Lopes tough out win at SFA

Thursday, January 25

Nacogdoches, Texas

5:30 p.m. (MST)

Grand Canyon

18-2,8-1WAC

Stephen F. Austin

12-7,5-3WAC

Grand Canyon

SFA

Photo by: David Kadlubowski

1/25/2024 11:01:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro

Box Score Photo Gallery

GCU closes strong for tight victory despite 30.6% shooting

By: Paul Coro

NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Grit does not always bring immediate rewards. The hard work that Grand Canyon put in minute by minute of Thursday night's game at Stephen F. Austin made for a cumulative effect that extended the Lopes' hold on first place in the WAC.

With the second-lowest shooting percentage of a victory in its Division I era, GCU won an intense battle of toughness that came down to a final, lead-protecting deflection for the 53-51 escape from Nacogdoches.

GCU graduate power forward Gabe McGlothan played the final 8:17 with four fouls, and sophomore center Duke Brennan lasted the final 5:15 with four fouls to help the Lopes win despite trailing half of the game.

Despite its lowest field goal percentage (30.6%) in a win since March 2017 (28.8% vs. CSU Bakersfield), GCU grinded until it kept a lead for the most important stretch of the game – the final two minutes and 55 seconds of the game. In a game between the WAC's top scoring offenses, the Lopes defense countered by holding the Lumberjacks to 33.9% shooting with a heavy dose of 2-3 zone.

GCU is the only team in the nation to win this season with 53 points or fewer and less than 32% shooting.

"We manufactured points and then were really tough on defense and tough rebounding in the final stretch," Lopes head coach Bryce Drew said. "I think each guy stepped up in those last 10-12 minutes and did something to help our team win. When it wasn't scoring, it was maybe a rebound or a deflection, an extra pass. Gabe playing with four fouls. Really thankful. What a terrific ending."

Gabe McGlothan

GCU was trailing 42-38 when McGlothan re-entered the game 35 seconds after leaving with his fourth foul. He immediately made a 3-pointer and added another a short time later to make him 3 for 3 from long distance on a night when his teammates went 2 for 18 on 3-pointers.

The Lopes took a 50-49 lead on a free throw from sophomore center Duke Brennan, who grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds, with 2:55 to go. They maintained the lead with stops before junior guard Collin Moore made the game's key play with a backcourt steal off an outlet pass and a layup for a 52-49 lead with 1:15 remaining.

SFA cut the lead to 52-51 before GCU ate up 38 seconds on a scoreless possession that was lengthened by Brennan's final rebound, his sixth one on the offensive glass.

With a chance to take the lead, Lumberjacks guard Jake Hayman missed a baseline drive against McGlothan's help defense. Harrison was fouled with 3.2 seconds to go. He made one of two free throws, giving SFA the length of the court to cover with 2.1 seconds remaining and a 53-51 deficit.

Duke Brennan

After a GCU timeout on the initial SFA inbound setup, the Lopes switched Brennan from under the rim to covering the inbounder at the baseline.

Advised by his best friend and teammate Malcolm Flaggs to follow the inbounder's eyes, Brennan deflected Lumberjacks junior power forward Jalil Beaubrun's pass. Moore knocked the loose ball away near midcourt as time expired for the Lopes' first win at SFA, where the Lumberjacks had won five in a row.

After an early turnover and missed follow, Brennan was benched and said he kept thinking, "Onto the next one." He maintained that mentality as he was saddled with foul trouble to be able to finish the final five minutes of the game without fouling out.

"Keeping my composure and being able to push through it really helped me," Brennan said. "Keeping my mind mature and taking a deep breath with all of the emotions going on, I was able to do it and we pulled out the dub in the end."

Brennan already had posted the best five rebounding games of his career this season for GCU with the best being three 10-rebound games. On Thursday night, he became only the 25th player in the nation this season to grab 14 rebounds in less than 30 minutes of a road game.

With his wrist bothering him recently, Brennan focused on rebounding but also added a blocked shot amid GCU's 15-6 start in front of a season-high William R. Johnson Coliseum attendance of 3,649 fans.

"I thought he grew up a lot in this game, from beginning to the end," Drew said. "Fourteen rebounds in a game like this speaks to his toughness and his desire and aggressiveness."

Lopes junior guard Ray Harrison provided a steady influence over the entirety of the game, logging 37 exhausting minutes of high-effort defense while also handling the ball against a relentless pressure team. Harrison made 4 of 9 shots from the field and 7 of 8 free throws for a team-high 15 points with four assists.

Harrison found McGlothan for each of his key late 3-pointers and set up Brennan for the play when he got fouled for a go-ahead free throw.

GCU senior guard Tyon Grant-Foster's energy was sapped before the game even began after fighting a fever and missing the team morning shootaround to rest. He gave GCU nine points and three steals as a key backline part of the Lopes' effective 2-3 zone defense.

"For him to come out and play today speaks to his commitment to the team," Drew said.

The Lopes committed 16 turnovers against an SFA team that ranked fourth nationally for opponent turnovers at 18.3 per game. GCU brought the same defensive difficulty, causing 14 turnovers with half coming on steals by Grant-Foster, Harrison and Moore.

"A lot of these guys have not seen this style of play, and you could tell," Drew said. "The decision-making has to be faster. I don't think we ever quite got where we wanted to on that, but it got a little bit better throughout the game."

SFA played for the first time without junior power forward Sadaidriene Hall, the Lumberjacks' leading scorer (10.7 points per game) and rebounder (4.8 boards per game) this season. SFA head coach Kyle Keller said Hall potentially has a season-ending injury.

"Our players are really crushed because they gave everything they had tonight, and I thought it was enough," Keller said. "I don't feel like I helped them enough to get them over the top.

"McGlothan was huge down the stretch. We let him get away from us and he made a couple 3s. That's why I think he's the Player of the Year in our league ... He impacts winning more than anybody on their team."

The Lopes will have a quick turnaround with a three-hour bus ride to Arlington, Texas, where they will play for the first time Saturday at UT Arlington with an earlier tipoff at 1 p.m. (Phoenix time). The Mavericks (9-10, 4-4 WAC) have not played since Saturday.