Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball at Baylor on October 10, 2025 at 2 p.m. (MST)
M Basketball
2 p.m. (MST)
at Baylor
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Grand Canyon University Athletics
Saturday, November 27
Malibu, Calif.
4 p.m. (MST)
Grand Canyon
5-1,0-0WAC
59
at
56
Pepperdine
2-6,0-0WCC
1
2
F
Grand Canyon
32
27
59
Pepperdine
30
26
56
Script flip pulls out win in 1st road game
11/27/2021 8:01:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro
GCU defense keeps Pepperdine without FG in final 4 minutes
MALIBU, Calif. – The Grand Canyon formula to lose would be to make a heap of turnovers and have guard Holland Woods II be unavailable while guard Jovan Blacksher Jr.'s shot is off.
GCU flipped that like a pancake to win 59-56 at Pepperdine on Saturday.
After making 17 turnovers, the Lopes did not make a turnover for the final 7 ½ minutes.
After Woods left four minutes into the game upon taking a hit above his left knee, Woods returned five minutes of play later, rested only two more minutes the rest of the game and smothered the Waves' potential tying 3-point shooter at the buzzer.
After going 3 for 15 from the field in a game that he rested for 36 seconds, Blacksher created and sank two go-ahead shots on isolation moves in clutch time.
The only thing that did not need to change was the Lopes' defense, which consistently is winning games during their 5-1 start. In each victory, GCU has held its opponent to 40%-and-below shooting after Pepperdine did not make a field goal in the final four minutes to end up at 35.1%.
"This was a grind-out game," Lopes head coach Bryce Drew said. "I was really proud of our guys. We didn't play especially well offensively. We turned it over. We didn't make some open shots and open layups we had. But we still found a way to make some big baskets at the end that we're thankful for and rebound the basketball."
The Lopes are proving to be one of the nation's better offensive rebounding teams, grabbing double-digit offensive rebounds in every game this season and 18.7 per game in this week's three games.
The second chances were not as fruitful Saturday at Firestone Fieldhouse because GCU only shot 40.7% from the field, but the Lopes still only trailed for five minutes of its first win against a West Coast Conference opponent.
A chunk of that time came in crunch time, when Pepperdine took a 54-53 lead on its last made field goal with 4:06 remaining.
Blacksher's first response came when he grabbed one of his six rebounds, sped upcourt with the dribble, lost Waves guard Mike Mitchell Jr. with a hesitation move and swerved by Pepperdine 6-foot-9 power forward Victor Ohia Obioha in the paint with a Euro step and a layup.
After the Waves regained the lead on free throws, the Lopes were facing a dwindling shot clock when Blacksher used a high double screen to have the Waves' 6-foot-8 Keith Fisher III switch onto him. Blacksher drove the right side, pump-faked Fisher into the air and banked in a 5-footer for a 57-56 lead with 1:45 to go.
Blacksher made two turnovers in three games this week but was relying on perimeter chances for 0-for-5, second-half shooting until the clutch finish.
"We talked about that earlier," Drew said. "We thought, in the first half, that he was settling a little bit. Get in the lane and try to get someone else involved. He just made a great one-on-one play to go get a basket. You wish you could, as a coach, you could take credit for it, but you can't."
GCU junior power forward Gabe McGlothan, who played the final six minutes with four fouls, put an up-and-under move on Fisher to create room for a 14-foot jumper that stretched the lead to the 59-56 final score with 58 seconds to play.
Instead of losing a late lead at home to Wyoming on Monday, the Lopes overcame a late deficit on the road at Pepperdine on Saturday.
"Most everyone is going through game-ending stuff for the first time in their college career except Jovan," Drew said. "It's a different role for everybody on our roster."
GCU was heading toward taking earlier control of the game in the second half when senior forward Taeshon Cherry made a 3-pointer for a 42-36 edge, the Lopes' largest second-half lead. But GCU made three turnovers on its next four possessions and allowed two 3-pointers to tie the score before Cherry picked up his team again.
Cherry had a sequence in which he deflected a Pepperdine pass near one baseline and beat everyone downcourt to finish an alleyoop. He also poked a ball loose to cause a turnover and took a charge just after a teammate's foul.
"The main thing for me is providing energy, doing whatever it takes to win," Cherry said. "If that's getting on the floor, getting a rebound, giving it out, whatever I've got to do to win I'm going to do. Just trying to bring energy for my team and my guys and I see we lack that today so I just tried to come off the bench and spark us."
Cherry's line is not as telling as his impact, but even a seven-point, two-rebound, one-assist performance in 14 bench minutes is a step ahead in his adaption to GCU. The San Diego-area native had not played in a game from December for Arizona State to his GCU debut 18 days ago.
"We don't win this game tonight without Taeshon," said Drew, who also complimented senior center Dima Zdor (eight points, six rebounds in 23 minutes) for his best game as a Lope.
Cherry is one of the most popular teammates, as shown when the entire GCU bench stood before his 3 dropped in the second half.
"Everybody rocks with me," Cherry said. "I don't know why. I think it's my energy and my vibe. I love my guys and I'm glad that they're there for me. I'm ecstatic to be on this team."
Even though the Lopes cleaned up ball care down the stretch, they finished with a season-high 17 turnovers. Dominating the boards, led by senior forward Sean Milller-Moore's seven rebounds, helped make up for the offensive struggles. The Lopes have grabbed 45 or more rebounds in three consecutive games for the first time in their Division I era. They held a 46-30 advantage Saturday at Firestone Fieldhouse, where the Waves only had lost once previously in overtime.
