Completed Event: Men's Basketball at Saint Louis on November 15, 2025 , Loss , 64, to, 78
M Basketball
at Saint Louis
L 64-78
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Tuesday, December 2
Phoenix, Ariz.
7 p.m.
Grand Canyon
5-3,0-0Mountain West
67
vs
45
Stetson
3-7,0-0ASUN
1
2
F
Stetson
20
25
45
Grand Canyon
22
45
67
Photo by: David Kadlubowski
Big finish staggers Stetson into rapid rout
12/2/2025 11:35:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro
Lopes roll with 36-13 close, career nights by Henley, Owusu-Anane
Optimal Grand Canyon basketball was late but worth the wait Tuesday night.
GCU struggled with Stetson for the first 27 minutes to the extent of trailing the Hatters by one points before eviscerating them over the final 13 minutes for a 67-45 victory.
The Lopes (5-3) held a third consecutive opponent to fewer than 60 points for the first time since the final three regular-season games of 2023-24, when GCU went 30-5.
GCU outscored Stetson 36-13 over the final 13 minutes, with Lopes senior guard Jaden Henley scoring at every level to tally all 18 of his second-half points pver the final nine minutes.
Henley set career highs for points (26) and steals (six) and came within one on assists (five) while graduate power forward Nana Owusu-Anane came off an injury-marred, season-low six rebounds to set a career high of 15 boards Tuesday night.
"The hustle was much better, and the effort was much better in the second half," GCU head coach Bryce Drew said. "Second half, it clicked that even though the shot isn't going in, we need to do the other stuff and with more urgency to win this game. They did come together more in the second half and prioritized the right things."
After re-establishing defense to hold Utah and Iowa to 40.8% shooting last week in Palm Desert, California, the Lopes kept the Hatters to an opponent season-low 34% shooting and took the next step with transition offense-creating turnovers.
GCU made swiped nine of its 10 steals in the second half with Henley disrupting Stetson for four of them.
"They had active hands," Drew said. "Especially saw it the last seven minutes. We got our hands on balls. We switched when we needed to. We collapsed and got to 50-50 balls. In the first half, we weren't doing any of that stuff."
GCU junior guard Caleb Shaw sparked his team by making back-to-back 3s for what was then its largest lead of the game at 37-32, when the Lopes ran the second pla for him to test his hot hand.
Shaw, who tallied 13 points, five rebounds and three steals in 21 reserve minutes, is a 50% 3-point shooter this season (10 of 20) after extensive offseason work to improve his shot's arc.
"The sense of urgency at halftime switched over," Shaw said. "Guys at halftime started getting on each other that, 'This is a game. We have to play. We can't overlook this team.' Everybody came together, got connected and said, 'Let's put something together for this next half.' We can't lose again in front of our fans."
Before Owusu-Anane, Shaw (two) and Henley made four consecutive 3-pointers, GCU was trailing 32-31 after 27 minutes of game time. The Lopes topped that point output in the final 13 minutes (36 points).
Stetson scored one point over the game's final four minutes, including a stretch in which graduate guard Brian Moore Jr. and junior guard Dusty Stromer accounted for steals on three consecutive Hatters possessions.
For the third consecutive game, the Lopes locked down the opponent's top scorer. Stetson guard Jamie Phillips Jr. went 4 for 11 from the field for nine points, seven below his average, and Hatters second-leading scorer Ethan Copeland was 1 for 7 from the field.
GCU did not allow a fastbreak point for the first time since a November 2023 game against South Carolina. Stetson's 45 points marked the Lopes' lowest opponent total since UT Rio Grande Valley's 42 in February 2024.
"Everybody played their part in the second half," Henley said. "We had some guys kind of pick us up a little bit in the first half as well, but the guys off the bench and the starters all came together."
The Lopes opened the game ominously, missing a 3-point shot on each of their first four possessions and missing their first seven shots in all. Trudging to a 5-5 tie after nearly six minutes, GCU then made turnovers on four consecutive possessions.
Defense was saving the Lopes, as the Hatters opened the game with 4-for-23 shooting as GCU denied their desire to take quick shots and frequent 3-pointers.
"We can't come out and miss eight wide-open shots and have it affect the rest of our urgency and energy levels," Drew said. "That's going to happen in basketball. You're going to make shots, miss shots. You can offensive rebound. You can get stops. You can get in the lane and pass to others."
Henley hit a jumper, got a steal and slam and drew an end-of-half foul for two free throws to creep GCU to a 22-20 halftime lead. The Lopes were coming off a 23-point first half Wednesday night against Iowa.
"He (Drew) completely switched the offense about a week ago, and we're still getting used to that, but we're going to get better over time," Shaw said, referring to GCU's increased use of five-out offensive looks.
GCU needed the win and the upcoming practices to prepare for a Saturday showdown with undefeated Oklahoma State at the Jerry Colangelo Classic. The Cowboys moved to 8-0 Tuesday night by defeating Sam Houston 93-83, giving them 85 points or more in each game this season.
The Lopes' 5:30 p.m. game at Mortgage Matchup Center, the Phoenix Suns' and Mercury's downtown arena, will be followed by Arizona State vs. Oklahoma.
"They play fast," Drew said of the Cowboys. "For us, it starts on defense. We haven't shown that we can go score 90 points recently and win, so we're going to have to defend. Offensively, taking care of the ball is going to be extremely important against them. A lot of those are going to amount to quick shots on the other side."
