Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball at Baylor on October 10, 2025 at 2 p.m. (MST)
M Basketball
2 p.m. (MST)
at Baylor
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Grand Canyon University Athletics
Saturday, March 5
Phoenix, Ariz.
6 p.m.
Grand Canyon
21-7,11-5WAC
70
vs
53
Dixie State
13-18,6-12WAC
1
2
F
Dixie St.
27
26
53
Grand Canyon
34
36
70
Slammin' senior send-off cinches tourney bye
3/5/2022 11:14:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro
Miller-Moore, Woods lead 4th straight double-digit win in regular-season finale
Grand Canyon approached the basketball elevator and hit up to end the regular season Saturday night at GCU Arena.
The Lopes were rising in the standings to secure a WAC Tournament No. 4 seed and bye to the quarterfinals, rising in performance with their fourth consecutive double-digit victory and rising toward the rafters with a raucous senior sendoff of five second-half alleyoop dunks.
GCU went on a 23-7 second-half run to pull away from Dixie State and ended the 70-53 victory with graduate forward Sean Miller-Moore launching for three alleyoop dunks in an 85-second stretch. The Lopes defense, holding the Trailblazers to 33.3% shooting with 17 turnovers, was the star that earned GCU a higher tournament seed but Senior Night belonged to Miller-Moore (12 points, nine rebounds, two steals in 20 minutes) and graduate guard Holland Woods II (13 points, seven assists and no turnovers).
Finishing one game behind WAC co-champs New Mexico State, Seattle U and Stephen F. Austin, the Lopes will open WAC Tournament play in a Thursday night quarterfinal at 7 p.m. in Orleans Arena. Saturday's win was the equivalent of two for the tournament's defending champions because of the bye earned by the Lopes, who will play their quarterfinal against the winner of a Wednesday game between Sam Houston and Tuesday's California Baptist-UT Rio Grande Valley winner.
"We're definitely going to get better," Miller-Moore said. "We're hungry. We're going to do whatever it takes to win."
GCU's defense has allowed 33% shooting during this four-game winning streak and the offense will be coming off its lowest pair of turnover games, making six on Thursday night and seven on Saturday night.
That was the practical foundation of a Saturday win, but the fun part was watching the Lopes make 3-pointers on four consecutive possessions when it took control in the first half and connect on five second-half alleyoop dunks when it was piling onto the lead in the second half.
"Any time I see Rugz where we make things work, I just kind of know where he's going to go," Woods said of Miller-Moore. "If he doesn't go, the ball is going right out of bounds and I'm probably coming out of the game. That's why you have to love having someone like him. I definitely see him and then I look away to give it style points."
Leading 43-40, GCU went on a 23-7 run in the second half with Woods dealing for four of the dunks and make the most spectacular attempt on a miss, when he threw a half-court alleyoop to Miller-Moore for a near reverse slam.
"It was amazing," Miller-Moore said. "Me and Holland have some sort of connection. I just met Holland this year. We have great chemistry. I love him. That's my brothers. He's crazy for throwing those passes, but I'm going to get up and get it."
GCU head coach Bryce Drew said. "What a fun way to go out, especially for those two," Lopes head coach Bryce Drew said. "That's something they're going to always remember."
As the Lopes built a lead as large as 21, the Havocs and some of the rest of the standing-room-only crowd of 7,412 fans began chanting for the third senior honoree, walk-on Raef Gerdes. Drew gave the students a thumbs up before inserting Gerdes into the game. GCU tried to send him off with a score, but three 3-pointers and a drive missed.
At 22-7, GCU matches its highest victory total since winning 27 in 2015-16. The Lopes got to 22 with four wins in the past two weeks that paired its season-long level of defense and rebounding with a more balanced offense. Reserve guard Chance McMillian scored 12 for his third double-digit scoring game in the past four games, as the GCU bench outscored the Dixie State bench 24-4.
With nerves and emotions, Woods admittedly had "no feel" for the earlygoing of the game, when GCU missed eight of its first nine shots to dig a 14-4 hole. But it was Woods, with his Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley on hand, who swung momentum by making three 3-pointers and scoring 11 points during a 21-5 run that put the Lopes ahead for good.
The Lopes dominated the boards against a physical Trailblazers team with 18 offensive rebounds helping GCU take 22 more shots than Dixie State, offsetting the Lopes' 34.2% shooting. GCU sophomore power forward Yvan Ouedraogo grabbed 14 rebounds, nine of which were offensive boards.
"Our guys really came together," Drew said. "The last four games, it's been nice to get a rotation with those nine guys and those guys coming off the bench and giving us a nice burst that we've needed. The camaraderie has looked significantly better here in the last couple weeks and the flow on the court looks like they're playing off each other a lot more uncomfortably. It's good to see the togetherness they have out there."
GCU closed its home campaign at 15-2, its sixth 15-win season at GCU Arena but first since 2017-18. The seniors were honored with their families before the game and Drew took the microphone for a farewell tribute and prayer to the seniors after the game, capping the second-year head coach's first season with the season-long sellout atmosphere of GCU Arena.
"It's an incredible place," Drew said. "Last year, it was fun being here and accomplishing the things our team did. But getting the full effect of the crowd, the game operations, the season-ticket holders and the people around here definitely gives me an even better perspective of what this place truly is. It's the best fans in the country, the best atmosphere, the best place to play a game."
Before leaving the court for the final time, Miller-Moore and Woods each made poignant comments about their home-court feelings.
