Box Score
PHOENIX - Grand Canyon's season came to an end Wednesday in the first round of the College Basketball Invitational with a 78-73 loss to Mercer at GCU Arena. The Lopes close the season at 22-12.
GCU led by five with nine minutes to play, but went nearly eight minutes without a field goal. The Lopes pulled within three with 33 seconds left in the game, but that was as close as they got.
Keonta Vernon scored a team-high 20 points, while Casey Benson added 17 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
Mercer shot 51 percent from the field, including 50 percent from three-point range against a GCU team that entered the game leading the nation in three-point field goal percentage defense at 21 percent. The Lopes shot 46 percent from the field on the game.