Grand Canyon holds off Abilene Christian 83-81

PHOENIX (AP) — Joshua Braun scored 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds as Grand Canyon held off Abilene Christian for an 83-81 victory Sunday night.

Grand Canyon reeled off a 25-9 run to go up by 17 with 3:08 left, but sweated out a late surge by Abilene Christian. After the Wildcats pulled within four with 33 seconds left, Braun split a pair of free throws and Sam Daly hit two to hang on. Austin Cooke hit a 3-pointer as time expired for ACU.

Dewayne Russell chipped in 16 points and Daniel Alexander had 15 for the Antelopes (8-7), who shot a scorching 61.7 percent from the field and outscored Abilene Christian 46-28 in the paint. Jerome Garrison added 14 points and Royce Woolridge had eight with six assists.

Harrison Hawkins led the Wildcats (6-7) with 26 points and LaDarrien Williams had 15 points with seven rebounds before both fouled out late.