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, February 10
Phoenix, Ariz.
6 p.m.
Grand Canyon
22-2,12-1WAC
94
vs
65
Southern Utah
9-15,4-9WAC
1
2
F
Southern Utah
30
35
65
Grand Canyon
46
48
94
Photo by: David Kadlubowski
Bench boosts blowout for Drew's 250th win
2/10/2024 10:10:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro
Blacksher's 18 points, Wur's 1st career double-double push GCU to 22-2
The starting five is what has led Grand Canyon to having the best record in the nation.
The emerging bench is what can make the Lopes even better.
Most of GCU's first-half points came from reserves to build a 21-point lead that turned into a 94-65 victory against Southern Utah on Saturday night at sold-out Global Credit Union Arena. The Lopes' most lopsided win against a Division I opponent since Opening Night kept GCU undefeated at home (12-0), tied them for the nation's best record (22-2) and gave head coach Bryce Drew his 250th career victory.
The Lopes spent nearly the last 29 minutes of the game with a double-digit lead because graduate point guard Jovan Blacksher Jr. scored 18 points, his most vs. a Division I opponent since November 2022, and graduate forward Lök Wur followed consecutive career-best scoring performances with career highs for rebounds (11), blocked shots (four) and steals (three).
It was Blacksher and Wur teaming with benchmates Josh Baker and Isaiah Shaw and center Duke Brennan that blew open the game in the first half with a 16-3 run. Southern Utah was held to 1-for-7 shooting with two turnovers over 4 1/2 minutes while Blacksher scored 10 of his points to build a 29-12 lead.
"Jovan had a really good week of practice, and he showed some glimpses of what he did tonight," Drew said. "I'm just so happy for him, to see him have the game that he did. And that stretch was so
key. The bench, with Jovan, Josh Isaiah, Lök and Duke, they picked up the energy. The crowd got into it. We got some stops and we got out in transition. Jovan made some shots. It was really fun stretch there."
Blacksher, who went 11 months between games in 2023 because of knee surgery, had not scored in four consecutive games but also said that a good week of practice rebuilt his trust in his game. Playing the first reserve role of his five-year career, Blacksher made 6 of 7 shots on Saturday night with 3-for-4 shooting from 3-point range to lead a 43-point bench night (season high vs. D-I opponent).
In Blacksher's 112 career games, Saturday marked the most points that the former All-WAC first-team honoree has scored in fewer than 20 minutes.
"We're fighting," Blacksher said of the bench. "We know that when we come in, we've got to set a tone. Today, we wanted to set a tone and get the lead. It started with our defense. Everybody's finding what they're good at with their role, so I think that's what's working."
The Lopes (22-2, 12-1 WAC), who maintained a two-game WAC lead on Tarleton State, were re-energized after not playing for a week but also showed some rust early. The defense kept the lead until the offense warmed up with a microwaveable bench arsenal.
Wur and Blacksher made consecutive 3s, and Blacksher kept it going with a steal turning into a lefthanded fastbreak finish and a pump fake that he turned into a step-through 3-point play.
The Lopes, donning new gray uniforms, outscored the Thunderbirds 16-0 in transition play with the help of 13 steals, one off a season high, that enabled them to push upcourt for scores.
GCU also dominated the glass, grabbing a season-best 21 offensive rebounds to outscore Southern Utah 30-5 on second-chance points.
"We were more fresh, and I thought that definitely helped us," Drew said. "That's a really good offensive team. They score a lot of points against a lot of people. Really proud of our defense, especially second half."
Wur and Blacksher hit consecutive 3s again later in the first half as the Lopes built their largest first-half lead, 46-25, in the final minute. Opening the second half with a 17-7 run kept Southern Utah from threatening, especially with defensive plays such as senior guard Tyon Grant-Foster's half-opening blocked shot on a jumper attempt and Blacksher turning another steal into points – his 3-pointer for a 68-41 lead with 11:25 to go.
"When we can get him doing more things, it really helps our team," Drew said of Grant-Foster, whose block accompanied 18 points, seven rebounds and a steal. "I thought Ray (Harrison) was gr
eat tonight. He only scored seven points, but he controlled the whole pace of the game, especially in that second half. And in that middle ball screen, he was just terrific. Defensively, he did a really good job on (Braden) Housley.
"It takes everybody. Some nights, certain guys score. Other nights, they don't. For us to win, everybody's got to do their part."
Wur was averaging 1.4 points per game in a limited role before Christmas and was at 2.7 two weeks ago but is now on a career-best, three-game stretch. The 6-foot-9 Oregon transfer followed consecutive 13-point performances with his career's first double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds) in 21 minutes off the bench Saturday night.
In addition to giving GCU a versatile defensive look in the frontcourt, Wur has added a 3-point threat to the lineup by flipping his results from 5 for 33 (15%) in his first 21 appearances to 7 for 12 (58%) in the past four.
"He's so active," Drew said. "You feel really good when he's on the floor. When Lök comes from help side or contests a shot or blocks a shot. He has such great length, some of those passes he can just reach out and get. Loved his activity, I thought he was so active on both ends."
At 22-2 with a five-game winning streak, GCU shares the nation's best winning percentage with defending national champion UConn and defending Big Ten champion Purdue and has the program's best record ever after 24 games. The Lopes are four home wins away from matching the program's last perfect home season of 16-0 in 1991-92.
Blacksher and graduate power forward Gabe McGlothan also made individual program history, moving to eighth place and 12th place, respectively, on the all-time GCU scoring list. With six rebounds, McGlothan also moved withiing 23 boards of joining 12 other active D-I players with 1,000 career rebounds.
