Grand Canyon overtakes New Mexico State

PHOENIX — DeWayne Russell scored 31 points and dished out seven assists to lead Grand Canyon past New Mexico State for an 83-71 win Saturday night.

Darion Clark added 17 points and Joshua Braun had 16 for Grand Canyon, which shot 45 percent from the field and went 22 of 29 at the free-throw line.

GCU (17-9, 6-3 Western Athletic Conference) got a 3-pointer from Braun to take the lead for good, 68-65, with just under four minutes to play. The go-ahead bucket came during a 19-0 run that saw New Mexico State miss 10 straight shots as GCU rolled to a 76-65 lead.

The Aggies (22-4, 8-2) ended their seven-minute scoring drought with a layup from Matt Taylor, but the Antelopes sealed it at the line.

Ian Baker paced New Mexico State with 19 points, Eli Chuha had 17 and Johnathon Wilkins 10.