Completed Event: Men's Basketball at UNLV on February 7, 2026 , Loss , 78, to, 80
M Basketball
at UNLV
L 78-80
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Rapid Recap: GCU 67, UAPB 54
11/16/2019 7:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro
Lopes get on the victory board with Lever scoring 25
Grand Canyon moved in the right direction with its first victory of the season, using its most efficient shooting and best passing to pull away slowly from Arkansas-Pine Bluff for a 67-54 victory Saturday night at GCU Arena.
Lopes junior center Alessandro Lever scored 16 in the first half to help GCU (1-3) get off to a good start against Pine Bluff's 2-3 zone defense. GCU has been looking for more from its two Preseason All-WAC first-team picks, Lever and senior swingman Carlos Johnson, and got it as the Lopes shot 47 percent from the field.
Lever picked up a foul in the first minute for the third time this season but stayed out of foul trouble for the remainder of the game and finished with 25 points on 9-of-12 shooting. He also added six rebounds and four assists. Johnson made 7 of 12 shots to finish with 17 points and 7 rebounds to make for an even battle on the boards.
The Lopes moved the ball better with 20 assists, including a team season-high seven by junior reserve swingman J.J. Rhymes. He also led GCU in rebounds with nine in 25 minutes.
GCU carved up Pine Bluff's 2-3 zone defense at times in the first half, recording 10 assists on their 11 made field goals. Either Lever or Rhymes operated from the high post to use their passing to break down the Lions' zone.
Rhymes delivered four first-half assists in nine minutes, setting up a Lever slam with 7:05 remaining in the first half. That put GCU ahead 26-16, its largest first-half lead, but the Lopes only went into the locker room with a 29-22 lead after not making a field goal for the final five minutes of the first half.
GCU slowly pulled away in the second half, never allowing the Golden Lions to string together two scoring possession for the final 14 minutes of the game. The outcome became more clear when Lever came up with a steal that led to a fastbreak layup for freshman point guard Jovan Blacksher Jr., who tallied 6 points, 5 assists and 2 steals. Blacksher and junior guard Isiah Browh had been GCU's leading scorers but Brown went scoreless getting eight points in the final 12 minutes, including a dagger 3-pointer for a 60-45 lead with 4:16 remaining.
Return to gculopes.com for Paul Coro's full game recap with comments from Dan Majerle and players.
Lopes junior center Alessandro Lever scored 16 in the first half to help GCU (1-3) get off to a good start against Pine Bluff's 2-3 zone defense. GCU has been looking for more from its two Preseason All-WAC first-team picks, Lever and senior swingman Carlos Johnson, and got it as the Lopes shot 47 percent from the field.
Lever picked up a foul in the first minute for the third time this season but stayed out of foul trouble for the remainder of the game and finished with 25 points on 9-of-12 shooting. He also added six rebounds and four assists. Johnson made 7 of 12 shots to finish with 17 points and 7 rebounds to make for an even battle on the boards.
The Lopes moved the ball better with 20 assists, including a team season-high seven by junior reserve swingman J.J. Rhymes. He also led GCU in rebounds with nine in 25 minutes.
GCU carved up Pine Bluff's 2-3 zone defense at times in the first half, recording 10 assists on their 11 made field goals. Either Lever or Rhymes operated from the high post to use their passing to break down the Lions' zone.
Rhymes delivered four first-half assists in nine minutes, setting up a Lever slam with 7:05 remaining in the first half. That put GCU ahead 26-16, its largest first-half lead, but the Lopes only went into the locker room with a 29-22 lead after not making a field goal for the final five minutes of the first half.
GCU slowly pulled away in the second half, never allowing the Golden Lions to string together two scoring possession for the final 14 minutes of the game. The outcome became more clear when Lever came up with a steal that led to a fastbreak layup for freshman point guard Jovan Blacksher Jr., who tallied 6 points, 5 assists and 2 steals. Blacksher and junior guard Isiah Browh had been GCU's leading scorers but Brown went scoreless getting eight points in the final 12 minutes, including a dagger 3-pointer for a 60-45 lead with 4:16 remaining.
Return to gculopes.com for Paul Coro's full game recap with comments from Dan Majerle and players.
Players Mentioned
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