Defense marks March in tight win at Seattle U

Saturday, March 1

Seattle, Wash. / Redhawk Center

8 p.m. (MST)

Grand Canyon

22-6,12-2WAC

Seattle U

11-17,6-8WAC

Grand Canyon

Seattle U

Photo by: David Kadlubowski

3/2/2025 2:43:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro

Box Score Photo Gallery

Lopes hold Redhawks to 25.4%, lowest clip by D-I foe since 2016

By: Paul Coro

SEATTLE – Many teams have a game face. Grand Canyon has a March face.

The GCU defense that has stifled opponents since mid-December found another level Saturday night when the calendar flipped to March, a month when the Lopes take championship shape. GCU held Seattle U to 25.4% field goal shooting, the lowest clip by a Lopes Division I opponent since 2016, and left Redhawk Center victorious for the first time since 2021. It marked a GCU D-I opponent low for a road game.

The 63-60 Lopes win required a last-second stop after their 18-point, second-half lead dwindled to three points when Seattle U took possession with nine seconds to go, GCU senior power forward JaKobe Coles followed up a 13-point, seven-rebound first half by deflecting a pass on the Redhawks' final play to leave them with a rushed airball 3 at the buzzer.

Only seven other teams have held a home team to 25.4% shooting or worse this season. Since Dec. 17, the Lopes have the nation's best defensive rating, according to stathead.com.

"We thought we were going to have to win the game on defense," GCU head coach Bryce Drew said.

Seattle, WA March 1, 2025 : The Lopes hang on for a 63-60 win over Seattle U. at the Redhawk Center in Seattle, WA. David Kadlubowski/GCU

Seattle, WA March 1, 2025 : The Lopes hang on for a 63-60 win over Seattle U. at the Redhawk Center in Seattle, WA. David Kadlubowski/GCU

"The guys really locked into the game plan. They really were aggressive on the defensive end for the most part. And they were really together. When you go on the road, it really tests how together you are as a group and as a unit. Defensively, they really showed a lot of unity."

The finish was a critical close for the Lopes' title chase. GCU (22-6, 12-2 WAC) trails conference leader Utah Valley (21-7, 13-1 WAC) by one game with each team entering its final two-game week of the regular season.

GCU likely would win a metrics tiebreaker for the WAC Tournament No. 1 seed if the Lopes win vs. Utah Tech at home on Thursday's Senior Night and at Abilene Christian next Saturday, and if the Wolverines lose either at Abilene Christian on Thursday or at Tarleton State on Saturday.

The Lopes stayed undefeated in games decided by four points or fewer (5-0) this season and in games without injured star Tyon Grant-Foster (6-0), who missed his third consecutive game for injury.

Seattle, WA March 1, 2025 : The Lopes hang on for a 63-60 win over Seattle U. at the Redhawk Center in Seattle, WA. David Kadlubowski/GCU

GCU's big men tag-teamed Seattle U with junior center Duke Brennan's 10-point, nine-rebound second half backing up Coles' first half.

Brennan's ninth double-double of the season (18 points, 12 rebounds) left him one point shy of his career high.

"Duke knew that last game he didn't play as well as he's capable," Drew said. "We got here for a light shootaround (Friday) night, and he got in a sweat working on finishes. He was really motivated to come out. He was terrific."

Brennan was limited to nine first-half minutes in part by being called for an opening jump ball foul when no time elapsed. GCU guards found him rolling on the first two second-half possessions, and his finishes created the largest lead at 41-23.

"I knew I could crash the boards way harder, and I knew my guys were going to find me in the zones," said Brennan, who improved to 64% shooting this season with a 6-for-8 game. "I give it up to all my players. They are so good at finding me in those zones for putbacks and down the lane. I give all credit to them."

Entering at 9-4 in home games, Seattle U used GCU's frequent weapon – free throw disparity – to climb back into the game. The Redhawks made their first 13 second-half free throws while the Lopes made one free throw trip over that first seven minutes.

Brennan scored six consecutive GCU points, and senior guard Ray Harrison made a left-side drive to take back control at 57-46 with 7:55 to play. That was the last Lopes made field goal until senior guard Collin Moore ended a Seattle U 9-1 run with a corner 3=pointer for a 61-55 Lopes lead with 26 seconds to play.

Drawing Moore's foul, Redhawks junior guard Maleek Arrington countered with a 3-point play. After a GCU five-second inbound violation, Seattle U senior guard Paris Dawson drove for a layup to make the Lopes' lead 61-60.

Seattle, WA March 1, 2025 : The Lopes hang on for a 63-60 win over Seattle U. at the Redhawk Center in Seattle, WA. David Kadlubowski/GCU

GCU sophomore guard Makaih Williams' two free throws and Coles' final-play defense secured the Lopes' fifth consecutive win – four of which have been on the road.

"Great awareness," Drew said Coles' defense. "They ran a rewind play, and he read the play and got his hand on the ball. It was a really cerebral play by him to read the action and make a great deflection."

It was the final touch on keeping Seattle U to 25.4% shooting, the lowest clip by a GCU Division I opponent since Coppin State shot 24.5% in a Lopes home game in November 2016.

Coles notched 13 point, 12 rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots for his fourth career double-double – all from this season – and first since Dec. 28. Brennan and Coles were joined by Williams (12 points) and sophomore guard Caleb Shaw (10 points) in double figures.

The Lopes had lost five of their previous six visits to Redhawk Center but prevailed Saturday by outscoring the Redhawks 32-18 in the paint.

Seattle, WA March 1, 2025 : The Lopes hang on for a 63-60 win over Seattle U. at the Redhawk Center in Seattle, WA. David Kadlubowski/GCU

"This is good for us," Drew said. "It's March, and we've got two games left before the conference tournament. You want to be battle-tested. You want to be in tough situations. You want to be able to have to overcome adversity. You want to have to be able to come together as a group.

"We're thankful that we won. We would like to win by more, but it brings you into these moments that you can't really simulate in practice. March sometimes comes down to a couple possessions."

The first half's possessions set up GCU to lead for the final 28 1/2 minutes of the game. While Seattle U top offensive threats Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe and John Christofolis went 3 for 16 from the field combined in the first half, Coles made 5 of 6 shots, starting with a nearly blind fadeaway jumper and ending on a spin move out of the post for a slam.

The Redhawks' 25.4% shooting, lowered by graduate forward Lök Wur's career high-tying four blocked shots, was their second-lowest field goal clip to a November loss at Duke.

Seattle U's second-half defensive adjustment for him sprung Brennan on roles and dives.

"They had to send a double for Kobe a lot of the time," Brennan said. "It's always a rotate, and then we have such great guards who can drive lanes."

GCU will play in front of its unique ambiance one last time this season when it stages Senior Night for the regular-season home finale Thursday against Utah Tech. But in Seattle U's 999-seat gymnasium, Lope Nation showed up with a presence that GCU felt.

"What a tremendous crowd," Drew said. "We heard them throughout the game, yelling and giving us energy when we needed it. It was tremendous to have that much purple in the building."