Lever's 17 sparks Grand Canyon past Northern Iowa, 73-62
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Alessandro Lever scored 17 points and Grand Canyon won its first non-conference road game in three years by closing out Northern Iowa, 73-62 on Wednesday night.
Coming off a bad loss at Texas, the Lopes abandoned 3-point range, where they were just 6 of 25, and attacked the basket for a flurry of dunks, layups and free throws.
Lever attacked the basket and drew a fifth foul from Shandon Goldman, then attacked again to earn two free throws that put Grand Canyon up, 62-54 with 3:45 left. Tim Finke attacked the basket to draw two free throws, then made an acrobatic steal to set up a fast-break basket by Gerard Martin that put the game away.
The Lopes (6-5) held Northern Iowa to just two points over a 10-minute stretch of the first half to take a 21-9 lead, then scored 24 points over the final 6:40 to seal the win.
A.J. Green hit five 3-pointers and scored a season-high 25 points for the Panthers (4-7).
Game Information
- Referees:
- Rick Crawford
- Gerry Pollard
- Dave Cusick
2024-25 Western Athletic Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Canyon | 0-0 | - | 8-4 |
| Abilene Christian | 0-0 | - | 8-5 |
| Southern Utah | 0-0 | - | 8-6 |
| Utah Valley | 0-0 | - | 7-6 |
| California Baptist | 0-0 | - | 6-6 |
| UT Arlington | 0-0 | - | 6-7 |
| Seattle U | 0-0 | - | 4-8 |
| Tarleton State | 0-0 | - | 4-10 |
| Utah Tech | 0-0 | - | 4-10 |
2024-25 Missouri Valley Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana State | 2-0 | - | 8-4 |
| Drake | 1-0 | 0.5 | 11-0 |
| Bradley | 1-0 | 0.5 | 10-2 |
| Belmont | 1-0 | 0.5 | 9-3 |
| Northern Iowa | 1-0 | 0.5 | 7-5 |
| Murray State | 1-1 | 1 | 6-5 |
| Illinois State | 0-1 | 1.5 | 8-4 |
| UIC | 0-1 | 1.5 | 7-4 |
| Missouri State | 0-1 | 1.5 | 7-5 |
| Valparaiso | 0-1 | 1.5 | 7-5 |
| Southern Illinois | 0-1 | 1.5 | 5-7 |
| Evansville | 0-1 | 1.5 | 3-9 |
Men's College Basketball News
