GCU Basketball Essentials: Week 15

GCU Women
at UMKC
Location: Kansas City, Mo.
Date: Thursday, Feb. 18, 8 p.m. MT
Records: UMKC 9-14 (4-6 WAC), GCU 13-13 (5-5 WAC)

at Chicago State
Location: Chicago, Ill.
Date: Saturday, Feb. 20, 1 p.m. MT
Records: CSU 4-20 (2-8 WAC), GCU 13-13 (5-5 WAC)

GCU Men
vs. UMKC
Location: GCU Arena -- Buy Tickets
Date: Thursday, Feb. 18, 7 p.m. MT
Records: UMKC 10-15 (3-7 WAC), GCU 22-4 (8-2 WAC)

vs. Chicago State
Location: GCU Arena -- Buy Tickets
Date: Saturday, Feb. 20, 7 p.m. MT
Records: CSU 4-23 (0-10 WAC), GCU 22-4 (8-2 WAC)

Women: A run to the Midwest awaits the Lopes this week as they travel to face UMKC on Thursday followed by a Saturday matinee in Chicago. Grand Canyon has won five of its last eight matchups to pull into a three-way tie for third place in the Western Athletic Conference standings with four games to play. GCU is currently tied or ahead of all four teams it still faces and has a chance to reach as high as second place with a strong finish. Three of the four remaining matchups include a pair of home games in the last week against the two teams -- CSU Bakersfield and Utah Valley -- that the Lopes are currently tied with.

Men: The Havocs had better be ready to roll as Thursday and Saturday may be the last times they get to see the Lopes at home this season. During its incredible ride, one that has included ranking second Division I in wins entering the week with 22, Grand Canyon has earned a 14-2 mark at the GCU Arena. Matchups with Chicago State and UMKC await this week before the Lopes finish out the regular season on the road with a pair of conference matchups and one of the most intriguing mid-major clashes this season with GCU at Saint Mary's (Calif.) on March 1. That contest, and the one at CSU Bakersfield three days before, could set the tone for the postseason.

Women: After trailing by double digits early, the Lopes had some key production from long range that helped push them over the top to a season sweep of Seattle last weekend. Leading the way was Jessica Gajewski, who scored a team-best 19 points to help the Lopes get back to .500 overall (13-13) and in league contests (5-5). Gajewski's biggest buckets came from beyond the arc as she hit 4 of 7 3-point attempts on the afternoon, giving her a team-high 54 on the season. Her total is nearly half of the team's total production, which stands at 113 treys heading into the final four games of the regular season.

Men: You never know where the points will come from, but that's why everyone has to be ready. At different points this season, Dominic Magee, Keonta Vernon and De'Andre Davis have come off the bench to ignite the Lopes' offense. Last week against Seattle, it was Ryan Majerle who did the trick, pouring in a season-high 16 points while hitting four 3-pointers along the way to shoot down the Redhawks. Majerle, who sparked a key 15-2 run for GCU which also included 3s by Joshua Braun and Gerard Martin, had just been averaging just 3.3 points per game this season before his outburst. Just another reminder that any day could be your day, so be ready.

Women: A sweep last week was a great way to get back on the winning track for the Lopes. The win, a 60-53 nailbiter at home, gave the Lopes a pair of wins over Seattle U. this year. GCU has a chance for three more sweeps as it already owns a win over each of its last three WAC opponents -- Chicago State, CSU Bakersfield and Utah Valley. Falling on the Lopes' side will be the fact that they get to play two of the three -- CSUB and UVU -- at home in the final week. First though, the Lopes need to get the split when they take on UMKC on Thursday. The Roos knocked off Grand Canyon in Phoenix in the first go-around 63-57.

Men: The game started out similar to the first matchup, but thankfully, it ended differently as the Lopes came out on top of Seattle U. on Friday. With the win, they earned a series split, and now are looking toward four more sweeps to end conference play. GCU has already knocked off Chicago State, UMKC, CSU Bakersfield and Utah Valley. All will still be tough, but the Lopes' biggest challenge remaining in league play is Bakersfield, which is tied with Grand Canyon for second in the WAC at 8-2. The coaches will likely be putting extra study time in when looking back on GCU's 70-64 win at home in the sixth game of league play.

Women: There's little question Courtney Hayes has been one of the top floor generals in the conference this season. With two weeks remaining in the regular season, Hayes is still leading the Western Athletic Conference in assists per game (8.1), steals per game (3.0) and assist:turnover ratio (2.1:1). In fact, she has almost doubled second place in terms of assists, with CSU Bakersfield's Alyssa Shannon being the closest competitor at 4.6 apg. Not much of a competition there if you ask me. And that's a big reason why Hayes should be right up there for first-team honors when the all-conference squad is announced.

Men: Like Hayes for the women, Grandy Glaze has seen his numbers continually climb in WAC play, to the point where he's among the most feared post players in the league. On any given night he can put up a double-double, something he's done 10 times now after posting 16 points and 10 boards against Seattle last week. His rebounding average continues to soar as he now ranks second in league-only games with 9.5 boards per game. Offensively, his 15.1 points per game (seventh in WAC games) comes on a field-goal percentage of 58.6, third in league action. There's no question he's making the most of his one season in Phoenix, which will be remembered for a long time.

Women: It will be contrast of styles as the Lopes fight for a top-three finish for the third straight season. Three other teams are either tied with or within a game of the Lopes and will be looking to run by GCU as all three are in the top four in scoring offense in the WAC. That prodcution will be tough to keep up with but luckily, GCU is built for these kind of showdowns as long as it sticks to its gameplan which is this: defend, defend, defend. The Lopes have the top scoring defense in the WAC, allowing a paltry 55.4 points per game in conference action. The conflicting approaches will make for some interesting games to finish out the season.

Men: Taking a whirl through the record books sure does shine a nice light on the Lopes' season to date. With 22 wins heading into the final five games of the regular season, GCU is in elite company as only 11 WAC teams have posted more wins in a single season during the past decade. In fact, only one team currently still in the WAC -- New Mexico State -- has had more wins in a season, as the Aggies had 26 two years ago and 25 wins in 2006-07. Former WAC member Utah State had the most in that span, twice posting 30 wins in a season. If the Lopes were to win out, the resulting 27 wins (before postseason play) would be the fifth-highest WAC total in that span.

Grand Canyon University Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Joshua Braun

De'Andre Davis

Jessica Gajewski

Grandy Glaze

Courtney Hayes

Dominic Magee

Ryan Majerle

Gerard Martin

Keonta Vernon

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