Stretch run brings bounce back

Wednesday, Feb. 27 \| 7 p.m. (Phoenix time) \| GCU Arena

	GRAND CANYON LOPES (16-10, 9-4)	VS	EASTERN NEW MEXICO GREYHOUNDS (13-13, 10-8)

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At the start of February, Grand Canyon was playing its best basketball of the season with a five-game winning streak that included three road wins.

The Lopes lost their way and their leader, injured senior Gerard Martin, in the middle of the month but are recapturing their swagger as they head into all-important March after Wednesday night's nonconference game against Eastern New Mexico at GCU Arena.

For the first time in its Division I history, GCU is coming off consecutive victories with scoring margins of more than 30 points.

"We're starting to figure it out again and we got back to just playing with some energy and fun and moving the basketball," Majerle said. "We got back to some basic stuff. It has a lot to do with shooting the ball well too."

The Lopes (16-10, 9-4 WAC) are tied for second place in the WAC after Utah Valley (20-8, 9-4 WAC) caught up in conference games with a Tuesday night win against Seattle.

GCU scheduled Wednesday night's game against Eastern New Mexico, a 13-13 Division II visitor, to stay sharp heading into the final three regular-season WAC games, which includes a visit to Utah Valley next week.

Speaking up

In his first season as a starter, sophomore point guard Damari Milstead is growing into a larger leadership role that is natural for his position on the court to have. Majerle implored him to be more vocal, and he responded last week with more energy in practice and even shocked the staff and teammates when he yelled at teammate Carlos Johnson during the game.

"I love it when I can learn from Damari," Johnson said. "He's a great player. There's a lot of things I can learn from him. If him getting on me is going to lead us to do the right thing, then that's what he needs to do every time. If he's on me, I know it's for my best interest."

Bench boost

Senior guard Trey Drechsel had started every college game for three seasons before moving to the Lopes' bench two games ago. It was good for his shot and will be important for the team with Majerle's rotation tightening in the season's home stretch.

Drechsel hit a severe shooting slump with 18 consecutive missed 3-pointers until the second half at Chicago State, when he snapped the streak. Since then, he has made 3 of 5 shots from 3-point land.

He has responded well to a reserve role, averaging 8.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.5 steals with no turnovers in 19.5 minutes per game. As a guard, Drechsel remains the WAC's second-leading defensive rebounder in conference games. He has grabbed at least five boards in 12 consecutive games.

"Trey's just aggressive," Majerle said. "I loved it when he got on the floor and got a loose ball and was taking the ball to the basket hard (last week vs. California Baptist). I think it's good for Trey to come off the bench and play him at the 1 (point guard) and the 2 (shooting guard), especially when Damari is playing so well."

Lope tracks

Junior Oscar Frayer posted a season-high 18 points last week vs. CBU. "It's really dawned on him, now that Gerard went down and putting him on the bench (Feb. 14 at Kansas City), that he has got to be one of our leaders," Majerle said.
GCU made a season-high 13 3-pointers in each of the past two games, marking the first time the Lopes have made 12 or more 3s in consecutive games in their Division I history.
In conference play, GCU leads the WAC in points allowed per game (63.8), scoring margin (plus-12.7 per game), opponent field goal percentage (41.2), assists per game (14.8), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.1 to 1), defensive rebounds per game (26.8) and home attendance (7,216 fans per game).
Eastern New Mexico is playing its season finale at GCU.

Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.

Wednesday, Feb. 27 | 7 p.m. (Phoenix time) | GCU Arena

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Players Mentioned

Trey Drechsel

Oscar Frayer

Carlos Johnson

Gerard Martin

Damari Milstead

Grand Canyon University Athletics