Coro: Exhibition win counts for progress

Thursday, November 2

Phoenix, Ariz.

7 p.m.

Grand Canyon

Saint Francis (Ill.)

Saint Francis (IL)

Grand Canyon

11/2/2017 9:56:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro

Box Score Game Highlights Analysis with Barry & Scott Analysis with Paul & Kate Casey Benson Press Conference Casey Benson Postgame

Lopes men's basketball thrashes St. Francis, 89-49

By: <a href="http://gculopes.com/index.aspx?path=coro">Paul Coro</a>

The only place that the Grand Canyon men's basketball team's Wednesday night blowout win did not count is in the standings.

What they accomplished on the floor meant something for the fast-approaching regular season and the 89-49 victory over NAIA program St. Francis (Ill.) resonated with the sell-out crowd of 7,118 fans for entertainment value.

The Lopes bowled over St. Francis and the Havocs, some of which had camped out, by scoring the game's first 14 points and unveiling four new key players with three of them in the starting lineup.

The absence of senior guard Joshua Braun, expected to return from concussion protocol for the Nov. 10 season opener, allowed GCU head coach Dan Majerle to look at a lineup starting both of his 6-foot-10 international freshmen – Italy's Alessandro Lever and Latvia's Roberts Blumbergs.

The other starting newcomer, senior transfer point guard Casey Benson, showed how he is the type of playmaker who sets up teammates by assisting on seven of the Lopes' first eight made shots. Benson did it with half-court precision and by throwing pinpoint passes upcourt to reward big men who ran the floor.

When senior Keonta Vernon finished a transition play with a reverse layup off Benson's pass from midcourt, the Lopes' 11-0 lead prompted St. Francis to call a time out, the Havocs to go nuts and Benson to tilt his head back in enjoyment and waves his arms to the student section.

"I've never experienced anything like that for an exhibition, let alone a real game too," said Benson, the Oregon transfer who finished with 11 points and nine assists. "Pretty surreal just to see how the students showed up and the energy they brought. I kind of had to channel it early a lot and get into a rhythm. It was pretty amazing."

Majerle opened the game with a platoon rotation that he would not do in the regular season. The starters opened a 25-7 lead before five reserves stretched the lead to 32-7. GCU made six of its first seven 3-pointers after going two for 25 on 3s in an exhibition loss at Nevada.

"I thought it was really good start," Majerle said. "This exhibition game every year is rough for us, especially for the new guys playing in front of that crowd. They hear about it, talk about it and you can show them videotapes but when you get out there for the first time, it's pretty daunting for our freshmen and guys who haven't been here."

Lever handled it aptly, making six of 10 shots to lead GCU in scoring (17 points) while sharing the rebounding lead (seven) with Vernon and sophomore Oscar Frayer. Lever showed his inside-outside ability, making two early 3s and showing versatility with a pump-fake drive later.

Blumbergs also made two 3-pointers, including one in rhythm as a fastbreak trailer, and finished with 12 points once he got to the rim in the second half on a cutting slam and a fastbreak finish.

"They're going to play a lot together," Majerle said. "I like both of those guys. They're going to be a big part of what we're doing going forward. I really like Alessandro. He's got a better post-up game than he showed tonight. He's just got to be more patient and use his size. You see that he can spread the floor. He can really shoot it.

"Roberts is going to be really good. He just has to figure out how hard he has to play and how physical he has to be. For a guy who is 6-10, he can really spread the floor. I'm going to put a lot on their shoulders because they're going to be really good players."

With freshman Damari Milstead and sophomore Fiifi Aidoo in the backcourt, the bench unit was active defensively with pressure and switches that helped keep St. Francis to 32.1 percent shooting for the game.

Milstead, a point guard from Hayward, Calif., has earned more playing time as he has progressed through preseason.

"Damari has improved every day in practice," Majerle said. "He's really learned a lot. I'm happy for Damari. I told him his bread and butter is going to be defensively, getting in and guarding his guys, using his strength."

Even when GCU's 3-point game cooled as the game progressed, the Lopes found ways to score at the rim. They outscored the Saints 19-2 in fastbreak points and 17-4 in second-chance points with gang rebounding.

"Like what Coach Majerle said, this is what we play for," Frayer said. "We come out every day and we want to compete for that."

Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.