(Phoenix, AZ) There have been recent games when Grand Canyon hit the gas and the offense sputtered or the Lopes found out the scoring machine’s engine was not even running.
The previous three games had 3-for-17, 1-for-10 and 2-for-16 shooting starts, so flooring it Saturday night felt like GCU was at the wheel of a sports car when the Lopes hit their first six shots to race to a 13-0 lead on Ottawa.
It was an in-town NAIA visitor that GCU expected to beat, but also a Spirit team that beat a Division I opponent at Denver last month. So stealing Ottawa’s spirit early was ideal to lead by 23 after 11 minutes of play and cruise to a 79-51 victory at GCU Arena.
With a festive “Merry Litmas” theme for GCU’s last pre-Christmas home game, the 9-2 Lopes moved to 8-1 at home with a litmus test of how they would respond emotionally after a tough loss. GCU shook off a 67-62 Thursday night loss at Arizona State by showing the type of defense it wants to play next Saturday in a Jerry Colangelo Classic game against 10-0 San Francisco at the Phoenix Suns’ Footprint Center.
“You always wonder how your team is going to bounce back, how they’re going to respond, how mentally tough are they going to be, how motivated are they going to be to go out and get on a win,” Drew said. “It was a great sign for this team with how they came out and jumped out to an early lead. More than anything, they were ready to play, especially on the defensive end.”
The Lopes held the Spirit to 31% shooting and forced 20 turnovers, right down to the late-game Liam Lloyd steal that set up the night’s ultimate highlight.
Lloyd laid the ball off the glass for trailing Jayden Stone, a fellow sophomore guard, with a defender in between them and Stone stuffed the stocking.
“He risked his playing time so a lot of love for Liam always,” said Lopes graduate forward Sean Miller-Moore, who hopped on the bench before Stone did on the court.
Drew said. “We had a good time in the locker room talking about that. I didn’t realize there was a time in practice that Liam did it and Jayden did not jump. Today, Jayden was calling it out and Liam pretty much just trusted him and threw it. Jayden made a spectacular finish.”
Drew could appreciate more from his bench Saturday night after the regulars did their job to build a 34-11 lead after sophomore Chance McMillian, freshman Jalen Blackmon and junior Jovan Blacksher Jr. hit 3-point shots on consecutive trips.
GCU gets steady play from its heartbeat, the starting backcourt. Blacksher and graduate Holland Woods II each scored 10 first-half points and finished with three steals apiece. But McMillian played one of his better games and Blackmon, Indiana’s leading prep scorer last year, saw his role expand with more time at the point in a 16-minute night.
“The more he plays, the more you’re going to appreciate him and the better he gets,” Drew said. “He has such a knack for scoring the ball.”
GCU’s guard depth led to several three-guard lineups, but even the starting lineup begins with another ball-handler with Miller-Moore at swingman. He matched his career high with all eight of his rebounds coming in the first half, when GCU built a 46-22 lead by halftime.
Early in the second half, Miller-Moore used the defense’s overplays on the guards to run the baseline for an alleyoop. The career 50% free-throw shooter went 6 for 6 at the line to finish with 10 points.
“It’s fun playing with them,” Miller-Moore said. “It’s fun when Holland drives and the defense is just staring at him because he’s one of our top scorers and I can cut backdoor and he can lob it up at the rim.”
GCU junior power forward Gabe McGlothan missed his first eight shots Thursday at ASU when he tried to play after being ill and losing 12 pounds in the days leading up to the game.
Back at full health, McGlothan offered his usual efficiency with nine points and seven rebounds, but junior reserve center Aidan Igiehon posted the same numbers with a blocked shot. The 6-foot-10 Louisville transfer from Ireland also made his first career 3-point attempt.
“I am always shooting it, but just to have that confidence and shoot it out here and knowing Coach trusts me to do it is important,” Igiehon said.
The nonconference home finale was GCU’s final test before final exams in the classroom and big tests against San Francisco next Saturday and a game at Nevada on Dec. 21 preceding the Dec. 30 WAC opener.
Twelve Lopes scored Saturday with the Lopes rediscovering their 3-point stroke (41%) and free-throw touch (88%). With senior Taeshon Cherry limited because of illness, five other GCU reserves logged double-digit minutes on Saturday night.
“We have depth and different guys who have shown they can really help us,” Drew said “We have a few guys who have been really consistent. We just need a couple more guys to add some consistency to that and that would make our rotation better.”
Press Release courtesy of Grand Canyon Athletics – Paul Coro
