Lopes repeat nailbiter, turn result on road

Thursday, January 26

Abilene, Texas / Moody Coliseum

6 p.m. (MST)

Grand Canyon

14-7,5-3WAC

Abilene Christian

10-11,2-6WAC

Grand Canyon

Abilene Christian

1/26/2023 5:28:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro

Box Score Photo Gallery

McMillian ties career high with 17 points; Ouedraogo returns with Baker out

By: Paul Coro

ABILENE, Texas – The scar from losing a heartbreaker Saturday night was just a sign of how much stronger Grand Canyon became for when it faced the same type of battle on the road Thursday night.

Exchanging the return of junior power forward Yvan Ouedraogo for missing junior guard Josh Baker, the Lopes erased a 38-36 halftime deficit with a 7-0, second-half start and never relinquished the lead to a relentless Abilene Christian effort. With sophomore guard Ray Harrison's 19 points and sophomore guard Chance McMillian's career-high tying 17 points, GCU escaped Moody Coliseum with a 75-73 conference victory in front of 1,889 fans.

Harrison assisted or scored on three consecutive clutch possessions to give the Lopes (14-7, 5-3 WAC) a three-point lead each time, but the Wildcats (10-11, 2-6 WAC) answered each score with a basket that pulled them within a point. McMillian returned to the free throw line for the first time since a key missed free throw at the end of Saturday's 76-74 home loss to Utah Valley but made one free throw for a 75-73 lead with 12 seconds to go Saturday night and blocked a potential tying shot with 2.9 seconds remaining.
Abilene,, TX Jan 26, 2023: GCU during their 75-73 win over Abilene Christian in Abilene, Texas.
Going for the win, Abilene Christian senior forward Airion Simmons missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer against a challenge from GCU junior power forward Gabe McGlothan, who managed having four fouls over the final 10:28 to defend a difficult final shot.

"It shows that we have some dogs," McMillian said of the Lopes continually overcoming health issues. "We're all ready to play, and it's showing now. The people that weren't really playing as much that are playing a lot now are really showing that we stayed ready and were ready for the moment.

"I feel like we can still do something special. Yeah, Nuna (Jovan Blacksher Jr.) is out. I'm still sad about that, but I still feel like we've got a chance to do something special, and we all believe that here."

Abiliene Christian, ranked seventh nationally for opponent turnovers, jumped to a 13-6 lead as GCU committed six turnovers in the game's first eight minutes. The Lopes adjusted to the Wildcats' physicality and active hands and received contributions from everyone in their eight-man rotation, including Ouedraogo's limited availability producing seven second-half rebounds.

Abilene,, TX Jan 26, 2023: GCU during their 75-73 win over Abilene Christian in Abilene, Texas. GCU shot 51.1% from the field, hit 8 of 17 shots from 3-point range (47.1%) and 19 of 24 free throws (79.2%) with four players scoring in double figures, including graduates Noah Baumann and Walter Ellis each scoring 10 off the bench. The Lopes needed every bit of it in their 10th game of the season decided by five points or fewer, including the past four in a row.

"It's a great camaraderie these guys have, and they've been through it," GCU head coach Bryce Drew said. "So many close games, so many different lineup changes. I'm just really proud of how resilient they were to come on the road after an emotional loss just a few days ago in our home gym."

Bauman's eight points and Ellis' seven points in the first half helped GCU stay tight despite only leading for 1:29 of it. Trailing 38-36 at halftime, Harrison and McMillian opened the second half by each driving for scores before McGlothan made a 3-pointer off McMillian's assist to lead 43-38. A later McMillian 3 stretched the lead to its largest advantage at 53-43 for another Wildcats time out, but Abilene Christian stayed close while the Lopes kept the lead for the final 18 minutes.

After McMillian made a free throw for a 75-73 lead with 12 seconds to go, he missed the second free throw but retreated and teamed with Ellis to block a driving shot by Ali Abdou Dibba (18 points) with 2.9 seconds remaining.

"We talk about turnaround plays," Drew said. "We had a great meeting after the last game. That shows a step in Chance's maturity. He didn't put his head down when he missed a free throw. He went back and made a winning play for us at the rim. That's what you love to see, especially with your younger players as you coach them and train them. You want to see the progression, and you want to see them learn. That turnaround play was spectacular by Chance."

Abilene,, TX Jan 26, 2023: GCU during their 75-73 win over Abilene Christian in Abilene, Texas. Harrison faced defensive blitzes with double- and triple-teams throughout the night and made a career-high eight turnovers. But he went 5 of 10 from the field and 9 of 13 from the free throw line with 19 points, six assists and four rebounds and stretched his streak of games of 16 points or more to 14 consecutive games.

"This is just Ray's world and the life he's going to have live in," Drew said. "It's making him a better player. He's having to see reads that he hasn't seen before. He's having to make plays, not just once or twice, but perpetually throughout a game. And then we're asking him to defend on the other side. And that's where the hard parts get in. When you're playing as many minutes as him and you have to make as many plays as him, the conditioning really comes into play. Tonight, he looked really good for the majority of the game."

GCU pulled within two games of first-place Seattle U in the WAC standings, where the top seven teams are within two games as conference play nears the midpoint. The Lopes play next at Tarleton, which defeated Utah Tech 74-72 on Thursday, with Harrison averaging 20.5 points per game over the past 14 contests.

"I feel like we just willed our way to a win,": Harrison said.

"Getting a win like this in this environment, it boosts our confidence and we need to carry that momentum into Saturday."