Lopes, Dixon aim for turnaround

Saturday, Jan. 11 \| 6 p.m. \| Phoenix, Ariz.

	GRAND CANYON LOPES (5-10, 0-1 WAC)	VS	CALIFORNIA BAPTIST LANCERS (11-5, 2-1 WAC)

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There is nothing Grand Canyon was willing to accept about losing its WAC opener at CSU Bakersfield but there also was nothing that discouraged the Lopes as they head to Saturday's conference home debut against California Baptist.

Much of that has to do with barely losing on the road to Bakersfield when GCU junior guard Mikey Dixon does not make a shot or take a 3-pointer. That is because Dixon rarely misses or passes up 3-point chances in practices.

Saturday could be the game when Dixon and the Lopes turn a corner for WAC play against a CBU team that won Wednesday at CSU Bakersfield to move to 2-1 in WAC play and 11-5 overall.

"I still have all the confidence in myself and our team that we can still do something special and turn this thing around," Dixon said. "I'm excited to play again. It should be fun. We all know we can play better than we did Saturday."

Dixon only has played three games for GCU (5-10, 0-1 WAC) since sitting out a year following his transfer from St. John's. He has made 7 of 29 shots after going 0 for 8 on Saturday but the Lopes' best shooter only has attempted four 3-pointers. He did not shoot a 3 in 28 minutes on Saturday.

"He's continuing to turn down shots," Lopes head coach Dan Majerle said. "He's trying to drive into people and get all the way to the basket. He's not big enough to do that. He'll figure it out. I'm not worried about Mikey. We just have to keep working on him. He's got to find a way. When he's open, he's not playing the way he plays in practice. When he catches the ball in practice and he's open, he shoots it."

And usually makes it. Dixon has scoring ability at all levels of the floor but his forte is mid-range and long-range shooting. He was a 43.3% 3-point shooting for St. John's last season before transferring to GCU before the spring semester.

At times, Dixon has been overly unselfish in an attempt to be a good teammate.

"That's hurting us," Dixon said. "That's not benefiting us as a team. I need to take the open shots. Being too unselfish is not good either because it can mess up the flow. That's what Coach wants from everybody.

"I need to just let some 3s go. That's more my game. I need to start the game taking the easier shots. Driving to the basket will probably open up for me."

Like GCU, CBU has a deep backcourt with WAC Preseason Player of the Year Milan Acquaah back. He ranks second in the WAC for points per game (19.0) but is shooting 37.1% from the field and is coming off a 10-turnover game Wednesday at Bakersfield. He has backcourt help in newcomers Ferron Flavors Jr., a Fairfield transfer averaging 14.3 points with 43.2% 3-point shooting, and Brandon Boyd, an Idaho State transfer who has posted 23- and 25-point games this month.

The Lopes hold a 22-game winning streak against the Lancers, who met as Division I opponents for the first time last season during CBU's inaugural WAC season. In the last meeting, Acquaah was limited to seven points at GCU Arena in February.

The Lancers just won at Bakersfield, where the Lopes lost a six-point lead in the final 2 ½ minutes on Saturday.

"We didn't finish the job," Majerle said. "I thought we outplayed them and they closed out and beat us at the end of the game. It was a lot to build from. For the most part, we played hard and well. We just have to concentrate down the stretch."

Lope tracks

GCU has defeated CBU more than any opponent with 59 wins against the Lancers.
Lopes point guard Jovan Blacksher Jr. leads WAC freshmen in scoring at 11.2 points per game, twice as much as his closest competitor.
GCU ranks 26th in the nation for fewest turnovers per game (11.6).
The Lopes' previous opponents have a winning percentage of .608, which is the highest among WAC teams.
Ex-GCU player Joshua Braun (2014-18) was the WAC's highest scorer of the 2010s with 1,714 points.
CBU ranks in the national top 25 for points per game (81.6, 15th), 3-point percentage (38.3, 21st) and free throw percentage (78.5, seventh).
Lancers senior 6-foot-7 power forward Dejon Davis is the leading WAC rebounder at 8.5 boards per game.

Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.

Saturday, Jan. 11 | 6 p.m. | Phoenix, Ariz.

Players Mentioned

Jovan Blacksher Jr.

Joshua Braun

Mikey Dixon

Grand Canyon University Athletics