The atmosphere was electric, the players were hyped, and the Antelopes of Grand Canyon gave the No. 14 team all they could handle inside their home arena. Grand Canyon even had the lead at halftime by 1 point off a buzzer-beater NBA-range 3.
It wasn’t enough as the Cards eventually pulled away by the 12 minute TV Timeout and never trailed the rest of the way. Eventually the Cards would seal the deal by a score of 79-70. DeWayne Russell led the comeback attempt with 42 points, the Antelopes’ next highest scorer had 8. Deng Adel led the way for the Cards with 15 points, VJ King showcased his ability with 14 points, Ray Spalding chipping in 14, and Matz Stockman had a career-high 10 points but didn’t play in the second half.
In a game where the upset seemed not only plausible but probable for much of the game, the Cards found a way to win. Do not downplay anything about it, the crowd was nuts, their point guard was unconscious, and they played with a lot more energy in the first half than the Cards did. The important thing is, the Cards walked away with a win and improve to 7-1.
Next the Cards will be at home to take on Southern Illinois on December 7 at 7pm. I’m sure this game will serve as a wake up call that this team cannot start flat and must defend and attack for the entire 40 minutes if they’re going to achieve their potential. I’m happy with the win last night, resilience regardless of opponent in an environment like that cannot be emphasized enough.
GO CARDS!
