[PREVIEW] Valley of the Sun Battle with GCU

First place and conference tournament seeding implications on the line in Phoenix

Tweet #DSCmbb

Dixie State (14-4, 8-1 PWC) at Grand Canyon (17-4, 8-2 PWC)
Game Details	Saturday, Feb. 2 \| Phoenix, AZ\| 6:30 p.m. Mountain GCUArena
Game Coverage	TV: None \| Radio: ESPN SportsRadio 1210AM and 107.3/102.3 FM Dixie State All Access: Audio Live Stats/Video: GCU Live Stats \| GCU Live Video Twitter: @DixieAthletics #DSCmbb
Dixie State Links	Notes \| Roster \| Schedule
GCU Links	Notes \| Roster \| Schedule

FIRST PLACE ON THE LINE: The top two teams in the Pacific West Conference standings matchup Saturday as the Lopes of Grand Canyon host Dixie State in Phoenix. DSC enters 8-1 in league while the Lopes (8-2) look to avenge a loss to the Storm last month. Tip time is 6:30 p.m. Mountain inside the GCU Arena. Live audio coverage will be available through Dixie State All Access at DixieAthletics.com/Showcase.

STORM WATCH: DSC is 13-4 on the season after securing their sixth consecutive victory with a tough ga,e against Azusa Pacific. Senior gaurd McKay Massey (Payson, UT/Payson) leads the club with 12.8 points per game. Spohomore center Zach Robbins (Upland, CA/Upland) is close behind at 12.6 PPG and paces the PacWest with 8.7 rebounds a game. Dalton Groskreutz (Santa Clara, UT/Snow Canyon) (12.1) and Steven Larson (South Jordan, UT/Copper Hills) (10.6) follow next in scoring average. The Red Storm are third in the nation (D2) in 3-point percentage (43.7) and overall field goal percentage (51.7).

LAST TIME OUT: Senior guard McKay Massey (Payson, UT/Payson) (Payson, UT/Payson) scored a career-high 23 points to lead Dixie State over Azusa Pacific 67-59 in the teams' second Pacific West Conference meeting of the season Saturday night in the Burns Arena.

Collecting their sixth consecutive win was not easy. Two weeks removed from a 28-point win on the road, Dixie State (13-4, 8-1 PacWest) trailed for the majority of the game and did not take the lead until a Massey free throw with 3:14 left in regulation.

Junior forward Dalton Groskreutz (Santa Clara, UT/Snow Canyon) (Santa Clara, UT/Snow Canyon) notched 16 points and eight rebounds, while sophomore forward Zach Robbins (Upland, CA/Upland) (Upland, CA/Upland) added 10 points and eight boards to round out three Storm players in double figures. Dixie State benefitted from the APU's physical play by drawing fouls and heading to the charity stripe 29 times – 22 in the second half.

For the Cougars, Will Ward opened the game with 10 consecutive points en route to 15 for the night. Troy Leaf had a trio of triples, but needed 12 shot attempts for his 15 points. Leaf added a season-high nine rebounds for APU.

Dixie State trailed by five at the half and never found themselves down by more than eight points. But the momentum of the game swung toward the home team in the final five minutes.

With 4:47 to play, APU's B.J. Porter missed a 3-pointer in an attempt to cascade the lead to seven. On the ensuing Dixie State possession, Groskreutz nailed an outside shot off a Robbins assist. After Leaf made one of two from the line, Robbins was fouled on the rebound and knocked down two shots to tie the game with 4:04 left.

Massey stole the ball during the first APU play out of a timeout. His first free throw gave Dixie State its first lead at 58-57. The Cougars handed the ball back to the Red Storm on a turnover inside the paint. Robbins pushed the lead to three with a 15-foot jumper. A third APU turnover in as many chances gave the ball back to DSC. Groskreutz was fouled in the act of a 3-point try and made two of three free throws for a five-point cushion.

Two late shots from distance did not find the bucket for the Cougars and late charity shots from Massey and Derek Owen (St George, UT/Dixie) (St George, UT/Dixie) - seven points, five rebounds - sealed the game.

Azusa Pacific won the battle of the boards 37-32 and had 14 offensive rebounds. Dixie State converted 16 APU turnovers in 19 points.

• GRAND CANYON ANTELOPES

> The Lopes are 17-4 overall and 8-2 in the PacWest. GCU has won three straight since dropping back-to-back game on the road at Dixie State and Fresno Pacific. GCU is a perfect 13-0 at home, winning by an average margin of 8.8 points.
> Division-I transfer point guard Joshua Lowery leads the Lopes in scoring (13.3) and assists (3.3). Killian Larson, a transfer from Dominican, averages 11.2 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.
> Russ Pennell is in his 4th year at the helm of the Lopes and will lead the program into the Division-I ranks next season when GCU joins the Western Athletic Conference. Pennell led the Arizona Wildcats to a Sweet 16 appearance in the season where legend Lute Olson stepped down due to health reasons (2008-09).

ALL-TIME VS. GCU: Saturday is the 16th meeting and final meeting with the Lopes in regualr season play. GCU has accepted an invitation to join the Western Athletic Conference, beginning play in the fall of 2013. In the previous 15 meetings, Dixie State has been victorious 11 times including the last meering on Jan. 10 in St. George (71-66). DSC has won only once over the last three years at GCU; dropping games in 2010 and 2012 by a combined three points.

