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Ray Harrison had made only one of his first 10 shots Saturday, but with the score tied and 20 seconds left, there was no other player Grand Canyon coach Bryce Drew wanted with the ball in his hands.
With Western Kentucky’s defense falling back to its side of the court, Harrison slowly dribbled the ball downcourt. He dribbled to his left, then cut back to his right and swooped a shot off the glass with a second to play.
The Hilltoppers inbounded and threw up a shot that bounced off the top of the backboard, and GCU celebrated a 74-72 win that extended its home winning streak to 18 games before a sellout crowd of 7,332 at Global Credit Union Arena.
It was especially satisfying for Harrison to have his father, who flew in from South Carolina, there to watch it.
In the postgame news conference with Harrison and sophomore guard Makaih Williams, Harrison was asked if the last play was designed for him.
“Not necessarily,” Harrison said, before Williams interrupted.
“It was to him, it was to him,” Williams repeated.
“Coach drew up a good play and gave me some good options,” Harrison said. “I feel like he gave me the ball.”
Harrison had the most experience of any of the Lopes on the floor. Down two starters for the first two games, Drew used only six players the entire second half.
This is Harrison’s third year playing for GCU. He carried the Lopes to the NCAA Tournament two years ago down the stretch. He was instrumental in getting them back to March Madness last year.
And Harrison, who surpassed 2,000 points on Monday for his career in the season opener, wanted it.
He finished with eight points on 2 of 11 shooting, and knocking down 4 of 5 free throws.
“He’s been such a great player for us,” Drew said. “And when he has the ball, he sees a lot of the right plays at the right time. We definitely wanted the ball in his hands to let him decide whether to go shoot it or pass it to someone.”
How they rallied
With the Lopes turning the ball over and the Hilltoppers (0-2)…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ray-harrisons-last-second-shot-052436399.html
Author : AZCentral | The Arizona Republic
Publish date : 2024-11-10 05:24:00
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