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 75, Tarleton 72
1/8/2021 5:52:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro
Lopes open WAC play by winning new member's DI debut
STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Grand Canyon was glad to be a part of Tarleton's first Division I home game and first WAC game, but the Lopes were not willing to be part of the Texas' first conference win Friday night.
GCU was tested to the extreme but held onto the lead in harrowing fashion for the final 14 minutes to win 75-72 at Wisdom Gym, where the teams will run it back Saturday night.
The Lopes (5-3, 1-0 WAC) took their largest lead of the game at 58-48 with 8:44 to play, but wound up in a crunch-time battle amid Tarleton junior guard Montre Gipson's career-high 30-point onslaught, including 22 points in the second half.
GCU made 10 of its final 12 free throw attempts to close out the victory, but not until Gipson missed a potential tying 3-point at the buzzer against GCU senior 7-foot center Asbjørn Midtgaard's outstretched arm.
Midtgaard finished with team highs for points (19) and rebounds (nine), but sophomore power forward Gabe McGlothan was a difference-maker in the Lopes frontcourt, especially after GCU lost fellow reserve power forward Dima Zdor to an ankle sprain early in the game. After Tarleton (2-3) unexpectedly battled GCU on the boards in the first half, McGlothan's offensive board work in the second half helped flip the advantage. McGlothan finished a season-high 14 points and added seven rebounds and three assists.
McGlothan helped lead a 33-14 GCU advantage in bench scoring and a 15-4 edge in second-chance points on a night that senior power forward Alessandro Lever went 0 for 3 from the field.
GCU junior point guard Jovan Blacksher Jr. was part of the second-half improvement in team ball control, having a 10-point, four-assist half with no turnovers.
Under a well-known Power Five coach in Billy Gillispie, Tarleton was ready for its Division I debut despite a monthlong layoff. Its defensive pressure created four GCU turnovers in the first nine minutes and kept the Lopes from their goal to control the pace.
The Texans went on an 11-0 run to take a 14-7 lead eight minutes into the game before the Lopes found their stride after their own 17-day layoff. Midtgaard was dominant when he avoided the Tarleton double teams to get his opportunities. He was 4 for 4 from the field in a nine-point, four-rebound first half, including a post-up that started GCU's own 11-0 run that was capped by freshman guard Chance McMillian's consecutive 3-pointers.
The Lopes bench bailed them out in the first half, scoring 19 on the way to a 31-31 halftime tie that ended with a driving score from senior Mikey Dixon, who scored 11 points while playing with a face mask to protect a hairline fracture.
Return to gculopes.com for Paul Coro's full game recap with comments from GCU head coach Bryce Drew, Tarleton head coach Billy Gillispie and a player.
GCU was tested to the extreme but held onto the lead in harrowing fashion for the final 14 minutes to win 75-72 at Wisdom Gym, where the teams will run it back Saturday night.
The Lopes (5-3, 1-0 WAC) took their largest lead of the game at 58-48 with 8:44 to play, but wound up in a crunch-time battle amid Tarleton junior guard Montre Gipson's career-high 30-point onslaught, including 22 points in the second half.
GCU made 10 of its final 12 free throw attempts to close out the victory, but not until Gipson missed a potential tying 3-point at the buzzer against GCU senior 7-foot center Asbjørn Midtgaard's outstretched arm.
Midtgaard finished with team highs for points (19) and rebounds (nine), but sophomore power forward Gabe McGlothan was a difference-maker in the Lopes frontcourt, especially after GCU lost fellow reserve power forward Dima Zdor to an ankle sprain early in the game. After Tarleton (2-3) unexpectedly battled GCU on the boards in the first half, McGlothan's offensive board work in the second half helped flip the advantage. McGlothan finished a season-high 14 points and added seven rebounds and three assists.
McGlothan helped lead a 33-14 GCU advantage in bench scoring and a 15-4 edge in second-chance points on a night that senior power forward Alessandro Lever went 0 for 3 from the field.
GCU junior point guard Jovan Blacksher Jr. was part of the second-half improvement in team ball control, having a 10-point, four-assist half with no turnovers.
Under a well-known Power Five coach in Billy Gillispie, Tarleton was ready for its Division I debut despite a monthlong layoff. Its defensive pressure created four GCU turnovers in the first nine minutes and kept the Lopes from their goal to control the pace.
The Texans went on an 11-0 run to take a 14-7 lead eight minutes into the game before the Lopes found their stride after their own 17-day layoff. Midtgaard was dominant when he avoided the Tarleton double teams to get his opportunities. He was 4 for 4 from the field in a nine-point, four-rebound first half, including a post-up that started GCU's own 11-0 run that was capped by freshman guard Chance McMillian's consecutive 3-pointers.
The Lopes bench bailed them out in the first half, scoring 19 on the way to a 31-31 halftime tie that ended with a driving score from senior Mikey Dixon, who scored 11 points while playing with a face mask to protect a hairline fracture.
Return to gculopes.com for Paul Coro's full game recap with comments from GCU head coach Bryce Drew, Tarleton head coach Billy Gillispie and a player.
Players Mentioned
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