Who | Utah Tech (6-8, 2-1 WAC) vs Grand Canyon (13-1, 3-0 WAC)
When | Saturday, Jan. 6 / 7 p.m.
Where | Burns Arena / St. George, Utah
Broadcast | ESPN+ / 99.5 The Fan Sports Network
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X) + #UniteTheFamily / #IntoTheStorm
 
Scouting GCU
Entering Saturday's game at the No. 1 spot in the WAC standings and No. 38 in the NCAA NET Rankings, Grand Canyon has gotten off to a strong start in the 2023-24 season. After a 75-68 loss against South Carolina on Nov. 19, the Lopes have rattled off 10-straight wins, which includes victories over San Diego State, Liberty and Portland; GCU won its Thursday game on the road at Southern Utah, defeating the Thunderbirds 96-75.
 
Tyon Grant-Foster has been a key part of the team's offense, averaging a WAC-leading 20.8 points per game while shooting 47.3% from the field. Ray Harrison, who was picked as the Preseason Player of the Year, is just behind at 14.5 points per game while Gabe McGlothan is leading the Lopes' rebounding attack with 8.2 per game.
 
Saturday's game marks the 25th meeting between the two programs dating back to the Division-II era, with the Trailblazers holding a 13-9 advantage in the all-time series - though GCU has won the last three.
 
Last Game
A strong second half by the Redhawks secured a 70-53 Utah Tech loss, but the Trailblazers held multiple leads throughout Thursday's game. The team opened things up with a quick 11-5 run but would end up trailing by three at half, though a quick 5-0 run early in the second half put the Trailblazers back ahead less than one minute into the second period of action. After SU regained the lead, Utah Tech once again came back, bringing the game within a single point with 14:12 on the clock but the offense cooled off as SU rode a hot hand to the 70-53 result.
 
Paint Points
A key part of the Trailblazer offense against Seattle U was its ability to score points down low, and that showed in the box, as the Trailblazers outscored their opponents 32-18 in the paint. Several players made quality plays to find looks down low, including Tanner Christensen and Tennessee Rainwater who both euro-stepped their way into first half buckets.
 
Double Digits
Christensen finished with 16 points against Seattle U, improving his team-leading scoring average to 12.2 points per game on 55.9% shooting from the field. Having attempted 14 shots against the Redhawks, Christensen is now up to just four games with 10 or more field goal attempts; Utah Tech has a 2-2 record when the 6-10 big man shoots 10 or more shots, having beat Jacksonville State (12-19 FG, 26 points) and Lindenwood (7-10 FG, 20 points) while falling to Idaho (7-10 FG, 18 points) and Seattle U (6-14 FG, 16 points).
 
Hometown Starts
Playing mere minutes from his hometown in Everett, Wash., Jaylen Searles made his return to the starting five on Thursday, playing 32 minutes. The 6-8 forward finished with seven points on 3-7 shooting, grabbing five boards while adding two assists and two steals.
 
Searles has provided scoring throughout his first season in St. George, averaging over eight points per game but posting six double-digit performances that were highlighted by a 20-point, seven-rebound outing in a victory over Lake Erie on Nov. 18.
 
Efficient Shooting
Much like he has this entire season, Beon Riley shot the ball efficiently and effectively on Thursday. The Chula Vista, Calif., native finished with 12 points against the Redhawks but shot 4-8 from the field and 1-2 from deep. Now shooting 46.3% from the field, 47.6% from three-point range and 80.9% at the line this season, Riley has nine games with 10 or more points scored.
 
You'd Better Pass
Hamed Olayinka has played a big part in Utah Tech's improved rim protection numbers this season, as he's currently tied with Christensen for blocks with 24 total - an average of 1.7 per game. The 6-9 Olayinka swatted three Redhawk shots on Thursday, which marked his sixth multi-block performance of the season and 10th game with at least one. With back-to-back starts against Colorado and FIU, he has posted a line of 4.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting 53.3% from the field this season.
 
Active Hands
Playing in a reserve role on Thursday, Unisa Turay entered the game and made an immediate impact on the defensive end, recording steals on back-to-back possessions late in the first half. Turay, playing in his first season at Utah Tech after transferring from Scottsdale Community College, has appeared in all but one game and has three multi-steal performances this season.
 
Quintuple Single
After scoring a career-high 19 points in Utah Tech's 96-92 victory over FIU on Saturday, Aric Demings recorded a stat in each of the five major categories against Seattle U, finishing the game with five points, five rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal. Demings, originally from Desoto, Texas, is shooting 37.5% from deep on his way to 10.0 points, 2.9 rebounds and a team-leading 3.1 assists per game this season.
 
Splash
David Elliott has proven to be a premier shooter in the Trailblazer lineup as the season nears its halfway point. Despite having made one of his two attempts from deep against Seattle U (50%), Elliott's three-point percentage actually dropped, as he's now shooting 13-25 (52.0%) when firing from beyond the arc this season. The Los Angeles, Calif., native has made a triple in every single one of his seven appearances this season, which included a season-high three in Utah Tech's overtime win over Jacksonville State on Nov. 11.
 
Keeping it local
After hosting the Lopes at home on Saturday, Utah Tech will remain in the state of Utah for its next three games, playing Stephen F. Austin at Burns Arena for a single game before hitting the road to face Southern Utah (Jan. 18, 6:30 p.m.) and Utah Valley (Jan. 20, 2 p.m.) in the following week of play.