Drew draws up career win No. 200

Wednesday, February 23

Chicago, Ill.

6 p.m. (MST)

Grand Canyon

19-7,9-5WAC

Chicago State

6-22,2-13WAC

Grand Canyon

Chicago St.

2/23/2022 8:29:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro

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GCU cruises in road finale, takes blowout into final 3 home games

By: Paul Coro

CHICAGO – Grand Canyon needed to get back to its winning ways Wednesday night and has just the coach for that because he has has done plenty of winning.

GCU head coach Bryce Drew recorded career coaching win No. 200 with his Lopes giving a dominant road effort, throttling the Cougars early with their defense and delivering Drew's landmark victory in 85-64 style. Drew is the only WAC head coach with 200 victories besides Dixie State's Jon Judkins and Sam Houston's Jason Hooten.

Bryce Drew

The best decoy move that Drew's players made all night came when Drew entered the postgame locker room to suspiciously seated players. Once graduate swingman Sean Miller-Moore approached Drew for a hug, graduate guard Holland Woods II and junior forward Taeshon Cherry came from behind and dumped a large cooler of ice water on their coach to set off a locker room celebration.

"It was a nice surprise," Drew said. "I don't if they were excited to celebrate with me or if they were upset that I was yelling to play defense and rebound throughout the game. One or the other. Anyway, I'm wet and cold and it was fun."

In Chicago State's final WAC season, GCU (19-7, 10-5 WAC) bid farewell to the Jones Convocation Center by holding Chicago State to 23.5% shooting in the first half before stat monitors crashed in the second half. The Lopes offense may have blown the computer by making 13 shots from 3-point range, notching their second-best 3s total of the season.

GCU sought a more-balanced offensive attack to support sophomore guard Jovan Blacksher Jr. and graduate guard Holland Woods II and got it from a variety of sources on the team's 55.1% shooting game. Graduate swingman Sean Miller-Moore scored five of GCU's first six points to help send the Lopes to a 26-9 lead when he finished an alleyoop from Woods.

Miller-Moore was one of four Lopes players to score in double figures with Woods leading with 15 and adding five assists wtihout a turnover. The GCU bench boost was led by second-year guard Chance McMillian with 13 points and graduate Walter Ellis with 12 points and a career-high tying four steals.

The Lopes were only slowed by eight first-half turnovers because they were shooting 60% for most of the first half to turn their away finale into a far-and-away finale. Chicago State never was closer than a 17-point deficit in the second half, when Woods scored eight and Ellis added nine on the final three of his four 3-pointers.

GCU opened the game by not allowing Chicago State to make its first shot of a possession, other than one fastbreak, for nearly the first 12 minutes. When the Lopes led 26-9, the Cougars' points only had come by second-chance baskets, a fastbreak and a foul.

"Our defense the first 17 minutes of the first half was really good," Drew said. "We had a lapse in the last three minutes that was disappointing, but then I was really pleased with our second unit. At the start of the second half, we didn't have the energy we should have coming out. Something we've talked about, something we've practiced, something we want our guys to do. We subbed in a different group."

GCU led 50-33 when Drew made wholesale changes, leaving sophomore power forward Gabe McGlothan as the only starter on the floor 2 1/2 minutes into the second half because his backup, Cherry, had injured his ankle. McMillian hit junior center Aidan Igiehon, who posted seven points and five rebounds, with a fastbreak alleyoop and freshman guard Jalen Blackmon followed with a 3-pointer for a 55-33 lead.

"The Chance McMillian highlight lob pass to Aidan was sensational, followed up with the Jalen Blackmon 3," Drew said. "That five-point run really brought the momentum back to us and set a tone for how we were going to play in the second half."

McMilian's effort went beyond offense with the Vallejo, California, native being part of the group defensive effort that GCU did on Chicago State leading scorer Brandon Betson, who went 3 for 13 from the field on Wednesday after going 2 for 11 at GCU in the teams' first meeting.

"It felt pretty good, but that hurt seeing that they need another scorer so I need to step up," McMillian said. "My role is to come in and hit shots and play defense. I just need to do what I'm supposed to do.

"I knew I had to bring energy. With me being energy, that carries on throughout the team and we were having a good time."

McMillian had been moved to third string in practice this week but responded well to that and a conversation with Drew. He posted his first double-digit scoring game since Jan. 15 and only his second one since Thanksgiving, making 3 of 6 shots from the field and 6 of 6 free throws on Wednesday night after averaging 2.6 points over the previous nine games.

"When he plays like this, it gives us that next scoring option when he makes shots and plays the defense like he does," Drew said. "I'm really happy for Chance. When you work hard and when you put time in, it's great to get rewarded for a young man like him."

The GCU bench accounted for 46 points, its third-highest total this season and twice as much as it had scored in any of the previous 10 games. The reserves made 13 of 19 shots from the field and 13 of 16 from the free throw line.

Elli went 4 for 4 from 3-point range to match his career high for 3s in a game and set a season high for scoring with his father, former NBA star LaPhonso, in attendance. Only 15 other reserves in the nation have made at least four 3s in a road game without missing this season. But it was how the 6-foot-5 guard played without the ball that will earn favor.

"We're really big on getting loose balls, rebounding, making sure we get over screens and I thought Walt took some steps up in that today," Drew said. "If we can play like he did tonight, that can really help us in these last three games with his ability to stretch the floor, if he can improve on defense."

GCU remained in fifth place in the WAC at 10-5 in conference play but tightened the race with Sam Houston (12-3 in WAC play) and Stephen F. Austin (10-4), which play each other Thursday night. Sam Houston comes to GCU Arena on Saturday night in the first of three consecutive Lopes home games to end the regular season.

The conference's third- and fourth-place teams will receive byes into the WAC Tournament quarterfinals in Las Vegas.

"I feel like we're locked in now," McMillian said. "That loss woke us up. We're going to come out way more hungry."