Rout takes 1st crack at new style

Wednesday, October 30

Phoenix, Ariz.

7 p.m.

Grand Canyon

0-0,0-0WAC

CSU San Bernardino

0-0,0-0CCAA

Cal St. San B'dino

Grand Canyon

10/30/2019 10:21:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro

Box Score Postgame with Coach Majerle Majerle Postgame Transcript Photo Gallery

GCU wins 87-60 vs. CSU San Bernardino

By: Paul Coro

Wednesday night's basketball game at GCU Arena was supposed to be for exhibition purposes only.

The sold-out crowd did not look or act like that and neither did the Lopes team that stirred them in running away from CSU San Bernardino for a 87-60 sample victory in front of 7,190 fans.

GCU's faster, feistier look kept the Coyotes to 32% shooting and never let them lead. It was the debut of a revamped roster with several individual introductions.

The trimmer Alessandro Lever, GCU's junior center, ran at the front of fastbreaks, was more assertive with offensive post moves for some of his 15 points and collected what would have been a career high for rebounds (13) if it had been a regular-season game.

After going 608 days between games, Northwestern transfer Isiah Brown returned with a 19-point first half on his way to a game-high 26 points at both guard spots.

Jovan Blacksher Jr., a freshman starting at point guard, played on the court he has visited for years with 12 points and four assists as the Lopes outscored the Coyotes by 28 in his 29 minutes of action.

Senior Lorenzo Jenkins, a graduate transfer from Colorado State, showed he can be a skilled power forward with sharp passes and used his 6-foot-7 frame to snag 11 rebounds as GCU won the board battle.

The other starter, returning leading scorer Carlos Johnson, looked the most familiar as he shook off missing long 3-pointers early to finish with 23 points on 6-of-9 shooting inside the arc.

GCU needed a strong starting effort with three rotation reserves making their Division I debuts and Oscar Frayer and Jaylen Fisher out awaiting NCAA certification.

"We've got a lot of new guys and we're putting in a lot of things so it's going to take a while for us to get it rolling," Lopes head coach Dan Majerle said.

GCU shot out to a 13-4 lead in front of the rollicking Havocs by keeping CSU San Bernardino to one made field goal in the first five minutes. The Lopes scored 50 in the first half with Brown finding his groove on three consecutive scores on drives when the defense stuck to Lever.

"It definitely felt like 608 days for the first couple minutes," Brown said. "I was a little gassed and I had to get my second wind. But a couple minutes later, it settles in and turns back to basketball. That's probably the best feeling in the world. You just feel right back at home. It's a blessing."

The Coyotes cut the lead to 50-44 early in the second half, when a Majerle time out and defensive demand prompted a 15-2 GCU run that started with Jenkins finding Brown on a backdoor cut for a layup. The run was capped with Lever jamming off a post-up and drop step and a three-point play off his offensive rebound.

After foul trouble limited him to 11 first-half minutes, Blacksher was stronger in the second half. His strengths showed most in one sequence when he stole a pass and raced downcourt for a breakaway score.

"This moment is what I wanted – to be here in a GCU uniform," said Blacksher, who played at crosstown Shadow Mountain High School, like Johnson and teammate J.J. Rhymes. "I've played here with Shadow Mountain but I wanted to be here with GCU and everybody here supporting us so that's what I did. I went out there and put on a show."

The Lopes shot 46.2% from the field but only made 9 of 31 tries from 3-point range, often taking shots well beyond the line. Only sophomore Raef Gerdes, the popular walk-on who entered for the final three minutes, was efficient by making his only long-distance try to thrill the Havocs.

"Too many, that's what we talked about," Majerle said. "We're settling for some shots. A guy like Carlos, who's a really good player, shouldn't have to settle for bad 3s. That's just something we've got to work on. We can't go 9 for 31 from 3. We just can't do it."

The regular season begins Tuesday at home against Davenport before projected NCAA tournament team Illinois visits on Nov. 8. The exhibition game allowed seven new Lopes play in front of the GCU Arena crowd. Freshman forward Bryce Okpoh contributed with five rebounds and a blocked shot in 14 minutes.

"For a lot of these people, this is one of the reasons why they came to GCU, to play in front of a crowd like that," Majerle said. "So for their first experience, they really enjoyed it. I think they were a little nervous so it's good to get that out of the way. But they really enjoy it and we always love playing here and puttting on a show for these people. We have the best student section in all of basketball. They proved it again tonight."

Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.