More points, Moore defense key comfortable win

Thursday, February 27

Phoenix, Ariz.

7 p.m.

Grand Canyon

21-6,11-2WAC

UT Arlington

13-15,6-8WAC

UT Arlington

Grand Canyon

Photo by: David Kadlubowski

2/27/2025 11:18:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro

Box Score Photo Gallery

GCU leads UT Arlington by double digits for final 16 1/2 minutes

By: Paul Coro

It is hard to catch up to Grand Canyon when the Lopes never let up.

GCU took care of the ball, passed and shot well, showed balance and depth and locked in defensively to control most of Thursday night's 85-71 win against UT Arlington.

Whenever the Mavericks encroached, the Lopes (21-6, 11-2) showed March readiness by running away again to hold a double-digit lead for the last 16 1/2 minutes.

The victory kept GCU within a game of WAC leader Utah Valley (20-7, 12-1 WAC) with three regular-season games remaining for each team. If the Lopes tied the Wolverines, GCU likely would get the WAC Tournament No. 1 seed based on WAC Resume Seeding System metrics.

Playing a second game without injured star Tyon Grant-Foster, the Lopes put four scorers in double figures and were boosted by a career game from senior guard Collin Moore.

While scoring 16 points, Moore set career highs for assists (seven) and steals (six) to exemplify how well GCU ran offense (20 assists, nine turnovers) and caused defensive havoc (14 steals, tying a season high vs. a Division I opponent).

Phoenix, AZ Feb. 27, 2025 : The Lopes top UT Arlington 85-71 at Global Credit Union Arena. David Kadlubowski/GCU

Phoenix, AZ Feb. 27, 2025 : The Lopes top UT Arlington 85-71 at Global Credit Union Arena. David Kadlubowski/GCU

"It was so fun to see Collin have the night that he did," GCU head coach Bryce Drew said. "He was just terrific getting his hands on balls, getting out in transition and finishing. I thought it was his most complete game of the year for him filling the stat sheet up in positive ways and winning ways. He was plus-19. When he was on the court, good things were consistently happening for us."

For his final steal, Moore used his long reach to strip UT Arlington point guard Brody Robinson's dribble and take in a breakaway lefthanded layup while being hit with guard Darius Burford's flagrant foul.

The sequence rolled into a six-point possession with Moore's two free throws and senior power forward JaKobe Coles' layup. The run finished at 13-0 when sophomore guard Makaih Williams hit a 3-pointer against his former team for an 81-58 lead, GCU's largest lead of the game, with 3:25 to go.

"We're on a roll, and we were more connected this game," said Moore, whose steals led to four layups or dunks. "I'm just waiting for Tyon to get back so we can be even more connected.

"I knew we were going to stretch the lead even more. That was our main focus to just keep putting our foot on the gas and not let them come back."

Four GCU players dunked a total of seven times Thursday night with Moore notching four of them, including a windmill reminiscent of last season's WAC Tournament championship punctuation dunk that prompted a UT Arlington player to throw the ball at him.

"After I windmilled, I ain't going to lie," Moore said. "I was looking for a ball — make sure nobody was going to hit me with a ball or anything or shove me."

Phoenix, AZ Feb. 27, 2025 : The Lopes top UT Arlington 85-71 at Global Credit Union Arena. David Kadlubowski/GCU

Senior guard Ray Harrison led the Lopes scoring with 19 points, the same total he scored to boost a GCU win at UT Arlington 12 days earlier. After hitting four mid-range jumpers and two 3-pointers Thursday night, Harrison is averaging 18 points on 52% shooting from the field over the past three games. He also delivered six assists without a turnover to go 7-0 vs. UT Arlington in his career.

Coles added 13 points and eight rebounds, and GCU received a needed boost from sophomore guard Caleb Shaw to help replace Grant-Foster's wing scoring.

Shaw made all six of his field goal attempts, including three 3-pointers, for 15 points with five rebounds and two steals in 22 minutes. His scoring was a season high against a Division I opponent.

Shaw's eight consecutive points on two 3s and a fastbreak reverse layup gave GCU the lead for good midway through the first half. He also grabbed two steals and punctuated the victory with another Havoc-rollicking slam.

"This whole Phoenix, AZ Feb. 27, 2025 : The Lopes top UT Arlington 85-71 at Global Credit Union Arena. David Kadlubowski/GCU

week, I've tried to get extra work in the gym and try to get my shot right," said Shaw, a 41% 3-point shooter this season. "When I got out there and saw the first one go in, it was just a ton of confidence and the hoop got really big."

In a game with no fouls called for nearly seven minutes, GCU shot its least amount of free throws (eight) against a Division I opponent since its 2023 NCAA tournament first-round loss to Gonzaga, when it shot seven free throws.

UT Arlington (13-15, 6-8 WAC) used a matchup zone defense that switched between man and zone within possessions. GCU made four of its turnovers on the first five possessions of the second half but was stellar otherwise, shooting 48% from the field.

"We love seeing 20 assists on 34 made field goals," Drew said. "We love seeing single-digit turnovers. As you get late in the year, that's the type of ball-handling you have to have if you want to win games. That was a great step in the right direction of what we need to do."