Completed Event: Men's Basketball at UNLV on February 7, 2026 , Loss , 78, to, 80
M Basketball
at UNLV
L 78-80
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Photo by: David Kadlubowski
Rapid recap: Tarleton State 77, GCU 74
2/22/2024 8:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro
Lopes' WAC lead reduced to 1 1/2 games with 4 regular-season games to go
STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Grand Canyon's WAC lead was reduced to 1 1/2 games when second-place Tarleton State stormed back from a 14-point, second-half deficit to trim the Lopes 77-74 and send the overflow student section of 3,000 Wisdom Gym fans onto the court in celebration. GCU (24-3) is now 14-2 in conference play with Tarleton State (19-7) at 12-3 in WAC action with a split head-to-head series.
Tarleton State's starters scored all of its points with guard Devon Barnes scoring all 22 of his points in the second half, senior forward KiAndre Gaddy posting a double-double with six offensive rebounds and senior forward Jakorie Smith leading the team with 24 points (17 in the second half).
GCU senior guard Tyon Grant-Foster built on the 19-point second half he had against Tarleton State in the teams' first meeting by scoring 15 and adding nine rebounds in Thursday night's first half at Wisdom Gym. Grant-Foster finished with 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting after hitting 32% of his shots from the field over the previous eight games. Grant-Foster set a career high with 13 rebounds and added four assists.
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.
Tarleton State's starters scored all of its points with guard Devon Barnes scoring all 22 of his points in the second half, senior forward KiAndre Gaddy posting a double-double with six offensive rebounds and senior forward Jakorie Smith leading the team with 24 points (17 in the second half).
Key player
GCU senior guard Tyon Grant-Foster built on the 19-point second half he had against Tarleton State in the teams' first meeting by scoring 15 and adding nine rebounds in Thursday night's first half at Wisdom Gym. Grant-Foster finished with 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting after hitting 32% of his shots from the field over the previous eight games. Grant-Foster set a career high with 13 rebounds and added four assists.
Key moment
The Lopes led 54-40 with 10:45 remaining in the game when the Texans scored on 18 of their final 22 possessions of the game. Tarleton State took its first second-half lead when it scored 10 unanswered points, starting with a 3-point transition play that gave sophomore center Duke Brennan his fourth foul with 6:47 to go.Key statistic
Tarleton State outscored GCU 16-1 on fastbreak points in the second half, using the speed of Barnes to get high-percentage shots or free throws. Barnes scored 12 of his 22 second-half points on free throws .Quotable
Lopes head coach Bryce Drew on transition defense: "It was more just Barnes' speed. There was nothing really except for him getting the ball and just putting his head down and getting to the rim. Our guards didn't do a good job of heading off the ball. We didn't build walls in transition, and his speed changed the game."What's next?
GCU will stay on the road for a Saturday game at Abilene Christian. The tipoff at 2 p.m. (1 p.m. Phoenix time) is a rematch of a Jan. 11 meeting that the Lopes won 74-64 with Grant-Foster scoring 24 points at Global Credit Union Arena.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.
Players Mentioned
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