Completed Event: Men's Basketball at Baylor on October 10, 2025 , Loss , 74, to, 79
M Basketball
at Baylor
L 74-79
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Grand Canyon University Athletics
Saturday, October 25
Phoenix, Ariz.
6:30 p.m.
Grand Canyon
0-0,0-0Mountain West
61
vs
67
USC
0-0,0-0Big Ten
1
2
F
Southern California
37
30
67
Grand Canyon
37
24
61
Photo by: David Kadlubowski
Crowd, tight loss feels real in exhibition vs. USC
10/25/2025 10:57:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro
Home game readies Lopes for Nov. 3 regular-season opener
Saturday night's Grand Canyon vs. USC game was for exhibition purposes only.
Nothing about the standing-room-only scene at Global Credit Union Arena said that, nor did it seem like a game that did not officially count with the Lopes' reaction to a 67-61 loss to the Trojans.
USC, No. 22 in the KenPom preseason rankings, saw GCU erase its 15-point lead before halftime, only to build it back to double digits in the second half and hold onto slimmer margins down the stretch for victory.
After holding Loyola Marymount to 28% shooting in its first exhibition win, USC kept GCU to 34% shooting on Saturday night while forcing 18 Lopes turnovers in front of an overflow crowd of 7,379 fans.
And while the Trojans may just be stellar defensively (especially being plus-nine in 7-foot-5 center Gabe Dyne's 23 minutes), GCU will build on the areas of progress and correct others for the eight days leading up to a Nov. 3 season opener against Purdue Fort Wayne at home.
"We've got to get better," GCU head coach Bryce Drew said. "I think playing this game in front of our crowd with the energy will help us moving forward."
Despite the shortcomings, the Lopes delivered a great first-half stretch of 11 consecutive defensive stops for a 14-0 run and a chance to win when they cut USC's lead to two points with 1:45 remaining.
A four-guard lineup's 8-2 run featured GCU junior Makaiah Williams' fastbreak 3-point play and his hanging drive, but USC answered with an alleyoop that put its lead at 65-61 with 1:15 to go and received no answer from the Lopes.
"We know it's probably the hardest place in the country to play," USC head coach Eric Musselman said. "I don't know how you could do any better."
After GCU lost another close exhibition to another KenPom preseason top-25 team at Baylor two weeks ago, Drew said he saw improvements in the Lopes' spacing, rebounding and consistent energy.
GCU graduate power forward Nana Owusu-Anane grabbed 16 rebounds (seven on offense), but he went 3 for 14 from the field Saturday and was 5 for 24 in the Lopes' two exhibition games.
"That's not good enough from our starting 4," Drew said. "He hasn't played in a year, and it looks like he hasn't played in a year. But I love how hard he plays and how he keeps attacking. "
Because he missed last season with a shoulder injury, Owusu-Anane's season opener will be his first official college game since March 2024 at Brown.
"I'm trying to do whatever it takes to win," said Owusu-Anane, whose 16-rebound game is not an outlier after four career games of 15 or more boards. "Obviously, I can't hit the side of a barn right now. It's not about me. It's about the team. If I can't make shots, I can go do other things trying to help us win. It didn't go our way today, but we'll be better."
With the anticipation of a made-over roster in GCU's inaugural Mountain West season, the Lopes looked nervous or overly hyped early as USC took a 16-3 lead with only freshman center Efe Demirel scoring on 3-point play.
However, Demirel's transition to college basketball proved challenging when the 7-foot Turk fouled out in six minutes of play Saturday night. Redshirt freshman center Dennis Evans also struggled in his four minutes, but GCU picked up quality big-man playing time from graduate Wilhelm Breidenbach and junior Kaleb Smith off the bench.
Breidenbach particularly flipped the game, entering as a 14-0 run started with USC going 0 for 9 with two turnovers during that stetch.
"Experience is so important, and he just knows where to go and where he can use his body," Drew said of Breidenbach, the graduate transfer from Washington. "He only got six rebounds, but he probably created space for three or four and he played some really good defense."
The Lopes' 14-0 run was capped by graduate guard Brian Moore Jr.'s aggressive drives, drawing fouls on consecutive plays despite the right shoulder issues he has experienced since the Baylor game.
Moore said his previous quality teams always have succeeded in the first four minutes and last four minutes of each half, something GCU did not do in either half Saturday.
"We need to figure out how to still make winning plays even when shots aren't falling," Moore said. "It was good to have an exhibition like that to get the first-game jitters out with a home crowd like this."
GCU graduate student Jaden Henley, playing full-time point guard for the first time in his career, committed six turnovers with three coming in the game's final seven minutes. He finished with 11 points on 4-for-12 shooting, nine rebounds and two assists.
Henley also went 3 for 8 on free throws, part of the Lopes 14-for-25 free throw shooting with several misses on the front end of bonus situations late in the game.
The Lopes' reserves combined for eight turnovers against two assists.
"We've got to have more willing passers and not just willing drivers," Drew said.
GCU fell into an 11-point hole twice in the second half, when it went 1 for 9 on 3s and 3 for 10 on free throws.
The Lopes defense created some of the same issues for the Trojans, whose leading scorer Chad Baker-Mazara described the game atmosphere as being "like a frat party" and said it reminded him of his previous school, Auburn. He went 5 for 21 from the field for 15 points, and USC shot 41%.
"This is good for experience and to let them know we've got a lot to improve on before our Opening Night," Drew said.
GCU will play its first three regular-season games at Global Credit Union Arena, starting with Purdue Fort Wayne on Nov. 3 before playing host to Youngstown State (Nov. 7) and Northern Illinois (Nov. 10).
