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, January 13
Phoenix, Ariz.
6 p.m.
Grand Canyon
16-1,6-0WAC
74
vs
48
Tarleton State
10-6,3-2WAC
1
2
F
Tarleton St.
29
19
48
Grand Canyon
36
38
74
Photo by: David Kadlubowski
Game flips hugely to level Texans, send Lopes to 16-1
1/13/2024 10:31:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro
GCU turned 14-point hole into 26-point win for 13th consecutive victory
Unfazed by deficits, Grand Canyon has matched the nation's best record with a will that can't be broken but can break others' wills.
GCU climbed out of a first-half deficit for the fourth consecutive game, notching its 13th consecutive victory with a remarkable 40-point turnaround in Saturday night's 74-48 conference home win against Tarleton State.
With the nation's third-longest active winning streak and first-place standing in the WAC on the line, the Lopes (16-1, 5-0 WAC) made the sold-out Global Credit Union Arena crowd nervous once again early before erasing that feeling with a memorable dominance and delirium. Its .941 winning percentage is only matched by Utah State.
From the time GCU trailed 24-10 after 8 ½ minutes of play, the Lopes outscored the Texans 64-24 and shut out Tarleton for at least six minutes – twice. On consecutive Saturdays, GCU has won double-digit games after trailing by 14 on Saturday night and 16 the previous Saturday.
"It was a heart check," said GCU graduate power forward Gabe McGlothan, who delivered 20 points and nine rebounds. "It was whoever had more heart. I know every single one of those guys in that locker room. I know their hearts, and I know they are very big and very full. "
The Lopes are beating with one heart and appear close to unbeatable with hustle that extracted four double-digit victories out of four first-half deficits in the past week. This one started with Tarleton's physical, precise play threatening to swipe first place away from GCU with an early 16-0 run, only to wind up shooting worse from the field (31.7%) than any Lopes opponent this season.
After taking a 24-10 lead with three consecutive 3-pointers, Tarleton State had its offense disassembled by GCU's defense. The Texans (10-6, 3-2 WAC) shot 23% from the field for the final 31 minutes of the game to set a season scoring low for a Lopes Division I opponent and give another case for a top-25 poll debut.
"The toughness was a big aspect," GCU head coach Bryce Drew said. "Our depth helps. We can sub and we can keep some fresh bodies out there playing hard. That really helped us later in the game, just being able to have Jovan (Blacksher Jr.) and Josh (Baker), Isaiah (Shaw), Lok (Wur) and Sydney (Curry) being able to put those guys out there, even if it's just for two minutes. It lets them play really hard for two minutes and lets our other guys come in and play more fresh when they come back."
GCU, off to its best start since 1995-96, also flipped its offensive efficiency once it became stronger with the ball, going from five turnovers in the first six minutes to seven over the final 34 minutes.
Senior guard Tyon Grant-Foster put a charge into the dormant office with a pair of 3-pointers, including one while being fouled that followed Tarleton's 24-10 lead.
The Texans led 29-20 before the Lopes closed the half with 16 unanswered points, as junior guard Collin Moore finished a five-assist, no-turnover half with drive-and-kick plays and a sweet dish for junior guard Ray Harrison's cutting layup.
"That's the best that he's done all year," Drew said of Moore's passing. "It really helped because they're putting so much pressure on Ray and really keying on him. It was great to have another playmaker out there."
Grant-Foster made a stunning follow shot while being fouled to cap the half-ending run that sent GCU to the locker room leading 36-29 on 10 consecutive missed shots by Tarleton. Grant-Foster, a national top-15 scorer, finished with 16 points to make him a double-digit scorer in every game this season. His help defense with a 6-foot-7 frame also resulted in his second consecutive three-block game.
"We might get down or we might have a slump," Grant-Foster said. "We know we're going to throw that second or third punch. We're going to get that knockout."
GCU stretched the run to 21 unanswered points at the start of the second half when McGlothan made a transition 3-pointer. He kept going into his expanded repertoire by drawing fouls in the post, taking players off the dribble from the perimeter and hitting difficult mid-range shots that he has rehearsed for years.
The graduate student made 7 of 10 shots, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range, for his 10th consecutive double-digit scoring game after opening the season with three consecutive single-digit games.
In the past two weeks, McGlothan has enjoyed shooting games of 7 for 10, 9 of 12 and 8 of 10.
"It's all tying together perfectly," McGlothan said. "I didn't think it would necessarily look like this, but it was showing glimpses over the past few years.
"It's cool to see the shots are going in. My mantra is, 'I'll do the work and God will handle the results.' "
Tarleton State was shaken but not out of the game when GCU led 53-41 midway through the second half. But GCU's defense was what put the game away as the Texans often needed most of the shot clock.
The Texans did not score on 11 consecutive possessions, which worsened when the 6-plus minute stretch of scoreless basketball ended with three consecutive turnovers, including a shot clock violation. Some of the toughness turnaround was embodied by sophomore center Duke Brennan, who followed a 10-rebound Thursday with an eight-rebound Saturday despite taking a cut to the face.
Tarleton's only player who scored in double digits was guard Devon Barnes, who opened the game going 4 for 5 with improbable 3-pointers before not scoring in the game's last 32 minutes and missing nine consecutive shots.
"What I really loved about the guys tonight is that our backs were to the wall," Drew said. "It wasn't just to the wall that we weren't playing hard. They were just outplaying us and out-toughing us in every facet of the game. So the guys, collectively, knew they had to play tougher. The last 25 minutes, it was fun to watch how they competed and the passion and intensity that we played with."
