All-out effort falls short at SFA

Saturday, January 7

Nacogdoches, Texas / William R. Johnson Coliseum

1 p.m. (MST)

Grand Canyon

11-5,2-1WAC

Stephen F. Austin

12-5,4-0WAC

Grand Canyon

SFA

1/7/2023 5:28:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro

Box Score Photo Gallery

Down 2 starters, visiting Lopes led late despite quick turnaround

By: Paul Coro

NACOGDOCHES, Texas – With one starter in a hand brace and another on crutches, Grand Canyon could have used its short rotation and short rest to limp apprehensively into Stephen F. Austin on Saturday.

Despite being limited in personnel, the Lopes did not lack for persistence to jump ahead early on the Lumberjacks and lead late before fading in a 73-68 defeat at Johnson Coliseum.

With junior power forward Yvan Ouedraogo already out, GCU added junior point guard Jovan Blacksher Jr. to the injured list against a SFA team with a 14-game conference winning streak.

The Lopes (11-5, 2-1 WAC) emptied the tank Saturday afternoon, starting a game in Nacogdoches about 41 hours after ending an overtime win in Huntsville and matching the energy of a SFA team that rested since a Wednesday night home win.

GCU took its final lead at 54-53 with 6:30 to go when junior guard Josh Baker set up a dunk by sophomore guard Ray Harrison, who came off a 28-point Thursday game with a 19-point Saturday effort.

But the Lopes made key turnovers and allowed second chances to allow the easy points that they wanted to avoid against the Lumberjacks. SFA (12-5, 4-0 WAC) scored 32 points on second chances and fastbreaks, some of which came off GCU's 16 turnovers.

"I was really proud of our guys," Lopes head coach Bryce Drew said. "For the majority of this game, we played really well. We played hard. We came together. There were obviously turnovers in the first half and then offensive rebounds in the second half. That's what really hurts us.

"There were a couple of 50-50 balls and some offensive rebounds that were basically the difference in the game. If we get those balls, we win this game by five to eight. Instead, they got them and won by five."

The Lopes emerged with resilience for a 13-6 lead in front of SFA's "Cram the Coliseum" crowd of 3,286 fans. GCU's first nine points came on 3-pointers by three Lopes, but GCU made 3 of 18 shots from 3-point range for the remainder of the game.

SFA still did not take its first lead until a second-chance basket with 1:40 remaining in the first half, coming amid a 10-0 run. The Lumberjacks' 38-34 halftime lead became 43-34 a minute into the second half before a Drew time out, which flipped momentum for a 7-0 GCU run.

Back-to-back baskets by junior center Aidan Igiehon and Harrison's rim attacks kept the game close until a 6-0 run of two Lumberjacks follows and a post-up. A pair of Harrison free throws made it a one-possession game for the last time at 59-56 with 3:33 to go, but GCU went without a field goal for five consecutive minutes in clutch time.

"There are so many learning moments in this game," Drew said. "For us to get where we want to get and do what we want to do, we've got to play like the first 15 minutes.

"We missed some passes that we could've got some easy baskets that we could've got some easy baskets to get some momentum. The good things are those are correctable mistakes."

Like Thursday, the Lopes put two scorers in double figures. This time, it was sophomore guard Chance McMillian, Blacksher's replacement, joining Harrison. He scored 16, tying his career high against a Division I opponent.

"We're going to have to probably tweak some things and change things because these are the 10 we have for the foreseeable future and these 10 are going to have to be ready to play," Drew said.

Harrison logged 78 minutes of play in the Thursday night and Saturday afternoon road games while handling most of the point guard and scoring responsibilities. He had four assists, three rebounds and two steals at SFA to his 19 points, 11 of which came at the free throw line.

"I'm not ever one to come out with any excuses, but you could tell from the jump that physically we were tired," Harrison said. "But we gave it everything we got and I'm proud of our guys. I really am. I can't wait to see them at home.

"It's been tough. But from the training we've been putting in since I first got here (in the summer), I feel prepared. I don't feel overwhelmed. I'm embracing it."

The Lopes split an East Texas trip in which they unexpectedly lost Blacksher less than 11 minutes into the first game at Sam Houston.

"Now we have to learn how to be able to play without him," Drew said. "We have to learn not just for one game or two games. But now for substantial time, we've got to figure out how can we limit our turnovers. How can we create some more offense? He was the WAC Preseason Player of the Year, so that's a big hole when you lose him."