PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — — Jaden Henley made 7 of 8 from the free-throw line and scored 15 points to help Utah beat Grand Canyon 68-58 at the Acrisure Classic on Tuesday night.
Freshman Efe Demirel scored a season-high 12 on 5-of-10 shooting and Brian Moore Jr. added 11 points for Grand Canyon (3-2). Nana Owusu-Anane had nine points and nine rebounds.
The Lopes went 0 for 10 from 3-point range, but outscored Utah 22-12 from the free-throw line.
Don McHenry led Utah (5-2) with 16 points. Keanu Dawes, the only returning Runnin’ Utes player who appeared in a game last season, finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Terrence Brown, who went into the game averaging 25.2 points per game (No. 2 nationally), finished with nine points on 3-of-11 shooting.
The Lopes scored 17 points off 14 Utah turnovers. GCU committed just six turnovers.
The Utes, who lost 92-85 to Cal Poly on Friday, have lost back-to-back games after winning five straight to open the season.
Grand Canyon plays Iowa, which beat Mississippi 74-69 earlier Tuesday, in the championship game Wednesday. Utah takes on Ole Miss is the consolation game.
—— Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
