Toppling WAC leaders makes for happy home

Thursday, February 3

Phoenix, Ariz.

7 p.m.

Grand Canyon

15-5,5-3WAC

Seattle U

17-5,8-1WAC

Seattle U

Grand Canyon

2/3/2022 11:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro

Box Score Postgame - Drew Postgame - Blacksher Photo Gallery

GCU get wire-to-wire win vs. Seattle U with Blacksher's career-high 26

By: Paul Coro

After missing GCU Arena for 19 days, all Grand Canyon needed Thursday night was a few positive moments around 7 p.m. to shift energy back to where the Lopes had been thriving before a road trip.

It was the Havocs hopping with happiness to see a home game again. It was sophomore power forward Gabe McGlothan winning the tip. It was the Lopes sharing the ball for four passes in the first 10 seconds. It was sophomore point guard Jovan Blacksher Jr. blowing by Seattle U's Darrion Trammell for 25 feet and finishing over 6-foot-10 Brandton Chatfield.

It was only 2-0 and 15 seconds, but it was indicative of where GCU was headed in a wire-to-wire, 78-66 win that gave Seattle U its first conference loss and extended the Lopes' home winning streak to eight. GCU led 7-0 and held Seattle U scoreless for the first 3:45 with hustling, chase-down blocks from sophomore power forward Yvan Ouedraogo and graduate forward Sean Miller-Moore.

Jovan Blacksher Jr.

"I really credit the energy in the building and our Havocs for giving us excitement and helping us get out to that 7-0 run," GCU head coach Bryce Drew said. "It does rejuvenate you being back playing on this floor. You could just see, from that start to throughout the game, how our guys fed off the energy in the building."

GCU (15-5, 6-3 WAC) pulled within two games of conference co-leaders Seattle U (17-5, 8-1 WAC) and New Mexico State (18-3, 8-1 WAC) with a complete effort that suggested more than a momentary change.

Its backcourt brilliance led the offense with Blacksher recording a career scoring high of 26 points without making a turnover in 36 minutes and graduate Holland Woods II putting together two double-digit halves for 22 points in 39 minutes.

Even amid three road losses, the Lopes defense remained stout but this was a different task against the nation's 11th-ranked 3-point shooting team, the WAC Preseason Player of the Year and a Seattle U trio averaging 47 points. Against the second-ranked 3-point shooting defense, the Redhawks were limited to 6-of-19 accuracy and had one co-star, junior forward Riley Grigsby, shut out for the first time since 2019 before fouling out in 19 minutes.

Gabe McGlothan

"One of the things that we were saying all day was, 'Win the challenge,' "said McGlothan, who posted eight points and eight rebounds. "Seattle U was undefeated in the conference. So being previous conference champions, we had to handle business. The energy was really great because we wanted that challenge and to say we're still here after a tough road trip.

"It seemed like we had a flat tire for a little bit. We had the spare on for the road trip, so we finally got home and were able to change it with a real tire. We finally got the wheels rolling so we're excited."

When the Lopes hit the gas, they left the Redhawks in the dust. GCU led all game and for the double digits over the entire second half. The Lopes raced to a 56-34 lead with 13:35 to go when Woods made his fourth 3-pointer in the most difficult fashion between Redhawks defenders.

Woods' 22 on 7-of-14 shooting and Blacksher's 26 on 10-of-20 shooting marked the second time that the GCU guards each scored 20 in a game this season (also at Loyola Marymount).

"They continually made shots and plays throughout that game to really help us win," Drew said.

The Lopes incorporated new wrinkles of offense, putting four players on the perimeter with Miller-Moore using driving and post-up opportunities for eight first-half points as GCU built a 38-26 halftime lead. With Miller-Moore's defense and eight rebounds, Drew credited him with one his best all-around games.

Another graduate swingman, Walter Ellis, made multiple 3-pointers for the fourth time in five games. The key one helped stave off a rally from Seattle, which won nine consecutive games with impressive comebacks. The Redhawks were on a 6-0 run when Ellis missed a 3 but was given a second chance by Woods' offensive rebound. He nailed that 3, making him 13 for 26 from beyond the arc this season.

At a similar point on Saturday at New Mexico State, the Lopes allowed the Aggies to score on 10 consecutive points after having a five-point lead

"I feel like we learned from it," Blacksher said. "We knew they were a team that was going to push. You see they came back, so we had to keep our foot on their necks."

Seattle U shot 37.7% from the field, its only sub-38% shooting game besides losses to UNLV, Washington and Washington State.

"Even the times that we lost someone and they made shots, our guys were really hustling and trying to make it as difficult as possible for them on their end of the court," Drew said.

GCU committed 10 turnovers in the first 15 minutes of the game and cleaned up its ball care for five turnovers over the final 25 minutes. That helped make the shooting accuracy shine, putting a slump of extenuating road circumstances behind them.

The Lopes are 14-0 when they shooting 40% or more.

"I just knew that we had to stay together," Blacksher said. "We couldn't start wandering off. We had to unite. It's a season, so every game isn't going to go our way. We had to put some work in and show the fans what we could do."