Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball at Baylor on October 10, 2025 at 2 p.m. (MST)
M Basketball
2 p.m. (MST)
at Baylor
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Grand Canyon University Athletics
Photo by: David Kadlubowski
Rapid recap (NCAA 1st round): Maryland 81, GCU 49
3/21/2025 2:53:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro
Lopes seasons ends at 26-8 with loss to 11th-ranked Terrapins
SEATTLE – Grand Canyon could not turn keeping Maryland to four points in the first seven minutes Friday into more of an advantage before the Terrapins turned the tide into a tsunammi for an 81-49 NCAA tournament first-round blowout in front of 17,024 fans at Climate Pledge Arena.
GCU (26-8) led 7-2 early but Maryland used big man stars Derik Queen, a freshman projected to be an NBA draft lottery pick, and Julian Reese, a stalwart senior, to team with Terrapins point guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie for control of the game,
Maryland (26-8) doiminated both ends of the ball to take a 42-28 halftime lead that was kept from being worse when GCU swingman Tyon Grant-Foster scored or assisted on the Lopes' final 18 points of the first half
The Lopes pulled within 12 points twice early in the second half but were never closer again, as Maryland shot 51% from the field with just eight turnovers, most of wihch were late in the game. GCU was held to 29% shooting with no player besides Grant-Foster scoring more than six points in the Lopes' lowest scoring game since November.2022.
GCU swingman Tyon Grant-Foster, a graduate student, scored a game-high 23 points in his final Lopes game. He made 5 of 13 shots from the field, 3 of 7 from 3-point range and 10 of 14 at the free throw line while also grabbing four rebounds and dishing out three assists.
After just returning from a four-week inury layoff last week for the WAC Tournament chapmionship run, Grant-Foster scored 16 of his points in the first half.Friday.
The Terrapins had runs of 9-0 and 11-0 in the first half and then shut out the Lopes for more than four minutes in an early part of the second half, when they had an 8-0 run for a 59-36 lead with about 11 minutes to go in the game..
Return to GCULopes.com later tonight for Paul Coro's updated game recap with more details and reactions from Lopes head coach Bryce Drew, Maryland head coach Kevin Willard and players.
GCU (26-8) led 7-2 early but Maryland used big man stars Derik Queen, a freshman projected to be an NBA draft lottery pick, and Julian Reese, a stalwart senior, to team with Terrapins point guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie for control of the game,
Maryland (26-8) doiminated both ends of the ball to take a 42-28 halftime lead that was kept from being worse when GCU swingman Tyon Grant-Foster scored or assisted on the Lopes' final 18 points of the first half
The Lopes pulled within 12 points twice early in the second half but were never closer again, as Maryland shot 51% from the field with just eight turnovers, most of wihch were late in the game. GCU was held to 29% shooting with no player besides Grant-Foster scoring more than six points in the Lopes' lowest scoring game since November.2022.
Key player
GCU swingman Tyon Grant-Foster, a graduate student, scored a game-high 23 points in his final Lopes game. He made 5 of 13 shots from the field, 3 of 7 from 3-point range and 10 of 14 at the free throw line while also grabbing four rebounds and dishing out three assists.After just returning from a four-week inury layoff last week for the WAC Tournament chapmionship run, Grant-Foster scored 16 of his points in the first half.Friday.
Key moment
GCU junior center Duke Brennan picked up his second foul in the bakccourt with nine minutes remaining in the first half and exited. Maryland then scored the final eight points of a 11-0 run that included six shots at the rim, including an and-one score. Mayland led 26-12 before Brennan returned.The Terrapins had runs of 9-0 and 11-0 in the first half and then shut out the Lopes for more than four minutes in an early part of the second half, when they had an 8-0 run for a 59-36 lead with about 11 minutes to go in the game..
Key statistic
GCU, ranked 11th nationally with 9.4 steals per game, did not get its first steal of the game until graduate forward Lök Wur made one with four minutes remaining into the game. The play also led to a fastbreak in which Wur became the first GCU player other than Grant-Foster to shoot a free throw. The Lopes entered the game ranked sixth nationally with 19 made free throws per game and finished Friday's game with 12.Quotable
GCU head coach Bryce Drew: "I really think they opened the door in the first five minutes for us to build a lead. Once they got the lead, it just snowballed. Once they took away our energy level, they exposed us in a lot of ways."What's next?
The Lopes will move swiftly into roster rebuilding with the transfer portal open for recruiting to a roster that is losing four starters and a key reserve..Return to GCULopes.com later tonight for Paul Coro's updated game recap with more details and reactions from Lopes head coach Bryce Drew, Maryland head coach Kevin Willard and players.
Players Mentioned
Makaih Williams | Media Availability | 9.3.25
Thursday, September 04
Dusty Stromer | Media Availability | 9.3.25
Thursday, September 04
Kaleb Smith | Media Availability | 9.3.25
Thursday, September 04
Non-Conference Schedule Release | Men's Basketball
Monday, August 04