Rapid recap: GCU 89, Cal State Fullerton 79

Grand Canyon opened the season with a 89-79 home victory over Cal State Fullerton with a career-night debut from Lopes senior forward JaKobe Coles on Monday night.

Key player

Coles, the 6-foot-8 transfer from TCU, set career highs for points (16) and rebounds (13) with three assists and two steals in 36 minutes. He made 10 of 15 shots from the field for his first career double-double.

Key moment

The Lopes stretched the lead to 83-63 with six minutes to go when sophomore guard Caleb Shaw's steal and pair of 3-pointers keyed a a 12-2 stretch. .

Key statistic

After coming out of its Tuesday exhibition win with an emphasis on rebounding, GCU scored 20 points on second chances with four players grabbing at least three offensive rebounds.

Quotable

Coles: "It's the best start we could have, starting off with a W so I'm just happy and blessed. Really my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ first. He's helped me through everything and just hard work and discipline. The coaching staff and everybody who has brought me into this organization has been beautiful. It's a testimony to them, and I have a lot of confidence in them. I have a lot of confidence in myself. The shots went in. I played hard. My teammates played hard, and we came out with a win."

What's next?

GCU stays home to play Conference USA Tournament champion Western Kentucky at 7 p.m. Saturday. The Hilltoppers opened the season Monday with a 91-84 home loss to Wichita State.

Return to GCULopes.com later tonight for Paul Coro's updated game recap with more details and reactions from Lopes head coach Bryce Drew and players.

Grand Canyon University Athletics

Key player

Key moment

Key statistic

Quotable

What's next?

Players Mentioned

JaKobe Coles

Caleb Shaw

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