for second place on the DSC D-II list. McKay Massey (Payson, UT/Payson) needs three steals to pass Dan Stock (68) for second place. Derek Owen (St George, UT/Dixie) is currently tied with Tom Whitehead (St. George, UT/Dixie) for the top spot in games played with 81. With a start on Saturday, Griffon Jones (Cheney, WA/Cheney) will sit just two starts behind Tom Whitehead (St. George, UT/Dixie) for second.

ROAD WARRIORS: Teams that make the NCAA Tournament will sing a similar tune – win at home and become tough winners on the road. Dixie State has posted the best road and neutral court since 2009 in the Pacific West Conference with a 33-14 record (.702). One other team, BYU-Hawaii (28-18), has a record above .500 over the same period.

PRETTY GOOD AT HOME SWEET HOME, AS WELL: The Burns Arena has been one of the best home court advantages in the Pacific West Conference over the past three seasons. DSC leads in winning percentage since the beginning of the 2009-2010 season with a 30-4 home record, a .882 winning percentage.

GOOD ON THE COURT AND IN THE CLASSROOM: For the Fall 2011 semester, the DSC men's basketball team posted a team grade point average of 3.08 – the highest for any single men's team. Three players – Dalton Groskreutz (Santa Clara, UT/Snow Canyon), Landon Clegg (Cedar Hills, UT/Lone Peak) and McKay Massey (Payson, UT/Payson) – came in with 3.8 individual averages. The entire department earned a collective 2.95 GPA – the highest mark in school history.

DSC HISTORY IN THE PAC WEST:
2011-12:                                   15-2
2010-11:                                   13-3
2009-10:                                   14-2
2008-09:                                   8-4
2007-08:                                   10-8
TOTAL:                                    60-19

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