"In our eyes, we didn't play the best," Blacksher said. "But overall, we played a really good game. But to stay locked in for 40 minutes is what we aim for."
Sunday note: the Saturday night win improved GCU six spots in the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings to No. 43 nationally.
The emerging bench is what can make the Lopes even better.
Most of GCU's first-half points came from reserves to build a 21-point lead that turned into a 94-65 victory against Southern Utah on Saturday night at sold-out Global Credit Union Arena. The Lopes' most lopsided win against a Division I opponent since Opening Night kept GCU undefeated at home (12-0), tied them for the nation's best record (22-2) and gave head coach Bryce Drew his 250th career victory.
The Lopes spent nearly the last 29 minutes of the game with a double-digit lead because graduate point guard Jovan Blacksher Jr. scored 18 points, his most vs. a Division I opponent since November 2022, and graduate forward Lök Wur followed consecutive career-best scoring performances with career highs for rebounds (11), blocked shots (four) and steals (three).
It was Blacksher and Wur teaming with benchmates Josh Baker and Isaiah Shaw and center Duke Brennan that blew open the game in the first half with a 16-3 run. Southern Utah was held to 1-for-7 shooting with two turnovers over 4 1/2 minutes while Blacksher scored 10 of his points to build a 29-12 lead.
"Jovan had a really good week of practice, and he showed some glimpses of what he did tonight," Drew said. "I'm just so happy for him, to see him have the game that he did. And that stretch was so
key. The bench, with Jovan, Josh Isaiah, Lök and Duke, they picked up the energy. The crowd got into it. We got some stops and we got out in transition. Jovan made some shots. It was really fun stretch there."Blacksher, who went 11 months between games in 2023 because of knee surgery, had not scored in four consecutive games but also said that a good week of practice rebuilt his trust in his game. Playing the first reserve role of his five-year career, Blacksher made 6 of 7 shots on Saturday night with 3-for-4 shooting from 3-point range to lead a 43-point bench night (season high vs. D-I opponent).
In Blacksher's 112 career games, Saturday marked the most points that the former All-WAC first-team honoree has scored in fewer than 20 minutes.
"We're fighting," Blacksher said of the bench. "We know that when we come in, we've got to set a tone. Today, we wanted to set a tone and get the lead. It started with our defense. Everybody's finding what they're good at with their role, so I think that's what's working."
The Lopes (22-2, 12-1 WAC), who maintained a two-game WAC lead on Tarleton State, were re-energized after not playing for a week but also showed some rust early. The defense kept the lead until the offense warmed up with a microwaveable bench arsenal.
Wur and Blacksher made consecutive 3s, and Blacksher kept it going with a steal turning into a lefthanded fastbreak finish and a pump fake that he turned into a step-through 3-point play.The Lopes, donning new gray uniforms, outscored the Thunderbirds 16-0 in transition play with the help of 13 steals, one off a season high, that enabled them to push upcourt for scores.
GCU also dominated the glass, grabbing a season-best 21 offensive rebounds to outscore Southern Utah 30-5 on second-chance points.
"We were more fresh, and I thought that definitely helped us," Drew said. "That's a really good offensive team. They score a lot of points against a lot of people. Really proud of our defense, especially second half."
Wur and Blacksher hit consecutive 3s again later in the first half as the Lopes built their largest first-half lead, 46-25, in the final minute. Opening the second half with a 17-7 run kept Southern Utah from threatening, especially with defensive plays such as senior guard Tyon Grant-Foster's half-opening blocked shot on a jumper attempt and Blacksher turning another steal into points – his 3-pointer for a 68-41 lead with 11:25 to go.
"When we can get him doing more things, it really helps our team," Drew said of Grant-Foster, whose block accompanied 18 points, seven rebounds and a steal. "I thought Ray (Harrison) was gr
eat tonight. He only scored seven points, but he controlled the whole pace of the game, especially in that second half. And in that middle ball screen, he was just terrific. Defensively, he did a really good job on (Braden) Housley."It takes everybody. Some nights, certain guys score. Other nights, they don't. For us to win, everybody's got to do their part."
Wur was averaging 1.4 points per game in a limited role before Christmas and was at 2.7 two weeks ago but is now on a career-best, three-game stretch. The 6-foot-9 Oregon transfer followed consecutive 13-point performances with his career's first double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds) in 21 minutes off the bench Saturday night.
In addition to giving GCU a versatile defensive look in the frontcourt, Wur has added a 3-point threat to the lineup by flipping his results from 5 for 33 (15%) in his first 21 appearances to 7 for 12 (58%) in the past four.
"He's so active," Drew said. "You feel really good when he's on the floor. When Lök comes from help side or contests a shot or blocks a shot. He has such great length, some of those passes he can just reach out and get. Loved his activity, I thought he was so active on both ends."
At 22-2 with a five-game winning streak, GCU shares the nation's best winning percentage with defending national champion UConn and defending Big Ten champion Purdue and has the program's best record ever after 24 games. The Lopes are four home wins away from matching the program's last perfect home season of 16-0 in 1991-92.
Blacksher and graduate power forward Gabe McGlothan also made individual program history, moving to eighth place and 12th place, respectively, on the all-time GCU scoring list. With six rebounds, McGlothan also moved withiing 23 boards of joining 12 other active D-I players with 1,000 career rebounds.
"In our eyes, we didn't play the best," Blacksher said. "But overall, we played a really good game. But to stay locked in for 40 minutes is what we aim for."
Sunday note: the Saturday night win improved GCU six spots in the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings to No. 43 nationally.
Team Stats
SUU
GCU
FG%
.415
.444
3FG%
.294
.421
FT%
.727
.759
RB
29
50
TO
19
11
STL
4
13
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
3
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
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