PHOENIX - Jadeon LeDee recorded his sixth double double in nine games, 24 points and 10 rebounds and Micah Parrish passed the 1,000-point milestone for his career, but No. 25 San Diego State fell to Grand Canyon at GCU Arena 79-73 on Tuesday night.
"We didn't make enough plays to win a game like this," Aztecs coach Brian Dutcher said. "We played well in the second half. We shot 48% and scored one more basket than them. They beat us at the foul line. We both made eight threes. Rebounding was a little difference, but we had 13 offensive and they had 10. The difference was that they scored on theirs and we didn't score on ours."
Joining LeDee in double figure scoring were Reese Waters and Darrion Trammell, each with 11 points, and the aforementioned Parrish who finished the game the 10 points.
The game started as a defensive struggle and turned into an offensive outburst to start the second half.
The Antelopes (7-1) got hot and didn't stop until late, using a 17-4 run to take a 13-point lead with 4 1/2 minutes left. Grand Canyon kept the Aztecs at bay from there despite not hitting a field goal over the final 4:27 to win its first game in 10 tries against ranked opponents.
Tyon Grant-Foster added 18 points for the Antelopes, off to their best start since joining Division I in 2013-14.
The Aztecs made shots early in the second half but faded during a key stretch, going more than four minutes without a field goal while the Antelopes revved up the crowd even more.
San Diego State has been one of the nation's best defensive teams, a hard-nosed identity that took the Aztecs to last season's national championship.
Grand Canyon collapsed in the lane to force difficult shots and the Aztecs missed several open 3s. San Diego State missed 13 of its first 16 shots and went scoreless over the final 2:54 of the first half.
McGlothian scored the final four points of a closing 9-0 run that put Grand Canyon up 35-28.
The teams switched gears to start the second half, trading baskets and leads until GCU went on an 17-4 run to go up 69-56.