Buntley Scores 16 as Jackson State Falls to Grand Canyon

Ne’vaeh Buntley scored 16 points for Jackson State in a 77-55 loss to Grand Canyon on Wednesday night at Global Credit Union Arena in Phoenix.

The Tigers (0-2) closed with their strongest stretch, outscoring Grand Canyon 18-10 in the fourth quarter. Jackson State held the Lopes to 21.1% shooting in the period, committed no turnovers and made eight of nine free throws. The Tigers also kept Grand Canyon scoreless from 5:09 until the final 35 seconds, making a 10-0 run.

Buntley shot 5-for-11 from the field, made two 3-pointers and added four rebounds, an assist and a steal. Joi Johnson had eight points and three rebounds. Madison Eddings and Justine Tchehchoua each scored seven, with Eddings grabbing a team-high six rebounds. Sierra Tuliau scored six points, all on two fourth-quarter 3-pointers.

Jackson State trailed 20-13 after the first quarter and cut the gap to five in the second. But Grand Canyon (1-0) outscored the Tigers 26-9 in that quarter to take a 46-22 halftime lead. Buntley and Eddings each scored seven in the third, accounting for all of Jackson State’s field goals in the period.

Nyadieng Yiech led Grand Canyon with 18 points and 11 rebounds. The Lopes held a 47-29 rebounding advantage and scored 20 second-chance points.

Jackson State’s bench scored 24 points. The Tigers finished with 10 turnovers, forced 12 and had 11 assists on 17 made field goals. They shot 17-for-25 at the free-throw line and scored 22 points in the paint. Grand Canyon shot 36.8% overall and went 0-for-8 from 3-point range in the fourth.

The Tigers’ next scheduled game is their home opener Monday at the AAC against Mississippi University for Women. Tipoff is listed for 6 p.m., with free admission.

Source: Original Article