Georgia too much for GCU as Tyon Grant-Foster no-shows in 1st half

ATLANTA (AP) — Asa Newell scored 17 points, including a three-point play with 17 seconds left, to help Georgia beat GCU 73-68 on Saturday night at Holiday Hoopsgiving.

GCU wing Tyon Grant-Foster was held scoreless in the first half and missed his first 10 shots before finishing with 11 points on 2 of 17 shooting.

Somto Cyril finished 12 points with several highlight dunks, eight rebounds and five blocks for the Bulldogs. Tyrin Lawrence and Blue Cain scored 10 points.

Georgia (9-1) is off to its best start since winning 11 of 12 games to open the 2001-02 season.

Collin Moore hit a 3-pointer, Ray Harrison added two free throws and then stole the ball from Cain and fed Jakobe Coles for a layup that made it 66-63 with 1:32 remaining. Neither team scored again until Newell was fouled as he made a layup and hit the and-1 free throw in the closing seconds.

Harrison led the Lopes with 16 points, 11 in the final 10 minutes. He has 2,110 career points and his 1,220 at Grand Canyon are 14th most in program history.

Newell hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer that gave Georgia the lead for good midway through the first half.

Grand Canyon (6-3) scored the first eight points of the second-half, and the Bulldogs started 0-for-4 shooting with three turnovers to make it a one-possession game about 3 minutes in. Newell responded with a dunk, then blocked a shot, grabbed the rebound and went the other way for another dunk.

Grand Canyon, which went in No. 5 nationally with 28 free-throw attempts per game, made 15 of 17 free throws.

It was just the second time this season the Lopes have attempted fewer than 25. The other was 14 free throw attempts in a blowout win over Norfolk State in Duke Brennan’s season debut.