1st-place duel set in Bakersfield

Feb. 2 \| 8 p.m. (Phoenix time) \| Bakersfield, Calif.

	GRAND CANYON LOPES (13-7, 6-1)	VS	CSU BAKERSFIELD ROADRUNNERS (15-6, 6-1)

WATCH: ESPN3 \| LISTEN: 1580 The Fanatic \| STATS: View \| FOLLOW: @GCU_MBB

Grand Canyon talked about being deeper and more talented than ever this season. The Lopes have played like it thus far.

GCU said it could be a better road team this season. The Lopes have shown it lately.

GCU aims to be atop the WAC. The Lopes can prove they belong there Saturday night in Bakersfield, Calif.

The conference lead will not be settled with GCU and CSU Bakersfield in a three-way tie at 6-1 with New Mexico State, which plays Chicago State at home Saturday. But the winner will crack part of the lock Saturday with an 8 p.m. game (Phoenix time) at Icardo Center, the Lopes' second consecutive sold-out road environment.

"They're going to have a great crowd," GCU head coach Dan Majerle said. "It's a hard place to play. They're going to get in and try to pressure us, deny our leads (passes) and beat us up. It's just the way they've always played and they're very effective at it. The guys who have been here understand that and the new guys will get adjusted quickly."

The game pits the conference's top two rebounding teams on the blue court at Bakersfield (15-6), where the Roadrunners are 9-0 this season. The Lopes succumbed to the defensive intensity there last year, digging a 34-14 hole in a 71-58 loss. GCU (13-7) has handled itself differently on the road this season with only a half-court buzzer shot at New Mexico State keeping them from a 3-0 WAC road mark and an outright hold on first place.

While GCU is the far-and-away conference leader for scoring margin (plus-15.1), Bakersfield has pulled out tight, clutch home WAC wins twice. On Jan. 5, a Utah Valley inbounds pass went off the backboard to set up a Bakersfield game-winner that came on a buzzer-beating putback. On Jan. 17, Roadrunners leading scorer Jarkel Joiner was fouled on a 3-point attempt with two-tenths of a second remaining and made all three free throws for a 74-73 win.

Joiner, a 6-foot-1 sophomore shooting guard, heads the WAC's top scoring team (77.3 per conference game) with 17.3 points per game in WAC play to rank third. The Lopes are coming off a win at California Baptist in which they held WAC leading scorer Milan Acquaah to 4-of-14 shooting with six turnovers.

The main concern with the Roadrunners is denying second-chance points to a team that grabs 39 percent of available rebounds while on offense. Just as GCU senior guard Trey Drechsel is the WAC's top defensive rebounder, Bakersfield 6-7 senior center James Suber is the leading offensive rebounder (4.0 per game) with his physical style.

"We've done a great job with rebounding wars but this is going to be a test," Majerle said. "It's the two best rebounding teams in the league. Offensively, they crash. Our defense has been really good but we've got to limit them to one shot."

Lopes junior forward Oscar Frayer practiced for the first time since a Jan. 19 injury but his playing status for Saturday is uncertain.

Bakersfield appears to have been underestimated entering the season, when they were picked to finish fifth in the WAC. GCU staffers and players respect what eighth-year head coach Rod Barnes has established there with a swarming, high-pressure defense that put Bakersfield in the 2016 NCAA tournament and won the 2017 WAC regular-season title with a NIT Final Four run.

"I remember they were really ultra-aggressive," GCU sophomore point guard Damari Milstead said. "They really got into us. This year, we've got to stay composed. We've got to take their first punch and keep around and make our push."

This season, the Lopes sit atop the WAC for scoring defense, allowing 66.9 points per game on the season and 61.1 in conference play.

"Our guys have understood that, with our depth, if they play hard for 40 minutes, that will eventually wear teams out," Majerle said.

The GCU-Bakersfield winner likely will emerge in a first-place tie with New Mexico State, the only WAC team to beat either team and a visitor to both campuses next week. For the Lopes, NMSU will be the Saturday opponent following a Thursday game against Texas-Rio Grande Valley.

"Our focus to win the WAC in conference play and the tournament," Milstead said. "We know this is a game that will put someone in the driver's seat with New Mexico State coming into town next week. We've got to come prepared with a win-or-die mentality."

Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.

Feb. 2 | 8 p.m. (Phoenix time) | Bakersfield, Calif.

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Players Mentioned

Trey Drechsel

Oscar Frayer

Damari Milstead

Grand Canyon University Athletics