North Texas gets GCU in grinder

Saturday, December 10

Phoenix, Ariz.

3:30 p.m.

Grand Canyon

7-4,0-0WAC

North Texas

8-2,0-0CUSA

North Texas

Grand Canyon

12/10/2022 7:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro

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Lopes drop Colangelo Classic at Footprint Center, hold Mean Green to 38% shooting

By: Paul Coro

Low-possession games are a grind. Grinds reward the team that executes repetitive tasks.

Grand Canyon defended well over and over on Saturday, but North Texas defended a smidgen better while also converting free throws and rebounding better to be one possession better in a 60-58 Jerry Colangelo Classic victory at Footprint Center.

Playing at the Phoenix Suns' arena with the building tilting from the overwhelming Lopes support sitting east and south of the court, the defensive teams kept the margin in single digits for its entirety to set up an all-too familiar scenario. Like Wednesday's loss to Loyola Marymount, the Lopes took a three-point lead late before losing a tight one.

This time, the defeat came to last season's Conference USA regular-season champion. North Texas held onto a 60-58 victory when GCU missed 3-pointers on its final two shots to the disappointment of the vast majority of 4,781 fans.

"Our fans are remarkable," Drew said of the turnout. "I wish so much that we could've scored one more basket and won this game. The energy they bring makes our guys even hurt worse. I've been here three years and this is the most pain I've seen in the locker room after a loss besides the conference tournament or a season-ending loss."

The Lopes (7-4) held the Mean Green (8-2) to 38.2% shooting and got 23 points from sophomore guard Ray Harrison but played from behind most of the game on a 35.6% shooting day against the nation's fourth-best scoring defense. Even with just 58 points, it was the second-most points scored on North Texas this season.

"They didn't make it easy for us at all," GCU junior guard Josh Baker said. "They pushed us out. We had to make a few extra plays. We needed to play off two feet and be smart with the ball. I was a little careless.

"They offensive-rebounded great. It made it tough to seize control when they'd get a miss and get it back. It would suck the energy out of us to guard them for 20 seconds and give it right back to them."

The Lopes seemed to grab momentum when they scored on six consecutive possessions to take a 55-52 lead with 3:50 remaining. Junior power forward Yvan Ouedrago, who had a game-high 11 rebounds, started the run with a steal that led to a GCU fastbreak layup, two free throws and a slick post score.

But even at the tail end of that run, the Lopes left points on the board with missed free throws. They went 5 for 9 on free throws in the final five minutes, including a missed front end of a bonus situation.

GCU junior point guard Jovan Blacksher Jr., who made 1 of 9 shots in his first game since spraining an ankle on Nov. 29, missed a long, go-ahead 3-pointer with 48 seconds to go.

With no time outs remaining, the Lopes got a defensive stop and spread the floor offensively for Blacksher with less than 10 seconds remaining. He was not able to penetrate and did not have room for a shot when he stepped back, forcing a pass to Baker for a game-ending 3-point attempt on which he barely saw the rim before launching it.

"We knew it wasn't going to be smooth," Drew said of Blacksher's return. "At times, it wouldn't look great out there with our team because he just hasn't been out there with us and other guys got a rhythm without him. But you have a choice as a coach: are you going to not play the Preseason Player of the Year with him or play him not having a great rhythm and not going to be as good as he is because he's coming off an injury.

"My thought is that he deserves the right to play and he deserves the right to take a big shot at the end of the game. He's earned that right. He wants to win as bad as all of us. Was he at his best? Not even close. But did he show a lot of heart? Absolutely, and that's what makes him a good player."

GCU did not have a field goal in the final five minutes but also had its good defense tarnished by unfortunate turns and bounces.

North Texas scored five of its last eight points on second chances and the other three came on a three-free throw trip, when GCU nearly drew a shot clock violation with Ouedraogo defending guard Tylor Perry until his momentum bumped him on a last-second shot. Perry scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half.

"We knew it was going to be a rock fight the whole way," Drew said. "For two teams that play really good defense and are physical, I'm actually surprised that the score was 60-58. I thought it actually might be in the 40s.

"We're getting better. I hate losing these two games. We're three possessions short of winning these two games. What we have going on in that locker room now is called culture. When you're building a program, you try to get a culture of excellence before you can move forward."

The Lopes led at halftime, 27-26, despite not making their first field goal in the game until the seventh minute, when sophomore guard Chance McMillian made a long 3-pointer. Fortunately for GCU, its defense already was in place to keep North Texas from running away.

The Mean Green took a 10-1 lead when the Lopes opened 0 for 4 from the field with three turnovers, but GCU gradually closed the gap until it pulled even twice late in the half on free throws by Blacksher.

North Texas had another strong opening to the second half, using an 8-1 run. GCU executed its game plan to turn the Mean Green's top scorers, guards Tylor Perry and Kai Huntsberry, into volume scorers. They went 11 for 29 combined for 33 points, but sophomore 6-foot-10 forward Abou Ousmane's 14-point, 10 rebound effort hurt with post-ups and five offensive rebounds.

North Texas is 18-0 all-time when Ousmane makes at least five field goals. He made six shots vs. GCU, which will still get a NCAA Evaluation Tool ranking boost from the close loss to a high-ranking team.

"We held them to just four points after the final media timeout and I think that exemplified what makes us great," North Texas head coach Grant McCasland said. "What makes our team successful is their grit to find ways to win when the game gets tough and close. But give credit to Grand Canyon. They've got a great team and put us in some tough spots."

The Lopes did not finish their easier opportunities on Saturday, going 7 for 23 (30.4%) on 2-point shots to not complement their good 3-point shooting game at 9 for 22 (38.5%).

"We got the fan base," Baker said. "We felt confident going into it with our scout. It was a tough game. They're a good team and we have to tip our hat to them, but it hurts because we still felt that we could've won that.

"It's definitely going to hurt and sting for a while, but you go back to the drawing board, learn from it and get better."