Box Score PHOENIX, AZ– The 17th ranked Arizona Christian Firestorm men's basketball team upset the 9th ranked Concordia Eagles on Tuesday evening by a score of 82-65 inside of the Fultz Memorial Gymnasium on the campus of Arizona Christian University in Phoenix, Arizona.
With the victory, the 17th ranked Firestorm improve to 14-3 overall and remain perfect at 3-0 in GSAC play. With the loss, the 9th ranked Concordia Eagles fall to 14-3 overall and 3-1 in GSAC play.
"I'm really proud of the guys tonight," said ACU head coach Jeff Rutter. "We really battled! Bobby (Gray) was outstanding, he was able to get in the key and find people when we needed a basket and Mike (Navar), Sharif (Watson), and others did a great job finishing at the rim through contact."
It was all Firestorm in the first half, as they roared into the locker-room with a 39-25 lead. In the first half, ACU shot 50% (14-for-28) from the floor and were 8-for-12 at the free-throw line. Concordia shot just 24% (8-for-33) from the field in the first half and went an abysmal 2-for-16 from beyond the three-point arc.
In the second half, the Firestorm dominance continued. Although ACU outscored Concordia by just three points at 43-40, the Firestorm outshot the Eagles 59% from the field to just 34% in the second half. The Firestorm also were able to make it count from the charity stripe, going 16-for-20 in the second half compared to just 9-for-15 from Concordia.
The Firestorm controlled the pant, outscoring Concordia 42-12 on their way to the upset win over the Eagles. ACU had five players finish in double figures, with guard Bobby Gray leading the way. Gray finished with a double-double of 19 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field and 8-of-10 from the free-throw line. Gray also finished with a team best 11 assists, four rebounds and four steals in 29 minutes of action.
"We have a team that can put points on the board quickly," said ACU head coach Jeff Rutter. "We have been stressing all year that defense is going to win games for us and I thought we did a great job defensively tonight. Coach (Brandon) Dunson prepared them well and the guys executed the game plan."
Concordia had just three players score in double figures, with Stephen Grosey leading the way with a team best 12 points and a game high 19 rebounds in 38 minutes of action.
The Firestorm men remain in conference this weekend, when they welcome the defending National Champion Vanguard Lions to town; who are currently receiving votes in the NAIA Top 25 National Poll. The women will tip-off at 2pm, followed by the men at 4pm inside of the Fultz Memorial Gymnasium on the campus of Arizona Christian University.
