Ending NMSU streak keeps GCU in 1st place

Friday, January 29

Phoenix, Ariz.

7 p.m.

Grand Canyon

11-3,5-0WAC

New Mexico State

3-2,0-1WAC

New Mexico St.

Grand Canyon

1/29/2021 11:49:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro

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Lopes hold Aggies to 31% shooting, end their WAC 31-win streak

By: Paul Coro

Grand Canyon's first win over New Mexico State in nearly four years was not cinched with a 65-60 lead as Lopes point guard Jovan Blacksher Jr. faced a full-court press.

Blacksher, nearly falling, split the double team with his dribble and started a fastbreak that wound up in senior guard Mikey Dixon's hands with one Aggies defender between him and senior forward Oscar Frayer.

The tame ending would have been dribbling in a circle, getting fouled and making free throws to GCU Arena applause. The emphatic ending for a momentous 70-62 win was Dixon tossing an alleyoop to a flying Frayer for a slam to the GCU Arena roar of 900 students.

The Lopes (11-3, 5-0 WAC) kept a seven-game winning streak while ending New Mexico State's 31-game WAC regular-season winning streak and run of eight consecutive victories against GCU. The Lopes do not even get a full day to enjoy it with the rematch tipping off at 7 p.m. Saturday night in GCU Arena.

"The crazy thing is you win and you've got to play again in 20 hours," GCU head coach Bryce Drew said. "There's really not much celebrating, but there'll be a lot of recovery time and prepping."

The Lopes held the aggressive Aggies (3-2, 0-1 WAC) to 31% shooting, the eighth time in 14 games that GCU held an opponent below 36% shooting.

New Mexico State went 5 for 26 from the field in the second half, but those struggles were hard to envision when the Aggies opened the game with three consecutive made 3-pointers for a 13-4 lead before a quick Drew time out.

"He told us that we were playing scared," Dixon said. "We've been waiting for this game all season and he was like, 'Is this how you guys are going to come out?" We were playing scared. Once he said that, that revved us up."

The Aggies, the defending WAC champion and preseason favorite, went the next five minutes without scoring and were 2 for 27 on 3-pointers for the remainder of the game.

With a 12-point first half from senior power forward Alessandro Lever, GCU led 37-30 at halftime with rebounding keeping New Mexico State in the game. The Lopes entered the game as the national leader in rebound margin (plus-12.2 per game) but the Aggies outrebounded them 37-26 and followed up grabbing 25 offensive rebounds in last year's Phoenix visit with 17 on Friday night.

"That part was really disappointing from our end – just how they dominated the glass, especially on the offensive end," Drew said. "When the shot went up, it was almost a victory if they missed but then it was another victory that if we actually could get the ball. But credit them. I thought their positioning was fantastic, especially against the zone. Their guys really sliced into open areas and their effort got them a lot of rebounds."

The Lopes led 42-34 early in the second half before going 5 ½ minutes without scoring. Because the GCU defense did not allow New Mexico State to make a field goal for nine minutes, the Lopes did not lose the lead but that became perilous with the Aggies entering the foul bonus situation with 13 minutes remaining.

New Mexico State shot 33 free throws to GCU's eight until intentional fouls in the final seconds.

"They haven't played a lot of games so every game they're going to keep playing better and better," Drew said. "So we know they're going to be even better tomorrow night. For us, the challenge is we're going to have to play much better for us to win."

The Aggies tied the game at 52-52 with 6:25 to go on a reverse from guard Jabari Rice, the WAC Preseason Player of the Year who made a surprising return to action with senior guard Clayton Henry.

Blacksher, who posted 11 points and eight assists with only two turnovers while holding Evan Gilyard II to 1-for-10 shooting, set up Dixon on the next play for a go-ahead 3-pointer that put GCU ahead for good with six minutes remaining. In his first game without the facial mask protecting a hairline fracture, Dixon scored 14 points.

"Half of it is just getting that mask off my face," Dixon said. "It felt good. I'm shooting with confidence. My 3-point shot is starting to come around, like how I've always shot my entire career (39% for his first three years)."

The Lopes have been tested repeatedly this season and shown resolve for several wins, including all three of their tight WAC series openers.

The defense kept New Mexico State without a field goal for six minutes down the stretch and closed with its most efficient offense.

"They kept grinding and fighting and made a couple plays down the stretch that were pivotal and ended up getting a big win for them," Aggies head coach Chris Jans said.

"I told the team in the locker room, 'It wasn't lack of effort.' It felt familiar. The guys were flying around and competing and doing the things we asked them to do."

Senior center Asbjørn Midtgaard has been GCU's leading scorer and rebounder, but the Aggies' efforts to front him and push him off the block limited him to a two-point, one-rebound first half. He adjusted for a 10-point, seven-rebound second half and finished 6 for 6 from the field, giving him 15 consecutive made shots and keeping him first in the nation for field goal percentage (75.5%).

Lever's 14 points moved him into third place on the GCU all-time scoring list.

But the highlight play was from Frayer, the only Lopes player who had won against the Aggies before Friday night. Dixon said he had no doubt about sending the two-on-one alleyoop to Frayer, who caught the ball at the level of the backboard box's top.

"What a sensational play," Drew said. "It's probably not what I would've drawn up, but nonetheless they made just a spectacular pass and finish."

It thrilled the 900 Havocs who were allowed to attend for a portion of the usual 7,000-fan atmosphere of a New Mexico State visit.

"Fun," Jans said. "I was nervous, which is cool. I knew those folks do a good job and have as good of an environment as you can have, considering the circumstances. So it felt like a road game and we wanted it to feel like a road game. We thrive, in normal times, playing on other peoples' courts and packed houses.

"Looks like we're going to have some battles royales with them for the near future," Jans said. "Every time we play, I think it'll probably be a pretty strong and heated battle."