PHOENIX, Ariz. (Dec. 3, 2019) - Mount St. Mary's men's basketball had plenty of chances to take home their third straight victory, but those opportunities slipped away as the Grand Canyon Antelopes escaped with a 75-67 overtime win Tuesday, before a raucous crowd of 6,785. 

Damian Chong Qui led the Mountaineers (3-6) with a game high 23 points, shooting 8-of-12 from the floor and 4-of-7 from three. The sophomore also added a game best four assists. Nana Opoku reached double figures with 11 points and seven rebounds. Malik Jefferson chipped in five boards before fouling out.

Grand Canyon (4-6) was led by Carlos Johnson with 18 points and five rebounds. 

Both teams benefited from hot shooting at the start of the game. Just eight minutes in, Grand Canyon had built a slim 17-14 lead. That outburst came largely from Johnson who earned seven of his 18 in that span. Mount kept within striking distance and regained the lead at 20-19 with an Opoku free throw, and the teams continued to trade back and forth for a time. Chong Qui ignited the go-ahead rally with a three pointer at the 6:08 mark that tied the score. He immediately earned a steal on an errant GCU pass and nailed another triple. Within ten seconds, a three point deficit evaporated into a three point lead. A trey from Vado Morse extended the run to 9-0 before the Antelopes could answer. At the break, Mount led 34-28. 

The hot scoring that started the game abandoned both sides at the end of the first half as well as the opening minute of the second. The Mount managed to keep the upper hand and an Opoku trey with 14:02 saw the lead increase back up to six at 44-38. But at this junction, favor began to swing to the Lopes. 

Mount was held off the board for almost five minutes. Although the team did keep a defensive presence, Grand Canyon slowly regained the lead, driving up the score to 48-44 with 9:36 left. The Chong Qui/Opoku combo was responsible for most of the scoring in the second half, and the duo found a way to keep the Mountaineers alive. Chong Qui hit a triple to pull the Mount within two at just under six minutes, and Opoku secured an old-fashioned hoop-and-harm three point play to knot the score at 54 all with 4:53 to go. 

Hope returned under the two minute mark. With the contest still tied - this time at 57 - Chong Qui found the paint again for a layup that put the Mountaineers ahead. An Opoku dunk looked to be the exclaimation point seconds later, but with a mere three seconds left on the clock, Grand Canyon's Lorenzo Jenkins finished a layup of his own to tie the score for the 12th time. A Mountaineer was called for a foul but Jenkins failed to convert the potential winning free throw, and the contest was off to overtime. 

In the extra session, the Lopes took over. Following a brief 63-63 tie, a bucket by Carlos Johnson put Grand Canyon up for good. A dagger three pointer moments later and foul shots down the stretch sealed the win.

Mount St. Mary's returns home to Knott Arena for the annual Catholic Clash versus Loyola Saturday (Dec. 7). Tip-off will be at 4 p.m. in the 175th meeting between the Mountaineers and Greyhounds.