Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus Northwestern State on November 21, 2025 , Win , 85, to, 72
M Basketball
vs Northwestern State
W 85-72
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Saturday, December 6
Phoenix, Ariz.
5:30 p.m.
Grand Canyon
5-4,0-0Mountain West
78
vs
84
Oklahoma State
9-0,0-0Big 12
1
2
F
Oklahoma St.
42
42
84
Grand Canyon
39
39
78
Photo by: David Kadlubowski
Scoring bump can't clear hump vs. 9-0 Oklahoma State
12/6/2025 9:49:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro
Demirel's 22, Shaw's 19 pace GCU; Cowboys shoot 58%
In the faces of an undefeated Oklahoma State team, Grand Canyon did not quiver from the jump of Saturday night's Jerry Colangelo Classic and leaped to lead nearly all of the first 10 minutes.
Up against second-half deficits, the Lopes remained undeterred and continually charged back to the lead or contention.
In need of one last stop with an 80-78 deficit and 39 seconds to go, GCU played better defense than it had most of the half but an unlikely Oklahoma State 3-pointer finished off the Lopes in an 84-78 win at purple-coated Mortgage Matchup Center.
Cowboys guard Kanye Clary had scored three points in the game's first 39 minutes and was 7 for 25 on 3-pointers this season before he dribbled off a screen for a pull-up 3 that gave Oklahoma State an 83-78 lead with 14.4 seconds remaining. His ensuing steal off GCU guard Brian Moore Jr. sent the Cowboys to 9-0, making them one of nine remaining undefeated teams in the nation.
"We're not there yet," GCU head coach Bryce Drew said. "Man for man, all around, they were better than us tonight. We've got to win our matchups more, and we've got to make more of those winning plays at crucial times. It was a big step up, and I think we got to see the heart of some guys."
GCU fell to 5-3 but with the encouragement of junior guard Caleb Shaw's and freshman center Efe Demirel's best games as Lopes.
Drew highlighted the play of Shaw (19 points, tying a career high vs. a Division I opponent), Demirel (career-high 22 points) and junior guard Makaih Williams (nine points and five assists off the bench) because they "stepped up their level with their intensity, with their toughness and with their winning edge."
But the GCU defense that had limited opponents to 38% shooting over the previous three games allowed Oklahoma State to shoot 58%, including a 65% clip in the second half. It was the highest field goal percentage GCU had allowed since January 2023 at Tarleton State.
Even 84 points was the Cowboys' lowest scoring total of the season, despite scoring on 11 of their last 16 possessions to continue their best season start since 2006-07.
The game style entertained a national television audience, especially with Shaw stepping up in his first start of the season to score 10 points for a 19-13 GCU lead and Demirel countering Cowboys center Parsa Fallah's physical play and 25 points with a 10-for-11 shooting game and six offensive rebounds.
"By far, it was his best game in a GCU uniform," Drew said. "He embraced the physicality. He had good length on the defensive end for parts of the game. He finished really well around the basket. It's really nice to see. He is just a freshman. For a freshman in a game like this playing against Fallah who has already played three years of college basketball, it's a great sign of the future for Efe and what he can do for himself and our program."
Oklahoma State was missing leading scorer Vyctorious Miller, but the Cowboys went to Fallah more on the post for the second consecutive game. The 6-foot-10, 250-pounder has responded with 24 and 25 points in those two games on 18-for-22 shooting.
Demirel was the only effective big man for GCU, which saw graduate power forward Nana Owusu-Anane aggravate a foot injury early in the second half and not return.
Playing a four-guard lineup helped open the middle for Demirel, but Oklahoma State also thrived inside with 44 points in the paint and most of their 20 free throw points earned there.
"Both teams did some fun things on the offensive end, but when the game was on the line, we were able to gut it out and grit it out on the defensive end." Oklahoma State head coach Steve Lutz said. "I think that was the difference in the game."
The Lopes had a stirring, 8-0 run to take a 65-62 lead with 8:20 remaining when Shaw made his third 3-pointer and a Williams steal gave Shaw a breakaway slam.
A Williams baseline reverse layup put GCU ahead 67-64, but a rash of Lopes turnovers and perimeter misses sent Oklahoma State on a 13-2 run.
One of the key moments came when a Williams driving score turned into a flagrant offensive foul because Williams' off-elbow hit a trailing defender in the face. A layup would have put GCU ahead 69-68 with 5:32 to go.
"Makaih played his heart out tonight," Drew said. "His leadership in the huddles was terrific, the best it's been all year. His energy on the court was contagious. When he plays like that, it makes our team so much better. We've been searching for some guys who would do that."
