Scoring depth overwhelms in win

Friday, November 16

Phoenix, Ariz.

7 p.m.

Grand Canyon

Arkansas State

Arkansas St.

Grand Canyon

11/16/2018 10:41:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro

Box Score PHOTO GALLERY

GCU puts 6 scorers in double figures for 1st time in DI

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

A dominant scorer has not emerged in Grand Canyon's first four games of the season.

The Lopes might not need one if their scoring attack stays as balanced as flamingos.

For the first time in the program's Division I history, GCU went six players deep with double-digit scorers Friday night to finish off a sweep of its three-game homestand. The Lopes won by 42 and 17 in the previous two home games but Friday's 96-72 defeat of Arkansas State at GCU Arena was the most impressive.

This time, the Lopes never allowed a threat once an Oscar Frayer-fueled 16-3 run broke open the game to close the first half. Despite the 3-point shooting staying cold (5 for 19), GCU (3-1) broke down Arkansas State's defense for 46 points in the paint and 27-of-33 free throw shooting.

It was the best Lopes game for senior power forward Michael Finke, the graduate transfer who led GCU in points (15) and rebounds (seven) on Friday after an 11-point second half. The record-setting double-digit scoring crew joining Finke included sophomore point guard Damari Milstead (14 points), Frayer (13), senior point guard Trey Drechsel (12), junior guard Carlos Johnson (10) and sophomore center Alessandro Lever (10).

For the season, five Lopes are averaging between 9.8 and 12.5 points.

The scoring depth did not stop with the starters Friday night because the GCU bench had another strong night, outscoring the Red Wolves' bench 36-11 and providing defensive energy that was highlighted by Milstead's career-high five steals.

"We are really starting to jell a lot better together," Finke said. "Even the past couple wins, we won but I think we didn't really play as well as we could. But I thought, tonight, we played a pretty complete game for the most part in the last five minutes of the first half and that kind of carried over into the second half. It was a fun game."

There was plenty of offense in a 96-point effort that would have been GCU's second-highest scoring effort of last season. One dominant defensive stretch was enough to keep the lead in double digits for the entire second half and stretch it to as much as 24.

With GCU leading 28-27, the Lopes induced a shot-clock violation that unraveled Arkansas State (1-2) to miss nine of its last 10 first-half shots.

Finke's mix of square-up jumpers and drawing fouls fueled a second-half stretch that extended the lead to 74-54 with 9:49 to play, when Finke finished a driving 3-point play.

"He's been in one system for four years, and now he's here," GCU head coach Dan Majerle said. "He's got to figure out the system and where he's going to get his shots and when to be aggressive. So, I'm not worried about him. I think he's going to continue to get better and better."

After struggling in first halves and having a three-point game Monday, Johnson carried GCU early with six points in the first six minutes as Lever missed his first five shots. The bench brought energy again from junior forward Gerard Martin drawing charges, Milstead pressuring the ball and freshman guard Tim Finke driving impressively.

"We've got a pretty easy job – play defense and bring energy," Martin said. "He (Majerle) doesn't expect us to do more than that. When we come in, we try to change the game as best as we can. The last couple games, we definitely figured a way to do that."

The victory gives GCU the fourth-most home wins in Division I over the past four seasons with 52, trailing only St. Mary's (55), Oregon (53) and Louisville (53).

"That is a very good team and they are going to win their league and be an NCAA Tournament team," Arkansas State head coach Mike Balado told astateredwolves.com.

The Lopes' defense did slip, going from allowing 35.5 percent shooting in the first half to 64.0 percent shooting in the second half. Arkansas State guard Ty Cockfield made 11 of 16 shots for 24 points but the Lopes limited their second chances to seven and committed fewer turnovers (12) than either of the previous home wins.

"We knew this team was going to come in and fight and they did," Majerle said. "So I was very happy with our effort. I've talked about playing with a lot of poise. We're still turning the ball over -- some bad mistakes there. Still not communicating defensively. But I thought the enthusiasm and the effort was a lot better tonight. If we play that hard all the time, we'll be okay."

Despite the start of GCU's Thanksgiving break, a crowd of 7,121 fans still packed the arena for GCU's last home game until Dec. 1 against Boise State.

"It's unbelievable," Finke said. "I've never played in anything like it. All the Big 10 road games I've been in and at home at Illinois, we have great fans in the Big 10 but here it's something special."

Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.