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 69, MSU 56
11/19/2019 7:52:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Jenkins scores 20; GCU only makes 4 turnovers
Grand Canyon appears to be getting better as the season progress and as games progress.
GCU trailed by eight points in the first half and went long stretches with offensive struggles against Montana State on Tuesday night but the Lopes wound up being dominant, putting together a late 17-0 run to pull away from the Bobcats for a 69-56 win at GCU Arena.
Lopes power forward Lorenzo Jenkins set a career scoring high with 20 points. Point guard Jovan Blacksher Jr. broke the GCU Division I record for assists by a freshman (10) while making one turnover. Junior center Alessandro Lever (16 points, seven rebounds, five assists) and senior swingman Carlos Johnson (16 points) continued to play well.
GCU's ball movement, whether it was against zone or man defense, was vastly improved even when the shots were not falling. Following a win with 20 assists, the Lopes made 16 assists with only four turnovers Tuesday night to win despite shooting only 37.3% from the field. Montana State (4-2) committed 17 turnovers with Lever's steal and a Bobcats shot clock violation sparking the stretch when the Lopes scored 17 points in 4 minutes and 13 seconds.
GCU missed eight consecutive 3-point shots as it fell into a 54-48 hole with 6:47 to go but Johnson made the first of three Lopes 3s down the stretch that put away Montana State.
Lever set a tone to score and create scoring chances for others at the outset, pushing the Lopes to a 9-4 lead when he made consecutive assists for a Jovan Blacksher Jr. 3-pointer and a Lorenzo Jenkins inside score. But when Lever missed two post chances, the Lopes let Montana State hang around and the Bobcats capitalized while Lever rested.
GCU went without making a field goal for 8 1/2 minutes, reverting to settling for 3-point and perimeter misses. The damage could have been worse after that stretch but the Lopes only trailed 15-10 before finding their offense again for 18 points in the final 7:40 of the first half.
Lever and Jenkins teamed for a strong finish with each hitting 3-pointers before finishing with interior scores. Jenkins drew a foul on a left-handed drive from the right elbow before Lever closed the halftime gap to 30-28 with a layup on Jenkins' feed.
Despite Johnson sitting for the final 6 1/2 minutes with two fouls and one point, GCU made its final 7 of 12 shots of the first half to be in position for a second-half turnaround.
Return to gculopes.com for Paul Coro 's full game recap with comments from Dan Majerle and players.
GCU trailed by eight points in the first half and went long stretches with offensive struggles against Montana State on Tuesday night but the Lopes wound up being dominant, putting together a late 17-0 run to pull away from the Bobcats for a 69-56 win at GCU Arena.
Lopes power forward Lorenzo Jenkins set a career scoring high with 20 points. Point guard Jovan Blacksher Jr. broke the GCU Division I record for assists by a freshman (10) while making one turnover. Junior center Alessandro Lever (16 points, seven rebounds, five assists) and senior swingman Carlos Johnson (16 points) continued to play well.
GCU's ball movement, whether it was against zone or man defense, was vastly improved even when the shots were not falling. Following a win with 20 assists, the Lopes made 16 assists with only four turnovers Tuesday night to win despite shooting only 37.3% from the field. Montana State (4-2) committed 17 turnovers with Lever's steal and a Bobcats shot clock violation sparking the stretch when the Lopes scored 17 points in 4 minutes and 13 seconds.
GCU missed eight consecutive 3-point shots as it fell into a 54-48 hole with 6:47 to go but Johnson made the first of three Lopes 3s down the stretch that put away Montana State.
Lever set a tone to score and create scoring chances for others at the outset, pushing the Lopes to a 9-4 lead when he made consecutive assists for a Jovan Blacksher Jr. 3-pointer and a Lorenzo Jenkins inside score. But when Lever missed two post chances, the Lopes let Montana State hang around and the Bobcats capitalized while Lever rested.
GCU went without making a field goal for 8 1/2 minutes, reverting to settling for 3-point and perimeter misses. The damage could have been worse after that stretch but the Lopes only trailed 15-10 before finding their offense again for 18 points in the final 7:40 of the first half.
Lever and Jenkins teamed for a strong finish with each hitting 3-pointers before finishing with interior scores. Jenkins drew a foul on a left-handed drive from the right elbow before Lever closed the halftime gap to 30-28 with a layup on Jenkins' feed.
Despite Johnson sitting for the final 6 1/2 minutes with two fouls and one point, GCU made its final 7 of 12 shots of the first half to be in position for a second-half turnaround.
Return to gculopes.com for Paul Coro 's full game recap with comments from Dan Majerle and players.
Players Mentioned
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