Williams also would not let the Lopes fade when Oklahoma State led 79-71 with less than two minutes remaining.
After a Cowboys shot clock violation, Williams made a pull-up bank shot and a 3-pointer consecutively to make it a 79-76 Cowboys lead with 52 seconds remaining.
Williams mistakenly took a backcourt foul, but GCU still pulled back within two at 80-78 when senior guard Jaden Henley made a putback with 39 seconds to go.
That is when the Clary 3-pointer snatched the Lopes' final chance.
"You have to credit him for making a tough shot," Drew said. "If you told me, 'Let him drive it or shoot that type of 3,' I'd probably choose that type of 3 with our guy coming and contesting."
Shaw connected on 8 of 14 shots from the field, including 3 of 6 from 3-point range to continue his team-best 3-point shooting on the season (13 for 26, 50%).
"Credit to my teammates," Shaw said. "They were finding me for open shots. To be honest, we just want to win so bad. Whatever the team needs from anybody is what we're trying to do."
Demirel started for the first time since the Nov. 15 loss at Saint Louis (7-1), earning his way back with strong play off the bench for three consecutive games.
Fallah overpowered Demirel in the post early, but the 7-foot-1 Turk responded and his GCU teammates were better about finding him in the post or on rolls. Demirel has 16 rebounds in the past two games with half of them coming on offense.
"We're just trying to get together and get better," said Demirel, adjusting to his second language in his first postgame press conference.
With the coaching staff pushing Demirel harder, Drew expanded on the improvement he has seen in the 19-year-old.
"It shows what he's capable of," Drew said. "He's still adapting to the American game. It's a lot more physical than what he is used to. It was really nice to see him be really physical and make some great plays. The more comfortable he gets, the more he can find his spots."
Henley was coming off a career-high 26-point game Tuesday against Stetson, but Oklahoma State kept him to 14 points and two assists on 4-of-12 shooting Saturday night. The 6-foot-7 guard was 6 of 8 at the free throw line, but he did not draw a foul in the final 10 minutes.
"We know he was going to score some," Lutz said. "He's a good player, but we tried to make him as inefficient as possible."
GCU has one nonconference game remaining, next Saturday at home vs. Coastal Carolina (6-4), before making its Mountain West debut at Wyoming (7-2, 7-0 at home) on Dec. 20.
"We're growing," Shaw said. "This next week is going to be a big week for us to keep growing and go in the right direction. We just have to get better. I think this game got us better."
Up against second-half deficits, the Lopes remained undeterred and continually charged back to the lead or contention.
In need of one last stop with an 80-78 deficit and 39 seconds to go, GCU played better defense than it had most of the half but an unlikely Oklahoma State 3-pointer finished off the Lopes in an 84-78 win at purple-coated Mortgage Matchup Center.Cowboys guard Kanye Clary had scored three points in the game's first 39 minutes and was 7 for 25 on 3-pointers this season before he dribbled off a screen for a pull-up 3 that gave Oklahoma State an 83-78 lead with 14.4 seconds remaining. His ensuing steal off GCU guard Brian Moore Jr. sent the Cowboys to 9-0, making them one of nine remaining undefeated teams in the nation.
"We're not there yet," GCU head coach Bryce Drew said. "Man for man, all around, they were better than us tonight. We've got to win our matchups more, and we've got to make more of those winning plays at crucial times. It was a big step up, and I think we got to see the heart of some guys."
GCU fell to 5-3 but with the encouragement of junior guard Caleb Shaw's and freshman center Efe Demirel's best games as Lopes.
Drew highlighted the play of Shaw (19 points, tying a career high vs. a Division I opponent), Demirel (career-high 22 points) and junior guard Makaih Williams (nine points and five assists off the bench) because they "stepped up their level with their intensity, with their toughness and with their winning edge."
But the GCU defense that had limited opponents to 38% shooting over the previous three games allowed Oklahoma State to shoot 58%, including a 65% clip in the second half. It was the highest field goal percentage GCU had allowed since January 2023 at Tarleton State.
Even 84 points was the Cowboys' lowest scoring total of the season, despite scoring on 11 of their last 16 possessions to continue their best season start since 2006-07.
The game style entertained a national television audience, especially with Shaw stepping up in his first start of the season to score 10 points for a 19-13 GCU lead and Demirel countering Cowboys center Parsa Fallah's physical play and 25 points with a 10-for-11 shooting game and six offensive rebounds."By far, it was his best game in a GCU uniform," Drew said. "He embraced the physicality. He had good length on the defensive end for parts of the game. He finished really well around the basket. It's really nice to see. He is just a freshman. For a freshman in a game like this playing against Fallah who has already played three years of college basketball, it's a great sign of the future for Efe and what he can do for himself and our program."
