Grant-Foster takes revived offense into 1st WAC road test

Thursday, January 9 \| 6 p.m. (Phoenix time) \| UCCU Center \| Orem, Utah

	GRAND CANYON LOPES (11-4, 1-0 WAC)	at	UTAH VALLEY WOLVERINES (9-6, 1-0 WAC)

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OREM, Utah – Grand Canyon's basketball staff includes assistant coaches, graduate assistants and student managers aligned with the mission of making the team better.

When GCU graduate Tyon Grant-Foster was in the shooting funk of his life, it was often Lopes head coach Bryce Drew who stayed after practice to pass to him for extra shooting work, sit down with him to review game video and give him the tip that made all the difference – bend your knees more.

Phoenix, AZ Jan. 4, 2025: The Lopes hold off Southern Utah for a 82-71 win at Global Credit Union Arena. Arena.

Phoenix, AZ Jan. 4, 2025: The Lopes hold off Southern Utah for a 82-71 win at Global Credit Union Arena. Arena.

By getting low, Grant-Foster's hit a higher level again Saturday night when his shot caught up with his all-around production in a WAC-opening win that he intends to carry over to the Lopes' first conference road game.

The highest-ranked WAC teams in NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) meet at 6 p.m. Thursday when GCU (11-4, 1-0 WAC) plays at Utah Valley (9-6, 1-0 WAC).

"Coach Drew literally stayed with me every day for the last two weeks and worked out with me," Grant-Foster said. "It just shows how much they believe in me. I finally got back to playing basketball how I know how to play. That's a credit not to me but our staff, my teammates and everybody outside of me because it was a mental battle all the time. Those guys really did it for me."

Grant-Foster's slump-busting game began with a 3-point shot that caromed high in the air off the rim ("Forever," he said) and down through the net. He made two more 3-pointers on the way to tying his season high with 23 points in the Lopes' fifth consecutive win.

"Even though the game I had last game was pretty good, we feel like it can be better," Grant-Foster said . "We're just going to keep stacking days and getting better."

Through his shooting woes, Grant-Foster has posted career highs for rebounds per game (6.5), steals per game (2.0) and assists per game (1.9) while also blocking 1.4 shots per game. His two-way play is a big part of why GCU is playing at the 11th-fastest tempo in the nation.

The 6-foot-7 Kansas City, Kansas, native jokes now about how he did not have an assist for his first three games with GCU last season.

"I can impact winning on different levels without scoring now," Grant-Foster said. "With everybody keying in on me, I feel like moving the ball was something that would be good for me and my teammates as well.

"It's way more packed in the lane than it was last year. I'm getting used to it, kicking it out and seeing the floor better."

Orem, UT Feb.3, 2024 : GCU grabs a 86-67 win Utah Valley at the UCCU Center in Orem, Utah. David Kadlubowski/GCU

Orem, UT Feb.3, 2024 : GCU grabs a 86-67 win Utah Valley at the UCCU Center in Orem, Utah. David Kadlubowski/GCU

With Utah Valley, the Lopes will face the WAC leader in opponent field goal percentage (41.2%) and rebounding margin (plus-5.8 per game) at the UCCU Center, where the Wolverines are undefeated this season. They have won 31 of their last 35 home games but have not defeated the Lopes there since the 2019-20 season.

On WAC opening night Saturday, all four home teams won.

"Some of the defensive assignments, you've got to execute at a high level," said Drew, whose GCU teams are 4-0 in WAC road openers. "You've got to rebound. You've got to make free throws. Keep your turnovers low. All the inside stats. If you can do those things, it gives you a much better chance to win on the road."

Utah Valley also boasts the WAC's highest shooting percentage (47.6%), taking only 18.7 3-point shots per game. Trevan Leonhardt, a 6-foot-4 sophomore, became the starting point guard this season and is driving and kicking to lead the WAC at 5.2 assists per game.

The Wolverines added 6-5 junior college transfer Dominick Nelson, a Miami native whose quick drives help him lead the team with 13.8 points per game.

"We've got to make sure we cut down on broken coverages," Drew said.

Lope tracks

Utah Valley scored 40 points in the paint when it beat Abilene Christian 64-53 at home Saturday for its fourth consecutive win. It has the 22nd-highest 2-point distribution in the nation with 56.5% of its scoring coming on 2-point field goals, according to kenpom.com.
The Wolverines also have the WAC blocks leader. Sophomore Carter Welling, a 6-10 UC Irvine transfer, is blocking 2.2 shots per game.
GCU senior guard Collin Moore on his Saturday night poster dunk that was a 3-point play on Southern Utah's 6-foot-8 Brock Felder: "As soon as I got that last step, I was thinking, 'I'm fixing to dunk on him.' "
Lopes junior center Duke Brennan has posted consecutive double-doubles for the first time in his career with 15 rebounds in each game. His career high is 16 boards, which came last season vs. Utah Tech.
GCU senior guard Ray Harrison needs three points to crack the program's all-time top 10 scorers. He has 1,277 points in 85 games. Tenth-place Kenny Archbold (1976-79) scored 1,279 in 86 games.