Collin Moore throws down poster dunk as GCU beats Southern Utah

PHOENIX (AP) — Tyon Grant-Foster’s 23 points helped Grand Canyon defeat Southern Utah 82-71 on Saturday night.

Grant-Foster also contributed nine rebounds and three steals for the Antelopes (11-4, 1-0 Western Athletic Conference). Collin Moore scored 17 points, shooting 7 for 13, including 2 for 4 from beyond the arc. Duke Brennan shot 5 of 10 from the field and 6 for 7 from the free-throw line to finish with 16 points, while adding 15 rebounds.

Perhaps the highlight of the game was a ferocious dunk from Moore with 1:17 left in regulation. The 6-foot-4 guard effectively put the game out of reach (79-68) after JaKobe Coles bypassed a Southern Utah double team and found Moore cutting to the basket. He threw down a one-handed slam over Thunderbirds forward Brock Felder and gave the home crowd a thrill.

COLLIN MOORE DETONATION!!! 💥🤯 pic.twitter.com/Jve6EU7BPQ

— Grand Canyon Men’s Basketball (@GCU_MBB) January 5, 2025

With the 11-point win, GCU lengthened its winning streak to five games. Head coach Bryce Drew moved to 5-0 in WAC openers.

Moore, who also added two assists and two steals, was a standout player defensively for Drew and ended with a on-court rating of +19.

“When he was on the court, our defense was significantly better,” Drew said postgame. “Really pleased with him. Thought he had a rough patch that second half, and he really regrouped and came back. And that’s a great sign of his maturity, his confidence in himself, his confidence in wanting to win. He had a really good all-around game tonight.”

The ‘Lopes trailed Southern Utah for the first time (59-58) with 7:40 remaining in the second half before Brennan scored 11 of his 16 to help his squad pull away.

GCU finished its nonconference schedule with a blowout 112-66 win over Bryant behind a career-high 31 points from Makaih Williams. The sophomore guard did not find the scoring column in this one, but contributed two assists and two steals in his 17 minutes.

Dominique Ford led the Thunderbirds (8-7, 0-1) in scoring, finishing with 22 points and six rebounds. Jamir Simpson added 13 points for Southern Utah. Tavi Jackson had 12 points, nine assists and two steals.

GCU will head to Utah Valley (9-6, 1-0) for a Thursday night showdown while Southern Utah will host Tarleton State (6-10, 1-0) on the same day.