WAC semi shows GCU path back to peak play

WAC Tournament semifinal Friday, March 10 \| 7 p.m. (Phoenix time) \| Orleans Arena \| Las Vegas, Nev.

	GRAND CANYON LOPES (22-11)	vs.	SAM HOUSTON BEARKATS (25-6)

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LAS VEGAS – When Grand Canyon takes the Orleans Arena floor Friday night with a four-game winning streak for a WAC Tournament semifinal, it will mark the first time the Lopes have played Sam Houston since beating the Bearkats for a four-game winning streak on Jan. 5.

But there was no straight line to the full-circle moment.

GCU's season changed that day when WAC Preseason Player of the Year Jovan Blacksher Sr. suffered a season-ending knee injury, and the Lopes searched for a new winning formula until Lopes head coach Bryce Drew and his staff calculated a way to put GCU in its fifth consecutive WAC Tournament semifinal.

"It's been a challenge," Drew said. "This is probably our fourth different team of getting a rhythm together. I think we're in the best rhythm we've been in since Jovan's injury for a consistent stretch. Players win games all year, especially in March. Teams go as far as the players want to go, and these guys have been really motivated."

The Lopes (22-11) are halfway through the tournament after their season's two best offensive performances away from GCU Arena. But points do not come easily against No. 1 tournament seed Sam Houston (25-6), which posted early-season wins at Oklahoma and Utah and is ranked No. 59 in the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) after an eight-game winning streak.

The Bearkats boast the WAC Player of the Year in 6-foot-1 senior Qua Grant, the conference steals leader, and they rank fourth nationally for opponent points per game (58.3) and opponent field goal percentage (38.3%). Their disciplined, disruptive defense also causes 17 turnovers per game, the ninth-best rate in the nation.

"We just hang our hat on defense," Sam Houston guard Donte Powers said. "We don't too much worry about offense. We're a defensive-minded team. That's what our practices consist of. That'll be the majority of our game plan – to shut the other team down."

The Bearkats did that in their WAC quarterfinal, holding California Baptist scoreless for a 10-minute stretch of the first half.

Before the tournament, GCU sophomore guard Ray Harrison said he had "a chip the size of Mount Everest" on his shoulder after All-WAC awards came out. He was a first-team selection but had the WAC's highest scorer (21.1 points per game) in conference play.

Harrison turned the defensive attention against Seattle U in the WAC quarterfinal and matched his season high with seven assists. Many went to McGlothan, an All-WAC second-team pick who posted a career-high 35 points to lead GCU to the 84-79 victory.

"We had a talk before we came on this road trip and I could tell Gabe had a chip on his shoulder as well, and he came out and showed it," Harrison said.

The Bearkats have lost two key bench players, forward Tristan Ikpe and point guard Jaden Ray, since GCU won 72-68 in overtime at Sam Houston on Jan. 5. Bearkats 13-year head coach Jason Hooten said starting forward Cameron Huefner, a 44% 3-point shooter, is not 100% after the 6-foot-7 Australian had a four-point, 22-minute quarterfinal.

Much like Sam Houston, GCU has developed a trust throughout its eight-man rotation. That meant a career night for McGlothan on Thursday, when sophomore point guard Chance McMillian scored nine but made three beautiful passes for key scores and redshirt freshman Kobe Knox ignited the Lope Nation-dominated crowd with plays at each end for an 11-0 run.

"It didn't matter who was the one who was going to have the most points or who had to do the heavy lifting," McGlothan said. "As a team, that's who we are. We just want to get a win any way possible."

With a win, the Lopes would play the winner of the Utah Valley-Southern Utah semifinal that follow the GCU-Sam Houston game Friday night at Orleans Arena. The championship game, with the victory earning an NCAA tournament berth, will be broadcast on ESPN2 with a tipoff of 9:30 p.m. (Phoenix time).

"It's been a year of hills and valleys with injuries and with some tough, close losses," Drew said. "I'm just really proud of these guys for how they fought and continue to fight throughout the season."

Lope tracks

Sophomore guard Ray Harrison has made 169 free throws this season, ranking 11th in the nation.
Graduate forward Noah Baumann, the Phoenix Desert Vista High School graduate, ranks 21st nationally among active players for career 3-point shooting percentage at 42.1%. He is the only active Division I player besides Pacific's Luke Avdalovic to have at least 250 made 3s and 42% accuracy.
Sophomore guard Chance McMillian is averaging 13.2 points in his 18 starts since replacing Blacksher, the WAC Preseason Player of the Year who underwent season-ending knee surgery in January.
Senior guard Walter Ellis is averaging 22.3 minutes per game in the past seven games.
Junior power forward McGlothan, a Chandler Basha High School graduate, ranks second in the WAC with 7.9 rebounds per game. He is shooting 57% from 3-point range in the past seven games.
Harrison (38 points vs. Utah Tech), McGlothan (18 rebounds vs. Northern Iowa) and injured junior Jovan Blacksher Jr. (seven steals vs. Grambling) hold the WAC season highs for each category.
The Lopes are 11-1 when making 10 or more 3-pointers in a game and 17-3 when making eight or more 3s.
GCU is 14-0 when scoring 78 or more points and is also 14-0 when shooting 48% or better.
The Lopes rank No. 26 nationally for opponent field goal percentage (40.5%).
GCU ranks 41st for 3-point percentage (37.1%) and averages a WAC-best 8.6 made 3-pointers per game.
The WAC is ranked as the 11th-strongest conference among 32 nationally by KenPom.com.

WAC Tournament semifinal
Friday, March 10 | 7 p.m. (Phoenix time) | Orleans Arena | Las Vegas, Nev.

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Players Mentioned

Noah Baumann

Jovan Blacksher Jr.

Walter Ellis

Ray Harrison

Kobe Knox

Chance McMillian

Grand Canyon University Athletics