JUDKINS ON GCU: We were up 15 points in the last game and they hit threes late to keep the game close, we didn't finish well like our last game (Azusa). We know it's going to be a tough game, we got them at a good time when we played them at home. We lost last year there and our guys remember that. It will be a fun and physical game and we need to be ready to execute.

STORM SNAP GCU'S STREAK (LAST MEETING, 2013): Characteristics of a good teammate include trust, camaraderie and the ability to pick up each other when the situation arises. Thursday night at the Burns Arena, senior forward Derek Owen (St George, UT/Dixie) (St George, UT/Dixie) displayed those qualities in one of his best efforts of the year.

After starting power forward Zach Robbins (Upland, CA/Upland) (Upland, CA/Upland) drew a pair of fouls in the game's first five minutes, Owen stepped in to post a 15-point, five offensive rebound performance in Dixie State's 71-66 win over Grand Canyon in Pacific West Conference play.

The win moved the Red Storm to 10-4 overall and 5-1 within the league. It was the first time in 14 games the Lopes (14-3, 5-1 PWC) tasted defeat, snapping a win streak dating back to November 14.

Owen connected on half of his six field goal attempts, but sank nine of 14 free throws to lead three DSC players in double figures. Kimball Payne (Alpine, UT/Lone Peak) (Alpine, UT/Lone Peak) has a season-high 14 points while McKay Massey (Payson, UT/Payson) (Payson, UT/Payson) scored 11 of his 13 points during the Storm's early second half push.

Dixie State trailed by three after the first half despite shooting 48 percent from the floor. Massey and Robbins combined for the first 13 DSC points, including a lay-in and a 3-pointer from Massey to build a five-point lead. Owen added four consecutive charity shots to end a 9-0 run.

The Storm built the lead to 11 points with less than two minutes to play before the Lopes rattled off eight straight to close within three with six seconds left, 69-66.

On the ensuing inbound, Payne was fouled and calmly knocked home a pair of free throws to ice the game.

Dixie State shot 52 percent from the field (26-50) and hit three of seven from behind the arc. GCU was held below their season average, connecting on 39 percent for the night, but shined from the line at an 87 percent clip.

Braylon Pickrel led Grand Canyon with 14 points and seven rebounds.

HOT SHOOTING AND DEFENSE EQUALS WINS: How important is outshooting your opponent in a game? DSC is 13-3 this season when their field goal percentage is better than an opponent. In the Judkins' era, the Storm have won 102 of 115 games topping the FG% stat.

MAC MANIA: For the third straight week, Dixie State's senior shooting guard McKay Massey (Payson, UT/Payson) has been highlighted as one of the best performers in the Pacific West Conference.

Massey was named to the Fantastic 15 for the fourth time this season.

McKay Massey (Payson, UT/Payson) (Sr., 6-2, 185, G, Payson, UT/Payson) – Dixie State – unleashed 23 points on 58.3% shooting from the field in the Red Storm's lone game of the week – a 67-59 win over Azusa Pacific on Jan. 26…made 7 of 12 attempts from the floor…connected on 6 of 8 (75.0%) attempts from the line.

He had 12 of his career-high 23 points in the second half. He paced the Red Storm with five points over the final 4:04 – a stretch where Dixie State outpaced Azusa Pacific with a 10-2 closing run.

Massey and the Red Storm will be tested on Saturday in a first-place battle at Grand Canyon. Tip is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Mountain from Phoenix.

Malcolm Griffin of Fresno Pacific became the second Sunbird in as many weeks to claim the Player of the Week award. He led FPU to a pair of wins over BYU-Hawaii and Hawai'i Pacific averaging 25 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and six steals for the week.

IN THE RECORD BOOKS: McKay Massey (Payson, UT/Payson) needs 24 points to pass Ben Hartman (763) for 3rd on the all-time scoring list, 51 3-pointers to pass Tom Whitehead (145) for 1st place, seven assists to pass Maurice Cole (Norwalk, CA/Santa Fe) (223) for 2nd place and 22 to pass Dan Stock (238) for 1st. Zach Robbins (Upland, CA/Upland) needs 18 rebounds to pass Tom Whitehead (360) for 2nd on the career list and nine blocks to pass Tom Whitehead (74) for 1st place. Derek Owen (St George, UT/Dixie) needs 20 rebounds to pass Griffon Jones (Cheney, WA/Cheney) (310) for 4th place. Dalton Groskreutz (Santa Clara, UT/Snow Canyon) needs 11 points to pass Griffon Jones (Cheney, WA/Cheney) (616) for 6th, 18 3-pointers to pass Dan Stock (71) for 6th place and 19 shots to pass Ben Hartman (72) for 5th place.

NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED: The Dixie State men's basketball team is back in the “Others receiving votes” section of the National Association of Basketball Coaches Division-II Top 25 poll for the first time since Thanksgiving. With six votes, DSC sits 37th in the country. Previously, the Red Storm topped out at No. 31 in the week one NABC poll before losing a pair of games in Grand Junction, Colo., to Fort Lewis (currently ranked No. 14) and Colorado Mesa (RV). A third opponent DSC has beaten, Central Missouri, has also received votes in the latest poll.

Print Friendly Version