GCU ends on a 29-7 run, gets 16-point, 8-assist, 5-steal line from Blacksher
(Phoenix, AZ) When Grand Canyon gathers on campus Thursday for a post-practice Thanksgiving meal spread, the stuffing will be reminiscent of how Sean Miller-Moore stuffed another highlight jam, the potatoes will be as mashed as what the Lopes did to Life Pacific on the boards and the gravy will be like the finishing touch that ended Wednesday night’s GCU win.
Lopes head coach Bryce Drew will give thanks for getting another glimpse of the team’s 3-0 start when GCU closed out Life Pacific with a 29-7, game-ending run. The Lopes (4-1) defeated the NAIA visitor 82-45 at GCU Arena to erase the taste of Monday night’s narrow loss to undefeated Wyoming with an appetizer that prepares their palates for a new streak.
There was little mystery to Wednesday night’s result, but the recipe had the Lopes outplaying the Warriors with bookends of a 23-9 start and the 29-7 finish. In between, Life Pacific played even with GCU for about 22 minutes as the Lopes worked out scoring against the 2-3 zone and outlasting the Warriors’ patient offense.
GCU sophomore guard Chance McMillian knocked down three consecutive 3-pointers in a stretch of 2:17 to kick-start the Lopes in the second half, when they found better rhythm with a more disruptive defense.
“The last 12 minutes looked more like how we looked the first three games of the season with the ball moving,” Drew said. “Any time the ball goes in, offense looks a lot better. I thought our looks were really good in the first half. We just couldn’t make them. Thankfully, the cover came off the basket in the second half and we were able to make some consecutive 3s.”
With graduate guard Holland Woods II returning from a four-day illness, junior guard Jovan Blacksher Jr. was able to revert to being a triple threat of playmaking, scoring and defense. He put the playmaking first with eight assists and one turnover, the only miscue he made in 64 minutes of play this week.
“This game, I wanted to get everybody involved,” Blacksher said. “I felt like it was an opponent where everybody could score so I wanted to everybody happy.”
Blacksher also led GCU in scoring again with 16 points, which came more efficiently on 5-of-10 shooting, and spurred the transition game with a career high-tying five steals.
With the Lopes outscoring the Warriors by 26 in Blacksher’s 26 minutes, Drew was able to use his bench more Wednesday night and the reserves delivered 39 points with McMillian and freshman guard Blackmon each scoring 11.
“We’re really proud of Chance because he struggled in the first half tonight – probably his worst half of the season,” Drew said. “He mentally was tough enough to change that script in the second half. It started on the defensive end. He got some loose balls. He got us out in transition. He made some good passes. And then after he did that and we were starting to get on a run, then he started to shoot the ball, which really helped open it up.”
GCU graduate guard Walter Ellis only had played seven minutes this season until Wednesday, when the 6-foot-5 Bucknell transfer showed his strength by knocking down 2 of 5 tries from 3-point range.
Lopes reserve big men Dima Zdor and Aidan Igiehonreceived much-needed extended runs after Zdor fouled out in 10 minutes on Monday and Igiehon did not play.
Zdor became the only player in the nation besides Kentucky’s Oscar Tschiebwe and Washington’s Nate Roberts to grab 10 offensive rebounds in a game this season. The 6-foot-10 senior tallied five points and 11 rebounds in 16 minutes.
“I was really happy with Dima,” Drew said. “I thought Dima really rebounded well. He made a great adjustment from first half to second half. In the first half, he kept trying to shoot quick shots off those offensive rebounds. In the second half, he did a much better job of getting it and kicking it back out, which allowed our offense to keep going and get some better looks.”
The Lopes moved to 4-0 when holding an opponent to 40% or less shooting from the field. GCU only shot 42% but hit 38% of its 3-pointers with five players making multiple 3s.
Offensively, it was more about getting to a shot for the Lopes after making 11 turnovers in the first half. GCU cut its second-half turnover number to four and had 11 assists on 14 field goals.
“Our coaching staff doesn’t let that (turnovers) fly, so I wanted to get everybody together and let them know, ‘Calm down, of course, we want to have fun but we’ve got to stay controlled,’ ” Blacksher said.
GCU will play its first road games of the season on a two-game Los Angeles trip, starting at Pepperdine on Saturday at 4 p.m. (Phoenix time) and moving to Loyola Marymount on Monday at 8 p.m. (Phoenix time).
Game Recap Press Release courtesy of Grand Canyon Athletics – Paul Coro
