Aim for momentum, seeding defines final week

Thursday, March 3 \| 7 p.m. (Phoenix time) \| GCU Arena

	UTAH VALLEY WOLVERINES (19-9, 10-6 WAC)	at	GRAND CANYON LOPES (20-7, 11-5 WAC)

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Grand Canyon plays Utah Valley at home Thursday night and Dixie State at home Saturday night.

After that, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ .

With the WAC's top five teams separated by 1 1/2 games, there are more scenarios to where GCU will start next week's WAC Tournament than tasks at hand. The pressing matters are beating Utah Valley at home Thursday night and Dixie State at home Saturday night to give themselves the best chance at higher seeding and the ideal momentum for the postseason.

The Lopes (20-7, 11-5 WAC) could be the No. 3, 4 or 5 seed, even with the two wins, but they also need to keep Utah Valley (19-9, 10-6 WAC) behind them and avenge a loss to Dixie State that put GCU in this predicament.

The simplest way for GCU to rise to a top-four seed, which receives a WAC Tournament quarterfinals bye, is to have a 2-0 week and for Sam Houston to lose a Thursday night home game against Tarleton. Two Lopes victories and Saturdays wins by New Mexico State (at home against Utah Valley) and Stephen F. Austin (at UT Rio Grande Valley) also would put GCU at No. 3 or 4, depending on other WAC outcomes.

"We know that we've got to take care of business," said Lopes graduate guard Holland Woods II, one of five active Division I players with career totals of at least 1,900 points and 600 assists. "Obviously, we've got our fingers crossed for other games with other teams. But we put ourselves in this position where we are in a hole and digging ourselves out every day."

GCU began to do that last week with an 85-64 win at Chicago State and a 67-41 home win against Sam Houston, the second time this season that it won consecutive WAC games by more than 20 points (vs. Abilene Christian and Tarleton in January).

The Lopes' defense was even better than usual, holding Chicago State to 35.1% shooting and setting a program all-time low for a WAC opponent with keeping Sam Houston to 25.8% shooting. That puts GCU at No. 7 in the nation for field-goal percentage defense (38.2%), but what turns that steady stinginess into routs is balanced offense.

"When you shoot well, you play with more confidence on offense and you play with more energy on defense," Lopes head coach Bryce Drew said.

GCU hit at least half of its 3-point shots in consecutive games for the first time this season, supporting the season-long Lopes scoring duo of Woods and sophomore guard Jovan Blacksher Jr. with sophomore power forward Gabe McGlothan's double-double on Saturday and reserve guard Chance McMillian's best scoring week of his two-year career (28 points in minutes).

"A lot of guys have been doing a lot of things for us this season, so when we can switch it up and get something going from another guy, it's always going to be helpful for us," Woods said. "We've got guys who are going to contribute every single night. Chance is finding his way at the right time. For us upperclassmen and older guys, to have a younger guy come and hit shots like that is going to take us a long way."

GCU defeated Utah Valley 76-69 three weeks ago in Orem, Utah, where Blacksher and Woods scored 23 apiece and graduate forward Sean Miller-Moore added a career-high 19 points. The Lopes scored 51 second-chance points and kept reigning WAC Player of the Year and national double-doubles leader Fardaws Aimaq to 6-of-17 shooting.

Aimaq still had 15 points and 12 rebounds, one of his 25 double-doubles that have contributed to his averages of 19.2 points and 13.9 rebounds (second nationally). GCU sent a big-man trio of sophomore Yvan Ouedraogo, junior Aidan Igiehon and junior Dima Zdor at Aimaq.

"He's a big dude," Ouedraogo said of the Wolverines' 6-foot-11, 245-pound Canadian. "He knows how to use his body. He's really good at offensive rebounding and wedging and getting good positions. His team is giving him the ball every single time. The offense runs through him so it's a big challenge, but I'm going to be focused and ready for it."

Lope tracks

GCU has shot 74.3% from the free-throw line in the past nine games after making 63.6% of free throws in its first 18 games.
The Lopes are 14-0 this season when scoring 67 or more points.
GCU ranks third in the nation for lowest opponent 3-point percentage (27.3%) and 13th for rebounds per game (40.2).
Utah Valley ranks in the national top 10 for rebound margin (fifth, plus-8.3), rebounds per game (sixth, 41.0) and 3-point percentage defense (seventh, 28.1%).
Lopes graduate guard Walter Ellis is one made 3-pointer away from 100 career 3s.
McMillian scored more points in the past two games combined (28) than the previous nine games combined (23).
GCU has five players averaging at least 10 rebounds per 40 minutes this season: Ouedraogo (13.1), Igiehon (11.9), Miller-Moore (10.1), Zdor (10.1) and McGlothan (10.0).
Ouedraogo ranks 61st in the nation for offensive rebounding percentage, grabbing 14.6% of possible offensive rebounds.

Thursday, March 3 | 7 p.m. (Phoenix time) | GCU Arena

Lope tracks

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Players Mentioned

Jovan Blacksher Jr.

Walter Ellis

Aidan Igiehon

Gabe McGlothan

Chance McMillian

Sean Miller-Moore

Yvan Ouedraogo

Holland Woods II

Dima Zdor

Grand Canyon University Athletics