GCU protects the ball, proceeds toward LMU game

Wednesday, Dec. 7 \| 7 p.m. \| GCU Arena \| Phoenix, Ariz.

	LOYOLA MARYMOUNT LIONS (7-3)	at	GRAND CANYON LOPES (7-2)

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There is not a basketball team in America that does not want to get up as many shots as possible.

Doing so comes with a stipulation to take care of the ball, which Grand Canyon is doing at an elite rate during its 7-2 start to the season.

GCU enters a Wednesday night home game against Loyola Marymount (7-3) in the national top 30 for least turnovers, the byproduct of having mostly three-guard lineups and boasting the 13th-most experienced roster in Division I.

Even without junior point guard Jovan Blacksher Jr., GCU stuck near its season average of 10.8 turnovers with 11 on Saturday to win its fourth consecutive game, a 66-58 victory at Wyoming. Blacksher, who sprained his ankle a week ago against Alcorn State, remains questionable to play in a difficult week of games against two top-100 teams in NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings — No. 100 LMU on Wednesday night at GCU Arena and No. 67 North Texas on Saturday at Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix.

"We love when Jovan's on the court playing, but it is nice that we have three other ball-handlers who are capable of bringing the ball up," Lopes head coach Bryce Drew said of sophomore Ray Harrison and Chance McMillian and junior Josh Baker. "When you play more guards, you should turn over the ball less. So far, this is the best we've handled the basketball and the best decision-making that we've made."

The Lopes finished last season at No. 214 nationally for turnovers, but are hitting the coaching staff's game goals of 11 turnovers or fewer with Blacksher and McMillian being in their third season of the Drew offense and Harrison and Baker coming into the program this year with extensive starting experience.

"I think we're a lot more patient this year," McMillian said. "We're just stressing our offense. Since we're getting more comfortable with the offense, we're being patient and not being sped up and turning over the ball. We all know where we want to get our shots at and where we want to go."

GCU faces an LMU team that does not apply significant ball pressure with six steals per game. Instead, the Lions are thriving offensively with 78.4 points per game and an average of 33 of them coming off 3-pointers.

LMU averages 29.1 attempts from 3-point range per game. It worked to win the Jamaica Classic in November with victories against Wake Forest and Georgetown and also to get a 64-52 home win against Nevada, which beat GCU 59-46 in Reno on Nov. 12.

The Lions are led by former Northern Arizona star Cam Shelton, who is averaging 17.4 points, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals. The 6-foot-2 graduate guard has made 114 career starts and is complimented by four-year starter Keli Leaupepe, a 6-foot-6 Australian forward who averages 14.9 points and 7.2 rebounds while making 40% of his 3-pointers.

Since GCU won 78-72 last year at LMU, the Lions added an Oklahoma transfer, 7-foot-1 junior center Rick Issanza, and an Ohio State transfer, 6-foot-6 graduate guard Justin Ahrens. Blacksher (20 points) and Holland Woods II (24) led the Lopes' scoring in that victory.

"They have some really good shooters and beat some quality teams," Drew said. "We're going to have to defend the arc and defend the drive. Against good teams, that's what you have to do. They're playing really well and scoring the ball at a high rate. How much they've improved shows in their record and the teams they've beaten."

Lope tracks

The Lopes are 7-0 when they make at least six 3-pointers in a game or score 60 points or more.
GCU and Alabama are the nation's only teams to defeat three reigning regular-season conference champions this season. The Lopes toppled Montana State, Northern Iowa and Alcorn State.
The GCU defense ranks eighth nationally for opponent field goal percentage (36.0%) and 13th for opponent points per game (57.3).
The Lopes rank third in the new WAC Resume Seeding System, which will decide WAC Tournament seeding with consideration to nonconference play.
In LMU's 64-52 home win against Nevada on Saturday, Shelton scored 17 first-half points and the Lions outrebounded the Wolf Pack 42-26. LMU held Nevada to 19 second-half points.
GCU went 3-0 vs. West Coast opponents last season and faces two teams from the conference this month — LMU on Wednesday and Pepperdine on Dec. 17.

Wednesday, Dec. 7 | 7 p.m. | GCU Arena | Phoenix, Ariz.

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Players Mentioned

Josh Baker

Jovan Blacksher Jr.

Ray Harrison

Chance McMillian

Holland Woods II

Grand Canyon University Athletics