Miller-Moore said, "I almost shed a tear. I just love it here. It's crazy that it's coming to an end."
Woods said, "It's a special place. I don't want to leave. If you can get me a sixth year, I'll be back in the gym."
The Lopes were rising in the standings to secure a WAC Tournament No. 4 seed and bye to the quarterfinals, rising in performance with their fourth consecutive double-digit victory and rising toward the rafters with a raucous senior sendoff of five second-half alleyoop dunks.
GCU went on a 23-7 second-half run to pull away from Dixie State and ended the 70-53 victory with graduate forward Sean Miller-Moore launching for three alleyoop dunks in an 85-second stretch. The Lopes defense, holding the Trailblazers to 33.3% shooting with 17 turnovers, was the star that earned GCU a higher tournament seed but Senior Night belonged to Miller-Moore (12 points, nine rebounds, two steals in 20 minutes) and graduate guard Holland Woods II (13 points, seven assists and no turnovers).
Finishing one game behind WAC co-champs New Mexico State, Seattle U and Stephen F. Austin, the Lopes will open WAC Tournament play in a Thursday night quarterfinal at 7 p.m. in Orleans Arena. Saturday's win was the equivalent of two for the tournament's defending champions because of the bye earned by the Lopes, who will play their quarterfinal against the winner of a Wednesday game between Sam Houston and Tuesday's California Baptist-UT Rio Grande Valley winner.
"We're definitely going to get better," Miller-Moore said. "We're hungry. We're going to do whatever it takes to win."GCU's defense has allowed 33% shooting during this four-game winning streak and the offense will be coming off its lowest pair of turnover games, making six on Thursday night and seven on Saturday night.
That was the practical foundation of a Saturday win, but the fun part was watching the Lopes make 3-pointers on four consecutive possessions when it took control in the first half and connect on five second-half alleyoop dunks when it was piling onto the lead in the second half.
"Any time I see Rugz where we make things work, I just kind of know where he's going to go," Woods said of Miller-Moore. "If he doesn't go, the ball is going right out of bounds and I'm probably coming out of the game. That's why you have to love having someone like him. I definitely see him and then I look away to give it style points."
Leading 43-40, GCU went on a 23-7 run in the second half with Woods dealing for four of the dunks and make the most spectacular attempt on a miss, when he threw a half-court alleyoop to Miller-Moore for a near reverse slam.
"It was amazing," Miller-Moore said. "Me and Holland have some sort of connection. I just met Holland this year. We have great chemistry. I love him. That's my brothers. He's crazy for throwing those passes, but I'm going to get up and get it."
GCU head coach Bryce Drew said. "What a fun way to go out, especially for those two," Lopes head coach Bryce Drew said. "That's something they're going to always remember."
As the Lopes built a lead as large as 21, the Havocs and some of the rest of the standing-room-only crowd of 7,412 fans began chanting for the third senior honoree, walk-on Raef Gerdes. Drew gave the students a thumbs up before inserting Gerdes into the game. GCU tried to send him off with a score, but three 3-pointers and a drive missed.
At 22-7, GCU matches its highest victory total since winning 27 in 2015-16. The Lopes got to 22 with four wins in the past two weeks that paired its season-long level of defense and rebounding with a more balanced offense. Reserve guard Chance McMillian scored 12 for his third double-digit scoring game in the past four games, as the GCU bench outscored the Dixie State bench 24-4.
With nerves and emotions, Woods admittedly had "no feel" for the earlygoing of the game, when GCU missed eight of its first nine shots to dig a 14-4 hole. But it was Woods, with his Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley on hand, who swung momentum by making three 3-pointers and scoring 11 points during a 21-5 run that put the Lopes ahead for good.The Lopes dominated the boards against a physical Trailblazers team with 18 offensive rebounds helping GCU take 22 more shots than Dixie State, offsetting the Lopes' 34.2% shooting. GCU sophomore power forward Yvan Ouedraogo grabbed 14 rebounds, nine of which were offensive boards.
"Our guys really came together," Drew said. "The last four games, it's been nice to get a rotation with those nine guys and those guys coming off the bench and giving us a nice burst that we've needed. The camaraderie has looked significantly better here in the last couple weeks and the flow on the court looks like they're playing off each other a lot more uncomfortably. It's good to see the togetherness they have out there."
GCU closed its home campaign at 15-2, its sixth 15-win season at GCU Arena but first since 2017-18. The seniors were honored with their families before the game and Drew took the microphone for a farewell tribute and prayer to the seniors after the game, capping the second-year head coach's first season with the season-long sellout atmosphere of GCU Arena.
"It's an incredible place," Drew said. "Last year, it was fun being here and accomplishing the things our team did. But getting the full effect of the crowd, the game operations, the season-ticket holders and the people around here definitely gives me an even better perspective of what this place truly is. It's the best fans in the country, the best atmosphere, the best place to play a game."
Before leaving the court for the final time, Miller-Moore and Woods each made poignant comments about their home-court feelings.
Miller-Moore said, "I almost shed a tear. I just love it here. It's crazy that it's coming to an end."
Woods said, "It's a special place. I don't want to leave. If you can get me a sixth year, I'll be back in the gym."
Team Stats
Dixie
GCU
FG%
.333
.347
3FG%
.313
.281
FT%
.560
.611
RB
39
50
TO
17
7
STL
5
11
Game Leaders
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
12
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
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