GCU will carry that momentum, along with its fan following, down the Pacific Coast to Loyola Marymount on Monday night. About 200 Havocs, along with more alumni and fans, made the trip to give GCU a home-court feel at Pepperdine. They will be back for the LMU game at 8 p.m. (Phoenix time) on Monday.
"Our fans were fabulous," Drew said. "We walked off the bus and there was a sea of purple there and it got everybody's blood going."
GCU flipped that like a pancake to win 59-56 at Pepperdine on Saturday.
After making 17 turnovers, the Lopes did not make a turnover for the final 7 ½ minutes.
After Woods left four minutes into the game upon taking a hit above his left knee, Woods returned five minutes of play later, rested only two more minutes the rest of the game and smothered the Waves' potential tying 3-point shooter at the buzzer.After going 3 for 15 from the field in a game that he rested for 36 seconds, Blacksher created and sank two go-ahead shots on isolation moves in clutch time.
The only thing that did not need to change was the Lopes' defense, which consistently is winning games during their 5-1 start. In each victory, GCU has held its opponent to 40%-and-below shooting after Pepperdine did not make a field goal in the final four minutes to end up at 35.1%.
"This was a grind-out game," Lopes head coach Bryce Drew said. "I was really proud of our guys. We didn't play especially well offensively. We turned it over. We didn't make some open shots and open layups we had. But we still found a way to make some big baskets at the end that we're thankful for and rebound the basketball."
The Lopes are proving to be one of the nation's better offensive rebounding teams, grabbing double-digit offensive rebounds in every game this season and 18.7 per game in this week's three games.
The second chances were not as fruitful Saturday at Firestone Fieldhouse because GCU only shot 40.7% from the field, but the Lopes still only trailed for five minutes of its first win against a West Coast Conference opponent.
A chunk of that time came in crunch time, when Pepperdine took a 54-53 lead on its last made field goal with 4:06 remaining.
Blacksher's first response came when he grabbed one of his six rebounds, sped upcourt with the dribble, lost Waves guard Mike Mitchell Jr. with a hesitation move and swerved by Pepperdine 6-foot-9 power forward Victor Ohia Obioha in the paint with a Euro step and a layup.
After the Waves regained the lead on free throws, the Lopes were facing a dwindling shot clock when Blacksher used a high double screen to have the Waves' 6-foot-8 Keith Fisher III switch onto him. Blacksher drove the right side, pump-faked Fisher into the air and banked in a 5-footer for a 57-56 lead with 1:45 to go.
Blacksher made two turnovers in three games this week but was relying on perimeter chances for 0-for-5, second-half shooting until the clutch finish.
"We talked about that earlier," Drew said. "We thought, in the first half, that he was settling a little bit. Get in the lane and try to get someone else involved. He just made a great one-on-one play to go get a basket. You wish you could, as a coach, you could take credit for it, but you can't."
GCU junior power forward Gabe McGlothan, who played the final six minutes with four fouls, put an up-and-under move on Fisher to create room for a 14-foot jumper that stretched the lead to the 59-56 final score with 58 seconds to play.
Instead of losing a late lead at home to Wyoming on Monday, the Lopes overcame a late deficit on the road at Pepperdine on Saturday.
"Most everyone is going through game-ending stuff for the first time in their college career except Jovan," Drew said. "It's a different role for everybody on our roster."
GCU was heading toward taking earlier control of the game in the second half when senior forward Taeshon Cherry made a 3-pointer for a 42-36 edge, the Lopes' largest second-half lead. But GCU made three turnovers on its next four possessions and allowed two 3-pointers to tie the score before Cherry picked up his team again.Cherry had a sequence in which he deflected a Pepperdine pass near one baseline and beat everyone downcourt to finish an alleyoop. He also poked a ball loose to cause a turnover and took a charge just after a teammate's foul.
"The main thing for me is providing energy, doing whatever it takes to win," Cherry said. "If that's getting on the floor, getting a rebound, giving it out, whatever I've got to do to win I'm going to do. Just trying to bring energy for my team and my guys and I see we lack that today so I just tried to come off the bench and spark us."
Cherry's line is not as telling as his impact, but even a seven-point, two-rebound, one-assist performance in 14 bench minutes is a step ahead in his adaption to GCU. The San Diego-area native had not played in a game from December for Arizona State to his GCU debut 18 days ago.
"We don't win this game tonight without Taeshon," said Drew, who also complimented senior center Dima Zdor (eight points, six rebounds in 23 minutes) for his best game as a Lope.
Cherry is one of the most popular teammates, as shown when the entire GCU bench stood before his 3 dropped in the second half.
"Everybody rocks with me," Cherry said. "I don't know why. I think it's my energy and my vibe. I love my guys and I'm glad that they're there for me. I'm ecstatic to be on this team."
Even though the Lopes cleaned up ball care down the stretch, they finished with a season-high 17 turnovers. Dominating the boards, led by senior forward Sean Milller-Moore's seven rebounds, helped make up for the offensive struggles. The Lopes have grabbed 45 or more rebounds in three consecutive games for the first time in their Division I era. They held a 46-30 advantage Saturday at Firestone Fieldhouse, where the Waves only had lost once previously in overtime.
GCU will carry that momentum, along with its fan following, down the Pacific Coast to Loyola Marymount on Monday night. About 200 Havocs, along with more alumni and fans, made the trip to give GCU a home-court feel at Pepperdine. They will be back for the LMU game at 8 p.m. (Phoenix time) on Monday.
"Our fans were fabulous," Drew said. "We walked off the bus and there was a sea of purple there and it got everybody's blood going."
Team Stats
GCU
PEP
FG%
.407
.351
3FG%
.190
.208
FT%
.583
.786
RB
46
30
TO
17
11
STL
6
6
Game Leaders
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
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