Tue., Nov. 8, 2011[box score]
Phoenix,
AZ--It was a game of two halves for the San Diego Christian College men’s basketball
team on Tuesday evening. The first saw the Hawks battle the NCAA Division II Grand
Canyon University ‘Lopes to a three point deficit at the break and gain a two
point advantage minutes into the second half. The second saw GCU outscore SDCC 45-19
the final 17 minutes of the contest in route to an 83-59 win in the exhibition
contest.
“I
am happy with the way we played,” said Head Coach Tim Cook. “GCU is a very good
team. The kids fought hard and we are improving. This was a great learning experience.”
The first
half continued to go back and forth and GCU went into the intermission with a
35-32 lead.
“We
played well defensively in the first half and hit some good shots,” added Cook.
“We felt confident heading into the break.”
The
second half appeared to be going the way of the first, with both teams
exchanging points early. SDCC took a 40-38 advantage after Johnnie Delbene
stole the ball from Chris Johnson and took it in for a layup.
Things
then took a turn in favor of the ‘Lopes. The Hawks went scoreless in a six
minute stretch and saw the two point lead turn into a 13-point deficit in that
time frame. The GCU onslaught continued and the run stretched to 30-8 to put
the game away.
Cook
noted, “We didn’t execute well and rushed some shots. Then they went on that
run.”
GCU was
hot all night, shooting 51.8% from the field for the game. In addition, the ‘Lopes
were 22-26 from the charity stripe.
The
Hawks were led by Arvizu with 14 points and 8 rebounds, while Tony Cali added
13 points. Tim Sanders chipped in with seven points and nine rebounds. Delbene
collected five steals.
“We play
these exhibitions for us to see where we are early and so we are aptly prepared
heading into the GSAC portion of our schedule,” said Cook. “This is a great
learning experience for us, and we are accomplishing our goals in these exhibitions.”
The
Hawks return to campus for their home opener on Friday, November 11th
versus Pacifica College at 7:00pm.