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 67, Sam Houston 41
2/26/2022 6:58:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro
Lopes pull within 1 game of WAC's 3-way tie for 2nd
When the Grand Canyon offense gets on a roll, it is easy to forget how regularly dominant the Lopes defense can be.
While GCU's hot shooting and renewed scoring balance staked it to an early lead, it was the Lopes' stingy ways that shut out Sam Houston for seven first-half minutes and built a lead that the Bearkats could not overcome. GCU won 67-41 on Saturday night at GCU Arena, notching the team's 20th victory and putting the Lopes' 11-5 conference record within a half-game of fourth-place Sam Houston (12-5) and a game off second-place teams Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin (12-4 each).
The Lopes trailed 8-3 but made six of their first eight 3-point tries from four different players to score 22 points in a six-minute stretch. The defense, ranked 14th nationally for opponent field goal percentage, then allowed GCU (20-7, 11-5 WAC) to pull away by shutting out Sam Houston (17-13, 12-5 WAC) for nearly seven minutes.
Sam Houston's 25.8% shooting for the game marked the lowest GCU opponent shooting of the season and the third lowest of the Lopes' Division I era. It was also the Bearkats' lowest-scoring game of the season and matched their largest margin of defeat for this season (Dec. 21 vs. Bradley).
Much like GCU's Wednesday win at Chicago State, the Lopes did it with the balanced attack they have been seeking with sophomore reserve guard Chance McMillian being the breakthrough contributor to that. McMillian posted back-to-back double-digit scoring games for the first time in his career. He scored a career-high 15 off the bench in 17 minutes on Saturday, making 3 of 4 from 3-point range.
When McMillian made a lefthanded reverse drive and sophomore Gabe McGlothan hit a spinning left-handed drive for a 35-22 halftime lead, it was just the start of GCU's domination. The Lopes opened the second half with a Holland Woods II 3-pointer and kept running away with GCU holding Sam Houston to 21.2% shooting in the second half.
The Lopes sent an array of defenders at Sam Houston leading scorer Savion Flagg, who went 3 for 12 from the field for seven points, 12 below his season scoring average. The Bearkats went 3 for 29 from 3-point range, further enhancing a defense that entered Saturday ranked fourth nationally in 3-point defense.
McGlothan provided 11 points and 12 rebounds in 24 minutes for his third double-double of the season after having one double-double last year.
While GCU's hot shooting and renewed scoring balance staked it to an early lead, it was the Lopes' stingy ways that shut out Sam Houston for seven first-half minutes and built a lead that the Bearkats could not overcome. GCU won 67-41 on Saturday night at GCU Arena, notching the team's 20th victory and putting the Lopes' 11-5 conference record within a half-game of fourth-place Sam Houston (12-5) and a game off second-place teams Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin (12-4 each).
The Lopes trailed 8-3 but made six of their first eight 3-point tries from four different players to score 22 points in a six-minute stretch. The defense, ranked 14th nationally for opponent field goal percentage, then allowed GCU (20-7, 11-5 WAC) to pull away by shutting out Sam Houston (17-13, 12-5 WAC) for nearly seven minutes.
Sam Houston's 25.8% shooting for the game marked the lowest GCU opponent shooting of the season and the third lowest of the Lopes' Division I era. It was also the Bearkats' lowest-scoring game of the season and matched their largest margin of defeat for this season (Dec. 21 vs. Bradley).
Much like GCU's Wednesday win at Chicago State, the Lopes did it with the balanced attack they have been seeking with sophomore reserve guard Chance McMillian being the breakthrough contributor to that. McMillian posted back-to-back double-digit scoring games for the first time in his career. He scored a career-high 15 off the bench in 17 minutes on Saturday, making 3 of 4 from 3-point range.
When McMillian made a lefthanded reverse drive and sophomore Gabe McGlothan hit a spinning left-handed drive for a 35-22 halftime lead, it was just the start of GCU's domination. The Lopes opened the second half with a Holland Woods II 3-pointer and kept running away with GCU holding Sam Houston to 21.2% shooting in the second half.
The Lopes sent an array of defenders at Sam Houston leading scorer Savion Flagg, who went 3 for 12 from the field for seven points, 12 below his season scoring average. The Bearkats went 3 for 29 from 3-point range, further enhancing a defense that entered Saturday ranked fourth nationally in 3-point defense.
McGlothan provided 11 points and 12 rebounds in 24 minutes for his third double-double of the season after having one double-double last year.
Players Mentioned
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