Clutch bench edges Boise State

Saturday, December 1

Phoenix, Ariz.

7 p.m.

Grand Canyon

Boise State

Boise St.

Grand Canyon

12/1/2018 11:03:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro

Box Score Photo Gallery

Lopes reserves outscore Broncos subs 39-13

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

Grand Canyon already played games during this season and past ones that felt like the one Saturday night with Boise State: dig a hole against a quality team and rally furiously on the strength of its bench for a tight finish.

This one looked joyously different at the end.

GCU head coach Dan Majerle thrusted his arms and yelled in joy. Trey Drechsel was so excited that his leap matched Oscar Frayer's bounce as they collided in midair at midcourt. Gerard Martin turned to the sold-out crowd of 7,317 fans with his hands pressed in thanks as he looked upward.

Last December, Boise State supplied a crushing double-overtime GCU loss in Idaho. This time, the rematch at GCU Arena turned heartache to happiness for the Lopes in a 69-67 win. A year after the Broncos hit a desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer to put the game in overtime, Boise State guard Pat Dembley did not get a potential tying shot off until after the buzzer when he dribbled upcourt and wide against GCU guard Damari Milstead's defense.

"We knew this was going to be a tough game and our guys battled and found a way to win one," Majerle said. "We've been losing a couple of those lately. Found a way to get a stop and a big basket. Just happy. Guys have worked hard. We have a long way to go but they've worked hard."

Behind a GCU bench that outscored the Boise State reserves 39-13, the Lopes scrapped from a nine-point deficit in the first half to lead and rallied again from a 10-point hole in the second half. GCU scored on its final six possessions of the game, taking the lead with 1:13 to go when Milstead poked a Bronco dribble loose for a turnover.

The Lopes (5-3) did not get a point from leading scorer Alessandro Lever until his free throw with 1:39 remaining. But Majerle went back to Lever down the stretch, setting him up to back down 6-foot-10 David Wacker from the wing to the paint. Lever finished the isolation chance with a spin post score, his first field goal of the game, and put the Lopes ahead for good at 66-65 with 40.9 seconds remaining.

"I'm really thankful for Coach Majerle giving me another opportunity after the game I played," Lever said. "It was the last couple minutes, when it matters most. He gave me another opportunity so I didn't want to waste it. Thanks to Gerard Martin, Matt Jackson and the guys who played great defense all game."

Most of the bench crew's impact often can be hard to find in a box score, except for the plus/minus category that shows GCU's point differential for each player's time on the floor. The Lopes outscored the Broncos by 18 points when reserves Carlos Johnson, Matt Jackson and Martin were playing.

Martin drew three charges and blocked two shots. Johnson led the team with 14 points, including six during a 12-2 run that pulled the Lopes out of an 11-point hole. Jackson posted 10 points and six rebounds. Milstead added 13 points and three assists.

"They needed us," Jackson said. "We just do what we can. We bring the energy. If the first group doesn't have it, we've got to pick them up. I think we've done it most games. If we can keep doing this moving forward, we'll be a good team all around."

The Lopes had familiar issues with first-half defense, allowing 57 percent shooting to Boise State (2-5) after previous losses started with 65 percent first-half shooting by Seton Hall and 56 percent first-half shooting by Utah. The Broncos scored regularly in the paint early against the starting unit in each half.

But facing GCU's smaller, energetic second crew, Boise State made most of its 17 turnovers.

"That's their identity," Majerle said. "That's what they do. They've done it since day one. Their job is to come in and change the game and they needed to change the game in a hurry and they got us out of that hole. Matt and Gerard, there's something to be said about guys who have been here five years. They are big culture guys, know how I work, know how this team works. They did an unbelievable job, everybody did."

Johnson is the newcomer to the Lopes bench, offering a unique ability to create scoring with his drives. He scored 12 of 19 GCU points during one second-half stretch.

"We're fighters, so we're going to keep fighting regardless of how the game is going," Johnson said. "We are going to fight the whole game and toward the end, when the buzzer goes off, if we win, no matter how we get the W, that's all that matters."

For home games, that is the most important thing to Majerle. The Lopes are now 53-8 at GCU Arena over the past four seasons.

The crowd felt like a difference-maker in crunchtime, fueling the reserves' energy when they were on the court for long stretches and screaming madly when top Boise State scorer R.J. Williams (23 points) missed a free throw with 58.1 seconds remaining.

"That's the loudest the arena has ever gotten, I think," Jackson said. "That was amazing."

Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.