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, Grambling 53
11/25/2020 7:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Lopes open Drew era with home win; Lever scores 18
If there was one foundation that head coach Bryce Drew would like to lay early in his Grand Canyon tenure, it would be defense.
The Lopes delivered that wish and his first GCU win on Wednesday night. The Lopes opened the season with a 69-53 victory against Grambling State, holding the Tigers to 36% shooting in the first GCU sports action of any kind since March.
The Lopes created a familiar GCU environment with its band, 250 Havocs students and thousands of colorful cardboard cutouts, but the players matched the building's energy with a 13-4 start. With sophomore point guard Jovan Blacksher Jr. being a defensive menace and new 7-foot center Asbjørn Midtgaard as an anchor, GCU held Grambling scoreless for a five-minute stretch and kept the lead with a 10-man rotation.
Midtgaard grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds, which was the highest Lopes player total since Oscar Frayer grabbed 15 in March 2018.
Blacksher ran the point for nearly the entire game and showed off his improved shooting, scoring all 11 of his points in the first half and mostly on the perimeter. But it was senior power forward Alessandro Lever leading the Lopes with 18 points, hitting 6 of 8 shots while adding eight rebounds.
GCU faced size and a full-court press from Grambling, which has won 17 games for three consecutive seasons, but the Lopes opened up a lead of as much as 20 in the second half, when Lever scored 14 of his points.
Return to gculopes.com for Paul Coro's full game recap with comments from Bryce Drew and players.
The Lopes delivered that wish and his first GCU win on Wednesday night. The Lopes opened the season with a 69-53 victory against Grambling State, holding the Tigers to 36% shooting in the first GCU sports action of any kind since March.
The Lopes created a familiar GCU environment with its band, 250 Havocs students and thousands of colorful cardboard cutouts, but the players matched the building's energy with a 13-4 start. With sophomore point guard Jovan Blacksher Jr. being a defensive menace and new 7-foot center Asbjørn Midtgaard as an anchor, GCU held Grambling scoreless for a five-minute stretch and kept the lead with a 10-man rotation.
Midtgaard grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds, which was the highest Lopes player total since Oscar Frayer grabbed 15 in March 2018.
Blacksher ran the point for nearly the entire game and showed off his improved shooting, scoring all 11 of his points in the first half and mostly on the perimeter. But it was senior power forward Alessandro Lever leading the Lopes with 18 points, hitting 6 of 8 shots while adding eight rebounds.
GCU faced size and a full-court press from Grambling, which has won 17 games for three consecutive seasons, but the Lopes opened up a lead of as much as 20 in the second half, when Lever scored 14 of his points.
Return to gculopes.com for Paul Coro's full game recap with comments from Bryce Drew and players.
Players Mentioned
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