Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus Purdue Fort Wayne on November 3, 2025 , Win , 90, to, 71
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M Basketball
vs Purdue Fort Wayne
W 90-71
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Photo by: Travis Neely
Insider: Lopes lead on 'D,' face 4-0 foe
11/24/2017 1:51:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro, Lopes Insider Blog
GCU hosts undefeated San Diego on Saturday
Earlier this season, former NBA head coach Vinny Del Negro was visiting a Grand Canyon men's basketball team practice under the leadership of his former Phoenix Suns teammate.
Del Negro asked GCU head coach Dan Majerle why the Lopes were not talking on defense. A rule? Illness? Study hall next door?
Once Majerle relayed the observation to his team, the switch flipped on the GCU defense's volume. The reason that the Lopes are 4-0 entering Saturday's 7 p.m. game against another 4-0 team, San Diego, is loud and clear.
GCU's defense is allowing 35.2 percent shooting by opponents to rank 21st in the nation. The Lopes' 55.8 points allowed per game ranks 12th in the nation. Opponents' 23.8 percent 3-point shooting is the 14th lowest clip in the nation. The defense is driving an 11-game winning streak, the longest active streak in Division I.
"We're going to hang our hats on the defensive end," said senior power forward Keonta Vernon, the defense's vocal leader. "The plays that Coach Majerle has are unbelievable. We're going to get a shot if we run them the right way. It comes down to getting stops. Coach Majerle told us we need to worry about being one of the best defenses in the country. That's a lot of our mindsets and Coach Majerle is getting other guys to worry about defense first and the offense will come."
The Saturday culmination of the Grand Canyon Classic is different, though. San Diego has been as strong defensively, keeping opponents to 57.8 points per game (14th in the nation) while allowing only 19.7 percent 3-point shooting (second lowest in the nation).
San Diego point guard Isaiah Wright, a transfer from Utah, is averaging 13.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 2.0 steals per game.
"It's going to be a tough one," GCU senior point guard Shaq Carr said. "We've got to come out and guard. Our defense has been unbelievable. That's why we're undefeated."
GCU and San Diego have faced three common opponents at home. The Lopes won those games by average of 18 points while the Toreros won them by an average of 11. San Diego has been on the road previously, opening the season with a 81-64 win at San Jose State.
"For us, it's just play our game," Vernon said. "Fans are going to be wild. If we do what we do day in and day out, we'll be fine. We can't worry about a record or a name. We just have to worry about playing our game."
Benson at your service
GCU senior point guard Casey Benson and his family hosted some teammates for Thanksgiving.
The Lopes eat up what Benson puts on a platter on game days too but he also is feasting on chances to score this season. Benson is on the first three-game streak of consecutive double-digit scoring games in his career.
Benson is multi-skilled with passing and scoring, even grabbing a mop to take care of a center-court mess during the season opener. He just never was asked to look to score much as this in his three seasons at Oregon.
In his GCU debut, Benson posted four points on one-of-six shooting with four assists. In the past three games, Benson is averaging 14.0 points and 5.0 assists per game with seven-of-nine 3-point shooting.
Benson is finding his way, but his team and coaches also are adjusting from score-first point guard DeWayne Russell. At times, that means Benson moves the ball ahead in transition by pass for the offense to score or work the ball back to his hands.
"What we're doing is a complete 180 from what he was doing at Oregon," Majerle said.
"He's got to know when to shoot it. He's not a blow-by guy. He's got to get off the ball and then find a shot when he has it and take it. He's not always going to the basket. He's starting to figure that out. He's very smart and very competitive. He'll figure it out and I've got to figure it out."
Free throws
Del Negro asked GCU head coach Dan Majerle why the Lopes were not talking on defense. A rule? Illness? Study hall next door?
Once Majerle relayed the observation to his team, the switch flipped on the GCU defense's volume. The reason that the Lopes are 4-0 entering Saturday's 7 p.m. game against another 4-0 team, San Diego, is loud and clear.
GCU's defense is allowing 35.2 percent shooting by opponents to rank 21st in the nation. The Lopes' 55.8 points allowed per game ranks 12th in the nation. Opponents' 23.8 percent 3-point shooting is the 14th lowest clip in the nation. The defense is driving an 11-game winning streak, the longest active streak in Division I.
"We're going to hang our hats on the defensive end," said senior power forward Keonta Vernon, the defense's vocal leader. "The plays that Coach Majerle has are unbelievable. We're going to get a shot if we run them the right way. It comes down to getting stops. Coach Majerle told us we need to worry about being one of the best defenses in the country. That's a lot of our mindsets and Coach Majerle is getting other guys to worry about defense first and the offense will come."
The Saturday culmination of the Grand Canyon Classic is different, though. San Diego has been as strong defensively, keeping opponents to 57.8 points per game (14th in the nation) while allowing only 19.7 percent 3-point shooting (second lowest in the nation).
San Diego point guard Isaiah Wright, a transfer from Utah, is averaging 13.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 2.0 steals per game.
"It's going to be a tough one," GCU senior point guard Shaq Carr said. "We've got to come out and guard. Our defense has been unbelievable. That's why we're undefeated."
GCU and San Diego have faced three common opponents at home. The Lopes won those games by average of 18 points while the Toreros won them by an average of 11. San Diego has been on the road previously, opening the season with a 81-64 win at San Jose State.
"For us, it's just play our game," Vernon said. "Fans are going to be wild. If we do what we do day in and day out, we'll be fine. We can't worry about a record or a name. We just have to worry about playing our game."
Benson at your service
GCU senior point guard Casey Benson and his family hosted some teammates for Thanksgiving.
The Lopes eat up what Benson puts on a platter on game days too but he also is feasting on chances to score this season. Benson is on the first three-game streak of consecutive double-digit scoring games in his career.
Benson is multi-skilled with passing and scoring, even grabbing a mop to take care of a center-court mess during the season opener. He just never was asked to look to score much as this in his three seasons at Oregon.
In his GCU debut, Benson posted four points on one-of-six shooting with four assists. In the past three games, Benson is averaging 14.0 points and 5.0 assists per game with seven-of-nine 3-point shooting.
Benson is finding his way, but his team and coaches also are adjusting from score-first point guard DeWayne Russell. At times, that means Benson moves the ball ahead in transition by pass for the offense to score or work the ball back to his hands.
"What we're doing is a complete 180 from what he was doing at Oregon," Majerle said.
"He's got to know when to shoot it. He's not a blow-by guy. He's got to get off the ball and then find a shot when he has it and take it. He's not always going to the basket. He's starting to figure that out. He's very smart and very competitive. He'll figure it out and I've got to figure it out."
Free throws
- Carr now wears No. 0, which was Russell's number last season. "I felt like 10 was bad luck for me," Carr said. "I felt like I needed a change, not to be like DeWayne."
- Majerle on junior power forward Kerwin Smith's first-half impact in Monday's win: "The one guy who deserves to play more that's not playing is probably Kerwin … He's just got to stay ready and when his number is called, he's got to go out there and produce and do what he does. I'm proud of Kerwin."
- The Lopes are ranked No. 91 among 351 Division I programs in the College Basketball Power Index.
- GCU has the 27th best 3-point percentage in the nation at 42.9 percent. The Lopes went two for 25 on 3-pointers in their exhibition opener at Nevada without Joshua Braun.
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