GCU comes up just short of handing Oklahoma State its 1st loss of season in Colangelo Classic

PHOENIX — GCU had a second-half comeback to lead undefeated Oklahoma State late, but it was unable to seal the deal in an 84-78 loss in the Jerry Colangelo Classic at Mortgage Matchup Center on Saturday.

The ‘Lopes (5-4) used a 15-4 run to turn an eight-point deficit into a three-point lead, with Caleb Shaw’s go-ahead 3 and ensuing transition dunk solidifying the work they did to hang around.

They were trailing from 9:23 left in the first half until Shaw’s 3 with 8:41 remaining in the game, although the deficit never reached double digits.

The game got chippy as Oklahoma State (9-0) ripped back a 68-67 lead, with both sides earning technical fouls and needing to be separated during a tie-up situation.

GCU guard Makaih Williams was called for an offensive foul when he elbowed a defender while going up for a shot on the next drive, and it was upgraded to a flagrant 1 foul.

That proved to be the turning point, as GCU never led the rest of the way. It was within one score at multiple points in the final minute, but Kanye Clary hit a dagger 3 with 16 seconds left to seal it.

It was the third game of the season against a high-major opponent for the ‘Lopes, previously beating Utah by 10 and losing to Iowa by 13.

Oklahoma State did well early to contain Jaden Henley, who entered the game third among Mountain West scorers (18 points per game). Shaw was there to pick up the slack with two early 3s, reaching double-digit points in less than eight minutes.

It was only a matter of time before Henley got going, as he scored eight points in the final seven minutes of the first half and finished with 14.

However, keeping Oklahoma State center Parsa Fallah off the free throw line proved to be a struggle, and he finished the half with 15 points with 9 of 10 free-throw shooting. He led all scorers with 25 points (8-for-9 shooting).

GCU center Efe Demirel, a 7-foot-1 freshman from Turkey, was ready for the challenge down low and battled his way to a career-high 22 points on 10-for-11 shooting.

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