GCU struggled with Stetson for the first 27 minutes to the extent of trailing the Hatters by one points before eviscerating them over the final 13 minutes for a 67-45 victory.
The Lopes (5-3) held a third consecutive opponent to fewer than 60 points for the first time since the final three regular-season games of 2023-24, when GCU went 30-5.
GCU outscored Stetson 36-13 over the final 13 minutes, with Lopes senior guard Jaden Henley scoring at every level to tally all 18 of his second-half points pver the final nine minutes.Henley set career highs for points (26) and steals (six) and came within one on assists (five) while graduate power forward Nana Owusu-Anane came off an injury-marred, season-low six rebounds to set a career high of 15 boards Tuesday night.
"The hustle was much better, and the effort was much better in the second half," GCU head coach Bryce Drew said. "Second half, it clicked that even though the shot isn't going in, we need to do the other stuff and with more urgency to win this game. They did come together more in the second half and prioritized the right things."
After re-establishing defense to hold Utah and Iowa to 40.8% shooting last week in Palm Desert, California, the Lopes kept the Hatters to an opponent season-low 34% shooting and took the next step with transition offense-creating turnovers.
GCU made swiped nine of its 10 steals in the second half with Henley disrupting Stetson for four of them.
"They had active hands," Drew said. "Especially saw it the last seven minutes. We got our hands on balls. We switched when we needed to. We collapsed and got to 50-50 balls. In the first half, we weren't doing any of that stuff."
GCU junior guard Caleb Shaw sparked his team by making back-to-back 3s for what was then its largest lead of the game at 37-32, when the Lopes ran the second pla for him to test his hot hand.Shaw, who tallied 13 points, five rebounds and three steals in 21 reserve minutes, is a 50% 3-point shooter this season (10 of 20) after extensive offseason work to improve his shot's arc.
"The sense of urgency at halftime switched over," Shaw said. "Guys at halftime started getting on each other that, 'This is a game. We have to play. We can't overlook this team.' Everybody came together, got connected and said, 'Let's put something together for this next half.' We can't lose again in front of our fans."
Before Owusu-Anane, Shaw (two) and Henley made four consecutive 3-pointers, GCU was trailing 32-31 after 27 minutes of game time. The Lopes topped that point output in the final 13 minutes (36 points).
Stetson scored one point over the game's final four minutes, including a stretch in which graduate guard Brian Moore Jr. and junior guard Dusty Stromer accounted for steals on three consecutive Hatters possessions.
For the third consecutive game, the Lopes locked down the opponent's top scorer. Stetson guard Jamie Phillips Jr. went 4 for 11 from the field for nine points, seven below his average, and Hatters second-leading scorer Ethan Copeland was 1 for 7 from the field.
GCU did not allow a fastbreak point for the first time since a November 2023 game against South Carolina. Stetson's 45 points marked the Lopes' lowest opponent total since UT Rio Grande Valley's 42 in February 2024.
"Everybody played their part in the second half," Henley said. "We had some guys kind of pick us up a little bit in the first half as well, but the guys off the bench and the starters all came together."
The Lopes opened the game ominously, missing a 3-point shot on each of their first four possessions and missing their first seven shots in all. Trudging to a 5-5 tie after nearly six minutes, GCU then made turnovers on four consecutive possessions.Defense was saving the Lopes, as the Hatters opened the game with 4-for-23 shooting as GCU denied their desire to take quick shots and frequent 3-pointers.
"We can't come out and miss eight wide-open shots and have it affect the rest of our urgency and energy levels," Drew said. "That's going to happen in basketball. You're going to make shots, miss shots. You can offensive rebound. You can get stops. You can get in the lane and pass to others."
Henley hit a jumper, got a steal and slam and drew an end-of-half foul for two free throws to creep GCU to a 22-20 halftime lead. The Lopes were coming off a 23-point first half Wednesday night against Iowa.
"He (Drew) completely switched the offense about a week ago, and we're still getting used to that, but we're going to get better over time," Shaw said, referring to GCU's increased use of five-out offensive looks.
GCU needed the win and the upcoming practices to prepare for a Saturday showdown with undefeated Oklahoma State at the Jerry Colangelo Classic. The Cowboys moved to 8-0 Tuesday night by defeating Sam Houston 93-83, giving them 85 points or more in each game this season.
The Lopes' 5:30 p.m. game at Mortgage Matchup Center, the Phoenix Suns' and Mercury's downtown arena, will be followed by Arizona State vs. Oklahoma.
"They play fast," Drew said of the Cowboys. "For us, it starts on defense. We haven't shown that we can go score 90 points recently and win, so we're going to have to defend. Offensively, taking care of the ball is going to be extremely important against them. A lot of those are going to amount to quick shots on the other side."
Team Stats
Stet
GCU
FG%
.340
.434
3FG%
.250
.208
FT%
.400
.696
RB
32
40
TO
17
14
STL
10
13
Game Leaders
Pts
26
FGM
9
3FGM
1
FTM
7
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
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/ Men's BasketballStudents LOVE final score of 67-45 #collegebasketball
Wednesday, December 03
The managers had to sprint off the floor on the fastbreak 😂 #collegebasketball
Wednesday, December 03
GCU Men's Basketball vs. Stetson - Postgame with Jaden Henley, Caleb Shaw
Wednesday, December 03
GCU Men's Basketball vs. Stetson - Postgame with Bryce Drew
Wednesday, December 03