No drama: GCU posts top WAC rout

Thursday, January 17

Phoenix, Ariz.

7 p.m.

Grand Canyon

11-7, 4-1WAC

Chicago State

3-15, 0-3WAC

Chicago St.

Grand Canyon

1/17/2019 10:29:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro

Box Score Photo Gallery Postgame with Coach Majerle Postgame with Roberts Blumbergs

Lopes hold Chicago State to conference opponent-low scoring

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

Grand Canyon fans' nerves could not take another crazy finish so the Lopes removed the mystery from how Thursday night's game would end at GCU Arena.

The Lopes beat Chicago State in historically dominant fashion. The 80-46 rout matched the largest victory margin for a WAC game in GCU history and marked the first time the Lopes have held a WAC opponent to less than 50 points.

GCU (11-7, 4-1 WAC) stretched its regular-season home winning streak to 15 games by holding Chicago State to 39.2 percent shooting and no 3-pointers, marking the first time a Lopes opponent has not made a 3 in their Division I history. GCU moved into a first-place tie for the conference lead with CSU Bakersfield (12-6, 4-1).

Junior guard Carlos Johnson scored in double digits off the bench for the fifth consecutive game for a team-high 12 points as five Lopes scored in double figures.

"When we started this year, we thought one of our big strengths was our depth," GCU head coach Dan Majerle said. "Guys that can come off the bench and score. We've had several guys do that for us."

With sophomore center Alessandro Lever held to single digits for a third consecutive game, GCU's offense continues to show how it has diversified by putting four or more players in double-digit scoring for a fourth consecutive game. The Lopes shot 51.8 percent from the field for their third-highest clip of the season.

"We just had to handle our business and prepare for UMKC for Saturday," said Johnson, whose team plays fourth-place Kansas City on Saturday. "We still rely on Ale (Lever). He's a big part of what we do. He's going to keep being a big part of what we do. We all have to step up. We're going to be right there to help him."

The most encouraging scorer was sophomore power forward Roberts Blumbergs, who posted a season-high 10 points after not scoring in the previous two games and being in a season-long slump. Blumbergs led the team in first-half scoring with eight points, getting four of those during an 11-2 close for a 43-26 halftime lead.

Blumbergs made a variety of plays, including taking a charge and making an interior assist. It was his three-point play when he dunked while being fouled that showed the sort of strong finish the staff has been seeking from the 6-foot-10 Latvian.

"It was great," said Blumbergs, who started the second half in place of Lever. "I think I will build on it, having a game like this, and move forward and going up, not looking back.

"I'm just working hard, getting better and helping the team so, whenever I get in the game and get a chance to play, I'm being ready."

Chicago State (3-15, 0-3 WAC) led briefly early but the Lopes steamrolled the Cougars with a 21-2 run over seven minutes and put away the win with a 37-20 second half. Chicago State shot 39.2 percent and committed 23 turnovers with three of those coming on Blumbergs steals. The Cougars' turnover mark was the third-highest for a GCU opponent in the Division I era.

"He's an athletic kid," Majerle said of Blumbergs. "He shows it in practice a lot. He's just a little timid in games, as far as being aggressive. If he catches it around the basket, he's going to finish. He's probably one of our best shooters in practice. He's just got to have the confidence to make it in a game. He's really a kid that can stretch the floor. I am happy for him. He's struggled a bit the last year and a half and he's been practicing hard."

Senior forward Gerard Martin returned to action after a one-game absence while senior power forward Matt Jackson remained out for a rib injury. Among the nine rotation players, the seven perimeter players combined to make 25 of 41 shots with sophomore point guard Damari Milstead (11 points) scoring in double figures for the fourth consecutive game. Freshman guard Tim Finke had his second-best scoring game with 10 points while senior guard Trey Drechsel bounced back with a diverse line of 11 points, five rebounds, four assists, a steal and no turnovers.

The Lopes' recent uptick of turnovers continued with 16 on Saturday but the ball movement continues to improve. GCU assisted on 20 of its 29 field goals against a Chicago State team that used zone defense.

"It can be a problem if you're just standing around, so you want to move and cut and we've been really concentrating in on that in practice," Majerle said. "I think it's getting a little bit better that we're not just standing. We're moving the ball, moving bodies and looking for each other."

Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.