Oklahoma State was missing leading scorer Vyctorious Miller, but the Cowboys went to Fallah more on the post for the second consecutive game. The 6-foot-10, 250-pounder has responded with 24 and 25 points in those two games on 18-for-22 shooting.
Demirel was the only effective big man for GCU, which saw graduate power forward Nana Owusu-Anane aggravate a foot injury early in the second half and not return.
Playing a four-guard lineup helped open the middle for Demirel, but Oklahoma State also thrived inside with 44 points in the paint and most of their 20 free throw points earned there.
"Both teams did some fun things on the offensive end, but when the game was on the line, we were able to gut it out and grit it out on the defensive end." Oklahoma State head coach Steve Lutz said. "I think that was the difference in the game."
The Lopes had a stirring, 8-0 run to take a 65-62 lead with 8:20 remaining when Shaw made his third 3-pointer and a Williams steal gave Shaw a breakaway slam.A Williams baseline reverse layup put GCU ahead 67-64, but a rash of Lopes turnovers and perimeter misses sent Oklahoma State on a 13-2 run.
One of the key moments came when a Williams driving score turned into a flagrant offensive foul because Williams' off-elbow hit a trailing defender in the face. A layup would have put GCU ahead 69-68 with 5:32 to go.
"Makaih played his heart out tonight," Drew said. "His leadership in the huddles was terrific, the best it's been all year. His energy on the court was contagious. When he plays like that, it makes our team so much better. We've been searching for some guys who would do that."
Williams also would not let the Lopes fade when Oklahoma State led 79-71 with less than two minutes remaining.
After a Cowboys shot clock violation, Williams made a pull-up bank shot and a 3-pointer consecutively to make it a 79-76 Cowboys lead with 52 seconds remaining.
Williams mistakenly took a backcourt foul, but GCU still pulled back within two at 80-78 when senior guard Jaden Henley made a putback with 39 seconds to go.
That is when the Clary 3-pointer snatched the Lopes' final chance.
"You have to credit him for making a tough shot," Drew said. "If you told me, 'Let him drive it or shoot that type of 3,' I'd probably choose that type of 3 with our guy coming and contesting."
Shaw connected on 8 of 14 shots from the field, including 3 of 6 from 3-point range to continue his team-best 3-point shooting on the season (13 for 26, 50%)."Credit to my teammates," Shaw said. "They were finding me for open shots. To be honest, we just want to win so bad. Whatever the team needs from anybody is what we're trying to do."
Demirel started for the first time since the Nov. 15 loss at Saint Louis (7-1), earning his way back with strong play off the bench for three consecutive games.
Fallah overpowered Demirel in the post early, but the 7-foot-1 Turk responded and his GCU teammates were better about finding him in the post or on rolls. Demirel has 16 rebounds in the past two games with half of them coming on offense.
"We're just trying to get together and get better," said Demirel, adjusting to his second language in his first postgame press conference.
With the coaching staff pushing Demirel harder, Drew expanded on the improvement he has seen in the 19-year-old.
"It shows what he's capable of," Drew said. "He's still adapting to the American game. It's a lot more physical than what he is used to. It was really nice to see him be really physical and make some great plays. The more comfortable he gets, the more he can find his spots."
Henley was coming off a career-high 26-point game Tuesday against Stetson, but Oklahoma State kept him to 14 points and two assists on 4-of-12 shooting Saturday night. The 6-foot-7 guard was 6 of 8 at the free throw line, but he did not draw a foul in the final 10 minutes.
"We know he was going to score some," Lutz said. "He's a good player, but we tried to make him as inefficient as possible."
GCU has one nonconference game remaining, next Saturday at home vs. Coastal Carolina (6-4), before making its Mountain West debut at Wyoming (7-2, 7-0 at home) on Dec. 20.
"We're growing," Shaw said. "This next week is going to be a big week for us to keep growing and go in the right direction. We just have to get better. I think this game got us better."
Team Stats
OSU
GCU
FG%
.577
.456
3FG%
.308
.286
FT%
.714
.615
RB
32
34
TO
12
9
STL
5
7
Game Leaders
Pts
22
FGM
10
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
19
FGM
8
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
C
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/ Men's BasketballGCU Men's Basketball vs. Oklahoma State - Highlights
Sunday, December 07
GCU Men's Basketball vs. Stetson - Radio with Bryce Drew
Thursday, December 04
GCU Men's Basketball vs. Stetson - Radio with Caleb Shaw
Thursday, December 04
Students LOVE final score of 67-45 #collegebasketball
Wednesday, December 03