Lopes hit jackpot in Vegas

Wednesday, December 27

Las Vegas, Nev.

6 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. AZ

Grand Canyon

10-4

100

Morgan State

4-8

Morgan State

Grand Canyon

100

Photo by: Slaven Gujic

12/27/2017 9:37:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro

Box Score Dan Majerle Press Conference Photo Gallery

GCU scores 100, keeps Morgan State to 30 percent shooting

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

LAS VEGAS – Grand Canyon just had posted a 100-point game for the second time in its five-year Division I era and held an opponent to 30 percent shooting or less for the third time this season when Lopes head coach Dan Majerle put a bow on GCU's final Christmas present on Wednesday.

"Let's hope what happens in Vegas doesn't stay in Vegas," Majerle said on the 1580 AM postgame show.

The Lopes will take more victories like the 100-74 drubbing of Morgan State at Orleans Arena when they return in March for the Western Athletic Conference Basketball Tournament. Until then, more of the same would be more like what GCU expects of itself.

GCU (10-4) was balanced offensively but most pleased to see familiar shooting from senior guard Joshua Braun, who made five of nine 3-point tries to score a team-high 18 points. Outside Morgan State's early transition strikes, the defense never let the Bears' offense find a rhythm.

"I just said, 'It's time to get our mojo back,' " Majerle said of this week's message to the team. "Nothing has changed. We just hit a little bit of a lull. We have to get our mojo back. We have to get our confidence up. We have to play as a team. We have to get out of ourselves and just win games. If we're not making shots, rebound and play defense and all those things will come around. I thought we did a better job of that."

The Lopes' offense came at Morgan State (4-8) from as many directions as a football offense. Nine Lopes players scored at least eight points. After scoring 50 against Longwood last week, the GCU bench posted 43 points on Wednesday with sophomore guard Fiifi Aidoo scoring 12. That gives Aidoo his two highest scoring games of the season in the past week.

Aidoo had two outstanding end-to-end sequences. He scored on a layup and retreated on defense quickly enough to take a charge six seconds later. After later making a 3-pointer, he blocked a layup try nine seconds later.

Junior forward Gerard Martin had a tear too, scoring eight consecutive GCU points to finish an 11-0 run that started with a three-point play from freshman Damari Milstead, getting to play rotation minutes with senior Shaq Carr starting in place of sophomore Oscar Frayer.

Frayer hurt his knee in Tuesday's practice but is not expected to be sidelined long. Carr started at point guard with senior Casey Benson moving from the point to join Braun on the wings. Each fared well with Benson still delivering five assists and Carr adding a team-high six assists.

The Lopes scored 18 fastbreak points, helping the offensive efficiency on a 51.5 percent shooting night.

"We're really great when we get out and push the ball," Carr said. "We're really great when we move the ball around. That's what Coach Majerle emphasized a lot this week. When we get stagnant, that's when our offense gets rough. When we move the ball, it's hard to defend us."

GCU led 38-18 after about 15 minutes of play but did not take total command until after Majerle called time out in response to the Lopes fouling on Morgan State's first three second-half possessions.

GCU emerged from a bench tongue-lashing with an 8-0 run that started with Carr's 3-point play on a follow score.

One of the best second-half stretches came when Braun made his fourth and fifth 3-pointers of the game on consecutive possessions. It was just what the team knew Braun had in him after the leading scorer's four-game slump.

"I appreciate my teammates so much," Braun said. "They've been telling me, 'Just keep playing, just keep shooting.' We had a dry spell for a little bit but I appreciate my teammates being so encouraging. I love these guys so it means a lot that they'd get behind me like that."

Braun also contributed five rebounds and a team-high three steals but the confident shooting was the most-welcome sight.

"I was really happy for Josh," Majerle said. "Nobody is harder on Josh than Josh. I just hold him, he's got to just play."

The start gave Carr a chance to bounce back from a three-turnover, three-minute game at Louisville. He responded by scoring at the rim on each of his three shots and pushing tempo.

"When Shaq plays like that, I like it," Majerle said. "We've got to handle the ball well. I thought Damari was good. The problem with Shaq is every time he gets comfortable, he gets comfortable. He can't play comfortable. He has to play on fire. He's got to play with a sense of urgency. He's got to play like I'm going to pull him out of the game. When he does that, he's really good."

GCU scheduled the game at Orleans Arena so that it could get accustomed to the surroundings before its plays there in March for first WAC Basketball Tournament. The crowd of 1,544 nearly was made of all Lopes fans.

"It'll be a big factor with Arizona only being four hours away for our fans to come here and cheer us on and give us motivation," Carr said. "It was kind of like a home game. It's going to be a good advantage for us."

The Lopes stay on the road to close the non-conference schedule Saturday at Illinois.

Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.