GCU, one of four one-loss teams in the nation, will try to build on its first 9-0 home start since 2018-19 when it returns to Global Credit Union Arena on Thursday to play Utah Valley.
GCU climbed out of a first-half deficit for the fourth consecutive game, notching its 13th consecutive victory with a remarkable 40-point turnaround in Saturday night's 74-48 conference home win against Tarleton State.
With the nation's third-longest active winning streak and first-place standing in the WAC on the line, the Lopes (16-1, 5-0 WAC) made the sold-out Global Credit Union Arena crowd nervous once again early before erasing that feeling with a memorable dominance and delirium. Its .941 winning percentage is only matched by Utah State.
From the time GCU trailed 24-10 after 8 ½ minutes of play, the Lopes outscored the Texans 64-24 and shut out Tarleton for at least six minutes – twice. On consecutive Saturdays, GCU has won double-digit games after trailing by 14 on Saturday night and 16 the previous Saturday.
"It was a heart check," said GCU graduate power forward Gabe McGlothan, who delivered 20 points and nine rebounds. "It was whoever had more heart. I know every single one of those guys in that locker room. I know their hearts, and I know they are very big and very full. "The Lopes are beating with one heart and appear close to unbeatable with hustle that extracted four double-digit victories out of four first-half deficits in the past week. This one started with Tarleton's physical, precise play threatening to swipe first place away from GCU with an early 16-0 run, only to wind up shooting worse from the field (31.7%) than any Lopes opponent this season.
After taking a 24-10 lead with three consecutive 3-pointers, Tarleton State had its offense disassembled by GCU's defense. The Texans (10-6, 3-2 WAC) shot 23% from the field for the final 31 minutes of the game to set a season scoring low for a Lopes Division I opponent and give another case for a top-25 poll debut.
"The toughness was a big aspect," GCU head coach Bryce Drew said. "Our depth helps. We can sub and we can keep some fresh bodies out there playing hard. That really helped us later in the game, just being able to have Jovan (Blacksher Jr.) and Josh (Baker), Isaiah (Shaw), Lok (Wur) and Sydney (Curry) being able to put those guys out there, even if it's just for two minutes. It lets them play really hard for two minutes and lets our other guys come in and play more fresh when they come back."
GCU, off to its best start since 1995-96, also flipped its offensive efficiency once it became stronger with the ball, going from five turnovers in the first six minutes to seven over the final 34 minutes.
Senior guard Tyon Grant-Foster put a charge into the dormant office with a pair of 3-pointers, including one while being fouled that followed Tarleton's 24-10 lead.The Texans led 29-20 before the Lopes closed the half with 16 unanswered points, as junior guard Collin Moore finished a five-assist, no-turnover half with drive-and-kick plays and a sweet dish for junior guard Ray Harrison's cutting layup.
"That's the best that he's done all year," Drew said of Moore's passing. "It really helped because they're putting so much pressure on Ray and really keying on him. It was great to have another playmaker out there."
Grant-Foster made a stunning follow shot while being fouled to cap the half-ending run that sent GCU to the locker room leading 36-29 on 10 consecutive missed shots by Tarleton. Grant-Foster, a national top-15 scorer, finished with 16 points to make him a double-digit scorer in every game this season. His help defense with a 6-foot-7 frame also resulted in his second consecutive three-block game.
"We might get down or we might have a slump," Grant-Foster said. "We know we're going to throw that second or third punch. We're going to get that knockout."
GCU stretched the run to 21 unanswered points at the start of the second half when McGlothan made a transition 3-pointer. He kept going into his expanded repertoire by drawing fouls in the post, taking players off the dribble from the perimeter and hitting difficult mid-range shots that he has rehearsed for years.
The graduate student made 7 of 10 shots, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range, for his 10th consecutive double-digit scoring game after opening the season with three consecutive single-digit games.
In the past two weeks, McGlothan has enjoyed shooting games of 7 for 10, 9 of 12 and 8 of 10.
"It's all tying together perfectly," McGlothan said. "I didn't think it would necessarily look like this, but it was showing glimpses over the past few years.
"It's cool to see the shots are going in. My mantra is, 'I'll do the work and God will handle the results.' "
Tarleton State was shaken but not out of the game when GCU led 53-41 midway through the second half. But GCU's defense was what put the game away as the Texans often needed most of the shot clock.The Texans did not score on 11 consecutive possessions, which worsened when the 6-plus minute stretch of scoreless basketball ended with three consecutive turnovers, including a shot clock violation. Some of the toughness turnaround was embodied by sophomore center Duke Brennan, who followed a 10-rebound Thursday with an eight-rebound Saturday despite taking a cut to the face.
Tarleton's only player who scored in double digits was guard Devon Barnes, who opened the game going 4 for 5 with improbable 3-pointers before not scoring in the game's last 32 minutes and missing nine consecutive shots.
"What I really loved about the guys tonight is that our backs were to the wall," Drew said. "It wasn't just to the wall that we weren't playing hard. They were just outplaying us and out-toughing us in every facet of the game. So the guys, collectively, knew they had to play tougher. The last 25 minutes, it was fun to watch how they competed and the passion and intensity that we played with."
GCU, one of four one-loss teams in the nation, will try to build on its first 9-0 home start since 2018-19 when it returns to Global Credit Union Arena on Thursday to play Utah Valley.
Team Stats
TSU
GCU
FG%
.317
.509
3FG%
.278
.533
FT%
.500
.706
RB
28
47
TO
8
12
STL
7
3
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
20
FGM
7
3FGM
3
FTM
3
Pts
16
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
3
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
6
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
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