Lopes shatter 3-point mark in added game

Tuesday, February 21

Phoenix, Ariz.

11 a.m.

Grand Canyon

18-10,8-6WAC

111

Park (Ariz.)

0-3

Park (AZ)

Grand Canyon

111

Photo by: Zach Campbell

2/21/2023 2:16:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro

Box Score

GCU follows Friday's record shooting with 21 made 3s; Ellis nets career-high 24

By: Paul Coro

What could have been another in the dozens of practice days at GCU Basketball Practice Facility turned into a record-setting day there Tuesday.

Because the scheduled Wednesday game at New Mexico State was forfeited by the Aggies, the Lopes coaching staff made a quick pivot to find a local opponent for a game and wound up with an all-time GCU record – 21 made 3-pointers in a 111-38 victory against Park on Tuesday.

The Lopes followed Friday's Division I-era record for field-goal shooting (66.7% vs. Abilene Christian) by making 55.3% of their 3-point shots against Park, an NAIA program in Gilbert. GCU senior guard Walter Ellis sank five of the 3s on his way to a career-high 24 points.

The Lopes also held Park to their Division I-era opponent low for shooting percentage at 22.7%. Its second-highest scoring total of the 10-year Division I era made for the era's largest margin of victory.

"We'd rather do that than practice for two hours," Ellis said. "There are some things we are looking to execute better on defense and even on offense, so it was kind of a detail game to make sure we're locking in on those small things going into the last three games of the regular season."

The Lopes (18-10) can secure a WAC Tournament first-round bye in their final three games, starting with how a Friday home win against Seattle U would vault them past the Redhawks in the WAC Resume Seeding System.

GCU used its usual starting lineup but briefly Tuesday, with junior power forward Gabe McGlothan piling up 12 points in nine minutes by going 4 for 4 on 3-pointers.

Lopes redshirt freshman guard Kobe Knox was the only starter to play more than 17 minutes, logging 24 minutes to rack up a line of 14 points, a team-high seven assists, six rebounds and two blocked shots.

Like McGlothan, GCU sophomore guard Chance McMillian made all of his 3s (3 for 3) and dished out six assists in 14 minutes for the hot-shooting Lopes. McMillian also sank three 3s last season in the game that previously set the record for made 3s in a game (17) against Prairie View A&M last season. GCU is one of 12 Division I teams to make 21 or more 3-pointers in a game this season.

"It's been a strength of our team, and it needs to be something we do well in games," said Drew, whose team is 14-3 when it makes eight or more 3s and 7-0 when it makes more than 10. "It was nice to see us come out and shoot with so much confidence."

The game allowed for extended bench minutes for players such as sophomore power forward Logan Landers, who tallied seven points, a season-high seven rebounds and a st

eal in 17 minutes.

Reserve big men Aidan Igiehon, a junior, and Isaiah Carr, a freshman, helped hold Park to GCU's least opponent scoring total since beating Mississippi Valley State 71-38 in December 2017. Igiehon grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds and scored nine points in 22 minutes while Carr set a season high with four blocked shots in 13 minutes.

"This time of year, they're tired of practicing against each other," Drew said. "We have some hungry guys who haven't got a lot of minutes in games and really wanted to get out and play against someone else. It was nice that we could play everybody, everybody could score and we could keep guys in a game rhythm going into Friday."

GCU made 9 of its first 13 shots from beyond the arc for a 43-12 lead.

The Lopes put five scorers in double figures with graduate forward Noah Baumann (13 points, 4 for 7 on 3s) joining Ellis, Knox, McMillian and McGlothan. Ellis scored his 24 points in 21 minutes to break his January 2021 career with Bucknell by eight points The sharpshooter began his scoring with the 3-point touch that has hit 47.5% of the time this season, but he added drives to add 7-of-8 free-throw shooting.

"It was more about controlling what we can today," Ellis said. "We all came with the mentality of just worrying about us and how we need to execute to play basketball like we know how to no matter who the opponent is. The 21 3s were a product of that. The ball was moving. Guys were finding each other, sharing the sugar a little bit. It was a good day.

"Friday (the 94-84 win vs. Abiliene Christian) was a really emotional game because of the energy and the fans. We really wanted that win bad after the two losses. Today was a good little reset."

GCU faces Seattle U for a 7 p.m. Friday game on Senior Night in GCU Arena.