"At GCU; we don't lose here," Owusu-Anane said. "We understand that. We're a winning program. We've to be better, and we will be. I truly believe it, seeing the hurt and frustration in the locker room. We're only going to grow from it. We will be better, I can assure you. I will be better personally, and our team will be better."
Nothing about the standing-room-only scene at Global Credit Union Arena said that, nor did it seem like a game that did not officially count with the Lopes' reaction to a 67-61 loss to the Trojans.
USC, No. 22 in the KenPom preseason rankings, saw GCU erase its 15-point lead before halftime, only to build it back to double digits in the second half and hold onto slimmer margins down the stretch for victory.After holding Loyola Marymount to 28% shooting in its first exhibition win, USC kept GCU to 34% shooting on Saturday night while forcing 18 Lopes turnovers in front of an overflow crowd of 7,379 fans.
And while the Trojans may just be stellar defensively (especially being plus-nine in 7-foot-5 center Gabe Dyne's 23 minutes), GCU will build on the areas of progress and correct others for the eight days leading up to a Nov. 3 season opener against Purdue Fort Wayne at home.
"We've got to get better," GCU head coach Bryce Drew said. "I think playing this game in front of our crowd with the energy will help us moving forward."
Despite the shortcomings, the Lopes delivered a great first-half stretch of 11 consecutive defensive stops for a 14-0 run and a chance to win when they cut USC's lead to two points with 1:45 remaining.
A four-guard lineup's 8-2 run featured GCU junior Makaiah Williams' fastbreak 3-point play and his hanging drive, but USC answered with an alleyoop that put its lead at 65-61 with 1:15 to go and received no answer from the Lopes."We know it's probably the hardest place in the country to play," USC head coach Eric Musselman said. "I don't know how you could do any better."
After GCU lost another close exhibition to another KenPom preseason top-25 team at Baylor two weeks ago, Drew said he saw improvements in the Lopes' spacing, rebounding and consistent energy.
GCU graduate power forward Nana Owusu-Anane grabbed 16 rebounds (seven on offense), but he went 3 for 14 from the field Saturday and was 5 for 24 in the Lopes' two exhibition games.
"That's not good enough from our starting 4," Drew said. "He hasn't played in a year, and it looks like he hasn't played in a year. But I love how hard he plays and how he keeps attacking. "
Because he missed last season with a shoulder injury, Owusu-Anane's season opener will be his first official college game since March 2024 at Brown."I'm trying to do whatever it takes to win," said Owusu-Anane, whose 16-rebound game is not an outlier after four career games of 15 or more boards. "Obviously, I can't hit the side of a barn right now. It's not about me. It's about the team. If I can't make shots, I can go do other things trying to help us win. It didn't go our way today, but we'll be better."
With the anticipation of a made-over roster in GCU's inaugural Mountain West season, the Lopes looked nervous or overly hyped early as USC took a 16-3 lead with only freshman center Efe Demirel scoring on 3-point play.
However, Demirel's transition to college basketball proved challenging when the 7-foot Turk fouled out in six minutes of play Saturday night. Redshirt freshman center Dennis Evans also struggled in his four minutes, but GCU picked up quality big-man playing time from graduate Wilhelm Breidenbach and junior Kaleb Smith off the bench.
Breidenbach particularly flipped the game, entering as a 14-0 run started with USC going 0 for 9 with two turnovers during that stetch.
"Experience is so important, and he just knows where to go and where he can use his body," Drew said of Breidenbach, the graduate transfer from Washington. "He only got six rebounds, but he probably created space for three or four and he played some really good defense."
The Lopes' 14-0 run was capped by graduate guard Brian Moore Jr.'s aggressive drives, drawing fouls on consecutive plays despite the right shoulder issues he has experienced since the Baylor game.
Moore said his previous quality teams always have succeeded in the first four minutes and last four minutes of each half, something GCU did not do in either half Saturday.
"We need to figure out how to still make winning plays even when shots aren't falling," Moore said. "It was good to have an exhibition like that to get the first-game jitters out with a home crowd like this."
GCU graduate student Jaden Henley, playing full-time point guard for the first time in his career, committed six turnovers with three coming in the game's final seven minutes. He finished with 11 points on 4-for-12 shooting, nine rebounds and two assists.
Henley also went 3 for 8 on free throws, part of the Lopes 14-for-25 free throw shooting with several misses on the front end of bonus situations late in the game.
The Lopes' reserves combined for eight turnovers against two assists.
"We've got to have more willing passers and not just willing drivers," Drew said.
GCU fell into an 11-point hole twice in the second half, when it went 1 for 9 on 3s and 3 for 10 on free throws.
The Lopes defense created some of the same issues for the Trojans, whose leading scorer Chad Baker-Mazara described the game atmosphere as being "like a frat party" and said it reminded him of his previous school, Auburn. He went 5 for 21 from the field for 15 points, and USC shot 41%.
"This is good for experience and to let them know we've got a lot to improve on before our Opening Night," Drew said.
GCU will play its first three regular-season games at Global Credit Union Arena, starting with Purdue Fort Wayne on Nov. 3 before playing host to Youngstown State (Nov. 7) and Northern Illinois (Nov. 10).
"At GCU; we don't lose here," Owusu-Anane said. "We understand that. We're a winning program. We've to be better, and we will be. I truly believe it, seeing the hurt and frustration in the locker room. We're only going to grow from it. We will be better, I can assure you. I will be better personally, and our team will be better."
.png&width=84&height=84&quality=100&type=webp)
Team Stats
USC
GCU
FG%
.413
.344
3FG%
.294
.294
FT%
.455
.560
RB
43
47
TO
11
18
STL
10
6
Game Leaders
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
3
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballMidnight Madness 2025
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Thursday, September 04
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Thursday, September 04