Wur last-second jumper makes merry magic

Sunday, December 22

Phoenix, Ariz.

2 p.m.

Grand Canyon

8-4,0-0WAC

Saint Louis

6-6,0-0Atlantic 10

Saint Louis

Grand Canyon

Photo by: David Kadlubowski

12/22/2024 6:32:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro

Box Score Postgame with Bryce Drew Postgame with Ray Harrison Postgame with Lök Wur Photo Gallery

GCU heads to Christmas break with forward's 2nd-chance winner

By: Paul Coro

'Twas three nights before Christmas, when all through the house, every Grand Canyon fan was stirring with the result in doubt.

Then Lök Wur gave a happy Christmas to all and wished Saint Louis a good night.

Wur tracked down his missed free throw and sank a last-second turnaround jumper Sunday to send GCU to the holidays with a joyful 73-72 victory over the Billikens at Global Credit Union Arena.

The Lopes (8-4) believed in the magic of the season to pull out a clutch finish, outscoring Saint Louis 4-0 in the final minute.

"We're just really excited about this win," GCU head coach Bryce Drew said. "It's a really good team we played with really good players. We had some spots that we played really well, and we had some spots that weren't as desirable. But, man, that's a really good win and a great way to go into Christmas."

Wur made multiple winning plays, blocking Billikens star Robbie Avila's shot with 58 seconds to go, making a driving lefthanded scoop with 46 seconds to go and hitting the 12-foot baseline turnaround in one fluid motion upon rebounding his miss.

Left with eight-tenths of a second, Avila caught a pass out of bounds at midcourt to send GCU to the holiday break on an uptick.

Phoenix, AZ Dec. 22, 2024 : The Lopes squeak out a 73-72 win over Saint Louis at Global Credit Union Arena. David Kadlubowski/GCU

Phoenix, AZ Dec. 22, 2024 : The Lopes squeak out a 73-72 win over Saint Louis at Global Credit Union Arena. David Kadlubowski/GCU

"It was a tough game," said Wur, whose heroics were supplemented by seven rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots. "Saint Louis is a great team. At the end, it was real intense. I missed a free throw, and I had to get my miss back to put it back and get the win for us.

"It means a lot. We put a lot into the game plan, preparing for this game. It feels great to get the win."

GCU senior guard Ray Harrison scored 12 of his 16 points in the first half while senior guard Collin Moore came off the bench for 14 of his game-high 20 points in the second half. Moore also blocked three shots, including causing a shot clock violation when he blocked Saint Louis guard Isaiah Swope's 3-point shot with 16.6 seconds remaining.

The Lopes received three cracks at winning the game. Harrison missed on a drive, but Avila knocked the rebound out of bounds with 3.8 seconds to go.

GCU intended to lob a baseline inbound pass to Wur, but he was fouled. Wur missed the front-end free throw, but he was able to get the game-winning chance when Saint Louis' Kalu Anya swatted the rebound out as GCU senior forward JaKobe Coles battled to get inside him for rebound position. Wur snatched the ball with his left hand and moved it to his right hand as he pivoted for the shot.

"Lök works so hard," Drew said. "The interesting thing is he shot that shot, but he knew exactly where it was going. When you spend so many hours in the gym like he does, it's just a reaction where the ball is going. What a tremendous play. I couldn't be happier for that young man for how hard he works every day in a GCU uniform. This is a shot he'll remember for the rest of his life."

Phoenix, AZ Dec. 22, 2024 : The Lopes squeak out a 73-72 win over Saint Louis at Global Credit Union Arena. David Kadlubowski/GCU

The Lopes were tasked with chasing one of the more formidable 3-point shooting teams in the nation. Saint Louis, an Atlantic 10 title contender, lived up to its penchant for 3s by taking most of their shots from beyond the arc. The Billikens went 12 for 32, but their big three (Avila, Gibson Jimerson and Isaiah Swope) went 8 for 24.

Foul trouble limited Avila to 27 minutes, and he only went 4 for 11 mostly against Coles and Wur. Moore chased Swope into 6-for-17 shooting from the field.

GCU took its largest lead in the first half, using Coles' lefthanded drive and two free throws to cap a 9-0 run for a 26-16 lead and a Moore driving 3-point play for a 32-19 advantage. The Billikens shot 35.5% in the first half but made four 3s, three by Swope, before halftime to trail 37-32 at halftime.

Both teams caught fire in the second half, when Saint Louis took its first lead of the game. The Lopes pulled away to a 63-59 lead with 9:01 remaining but were stifled by Saint Louis' 2-3 zone. GCU went 6 minutes and 45 seconds between made field goals but continued to defend well, allowing only made free throws in that same stretch.

Phoenix, AZ Dec. 22, 2024 : The Lopes squeak out a 73-72 win over Saint Louis at Global Credit Union Arena.

Phoenix, AZ Dec. 22, 2024 : The Lopes squeak out a 73-72 win over Saint Louis at Global Credit Union Arena.

"We were all professing that to each other – just take care of the ball, take care of the ball, take care of the ball," Harrison said. "Because they got a lot of runouts and easy points that we didn't make them work for. We just wanted to make sure they earned everything they got."

Moore and Grant-Foster remained in reserve roles for the second consecutive game. Grant-Foster impacted the game with seven rebounds, three steals and two blocks but remained in a shooting funk, going 1 for 8 from the field in 21 minutes.

Moore, who has taken three shots in GCU's road losses against Georgia and Louisiana Tech, was aggressive with two 3-point plays in the first half and three 3-pointers in the second half. After shooting less than 30% in five consecutive games for the first time in the program's Division I era, the Lopes went 8 for 23 (35%) on Sunday with Harrison at 4 for 6 and Moore at 3 for 5.

"I felt like I was just taking what they gave me," said Harrison, who scored 16 without shooting a free throw for the first time this season. "They disrespected. They kept going under (screens). They didn't think I could shoot, so I shot.

"I tried to bring energy in whatever way we needed. Luckily, the ball found me and, luckily, I was able to have the confidence to knock down some of those shots. It felt good to get out there. Scoring is always fun."

The GCU players and staffers will have a Christmas break before they reconvene for a trip to Inglewood, California, where they will play San Diego at Intuit Dome as part of the West Coast Hoops Showcase. The Lopes-Toreros game will follow Gonzaga-UCLA as the first college basketball games played at the Los Angeles Clippers' new arena.