Completed Event: Men's Basketball at Wyoming on December 20, 2025 , Win , 82, to, 70
M Basketball
at Wyoming
W 82-70
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Saturday, January 10
Phoenix, Ariz.
6 p.m.
Grand Canyon
10-5,3-1Mountain West
76
vs
58
San José State
5-11,0-5Mountain West
1
2
F
San Jose St.
26
32
58
Grand Canyon
42
34
76
Photo by: David Kadlubowski
Lopes stay elevated with back-to-back blowouts
1/10/2026 9:59:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro
GCU follows 17-win at Boise State with 18-point home win vs. San José State
Most teams can be successful occasionally, but the teams that can achieve more are successful consistently.
Grand Canyon bodes well for that after backing up a 17-point win at Boise State with an 18-point home win Saturday night against San José State. The 76-58 Lopes victory looked good in new lavender uniforms and can be colored even better with the perspective that they had not posted consecutive wins by 15 or more since last January.
GCU (10-5, 3-1 Mountain West) remained tied with Nevada for fourth in the conference with a chance to climb Tuesday at third-place New Mexico (13-3, 4-1 MW).
For the fifth time in the past eight games, the Lopes held an opponent to less than 38% shooting. That keep them from ever trailing San José State, which was missing three starters who average 42.5 points cumulatively.
With 8-for-18 accuracy on 3-pointers in the first half, GCU kept a double-digit lead for the final 26 1/2 minutes of the game once freshman center Efe Demirel flipped in an overhead shot while being fouled. That was part of a 12-0 run in which the defense shut out San José State for nine consecutive possessions with the last four being three turnovers and an airball.
The Lopes led 42-23 at halftime with some of the ball sharing prompting head coach Bryce Drew to call it "pretty basketball." GCU assisted on 10 of its 13 first-half made field goals, swinging the ball around the perimeter and kicking the ball out of the paint swiftly.
"Overall, I liked our eyes up and looking for our teammates," Drew said. "A lot of the turnovers weren't guys just dribbling. They were turnovers trying to pass to teammates. I'd rather live with those."
After scoring on the opening possession for the second consecutive game, GCU freshman center Efe Demirel posted back-to-back double-digit scoring games for the first time as a Lope. He even reached double digits in the first half of each win, scoring 10 of his 14 points Saturday before halftime. Burying defenders deep into the paint with post-ups, Demirel drew shooting fouls three times in the first half and continued to show smooth fastbreak and pick-and-roll finishes that defy a 7-foot-1 frame.
"The physicality was there early," said Demirel, who finished with a team-high 14 points and six rebounds. "We've been trying to bring physicality in the game, so that was there. I think that's what changed the game."
Drew said, "I really liked his aggression. He was big inside. He finished well. We love the 4 for 5 at the free throw line. He got us off to a good start in the previous game and this game. It's great to see him playing at this level."
Because of its injury issues and early fouls, San José State tried to mix in zone defense but junior guard Dusty Stromer's breakout shooting game squashed that effort. Junior guard Makaih Williams set up the first pair of 3s from Stromer, who had another pair in the final 1:15 of the first half to put GCU ahead 42-23 at halftime.
"I've been waiting a long time," Stromer said. "I put in so much work. I just go out there and trust my work. I'm grateful for the opportunity."
Stromer made four first-half 3s on five tries to set a season high in his first 10 minutes of action. The 6-foot-6 Gonzaga transfer had been shooting 30.6% from beyond the arc this season and was poised to carry his hot hand to the second half, when a sprained ankle sidelined him with a 17-minute night.
"That was unfortunate because he was having his best game of the year," Drew said,
"He's an excellent shooter. It's just him getting rhythm and getting comfortable and seeing a few go through the net."
The larger lead enabled Drew to extend playing rotation time to freshman point guard Evan Boisdur and redshirt freshman center Dennis Evans. Boisdur scored on a lefthanded driving layup and logged a steal in six minutes for the Frenchman's first significant time since playing 16 minutes in a Nov. 10 win against Northern Illinois.
Evans, at 7 feet 2, stole the show in the final minute when he blocked three shots in an 11-second span, starting with swatting a 3-point shot before rejecting the follow shot and a driving dunk attempt.
"His reaction time is something that he's been working on and we've worked on with him," Drew said. "He had perfect timing on those. He got off the ground quickly. He covered ground. They were all in different spots on the floor."
The Lopes made 11 steals to come within one of their season high because senior guard Jaden Henley swiped five, starting with the Spartans' opening possession, to come within one of his career-high for steals.
Those steals sparked the GCU transition game, which recorded its most fastbreak points (17) since Nov. 10 vs. Northern Illinois (19).
"A lot of our offense comes in transition, so that's part of our game plan every night to get out and run and capitalize on our defensive stops," Henley said.
The GCU individual superlatives also included graduate power forward Nana Owusu-Anane, who grabbed 11 rebounds to post his sixth double-digit rebounding effort of the season. He also made two steals for the fifth consecutive game.
"His rebounding is so fun to watch with how tenacious he is going for the ball," Drew said. "It's remarkable the effort he was giving on the glass. He brings an intensity we need."
After taking a second home loss Jan. 3, GCU restored its home success with the win that also welcomed back a full-fledged Havocs section for the first time since Dec. 2. The Lopes are 6-2 at home, where a monster clash with conference leader Utah State (14-1, 5-0 MW) awaiting them in Phoenix next Saturday.
"It was super important," Stromer said of re-establishing home-court advantage. "That was our biggest thing to think about – to come home and give this crowd a good show because we haven't been able to give them what they wanted. Tonight was a step in the right direction."
Grand Canyon bodes well for that after backing up a 17-point win at Boise State with an 18-point home win Saturday night against San José State. The 76-58 Lopes victory looked good in new lavender uniforms and can be colored even better with the perspective that they had not posted consecutive wins by 15 or more since last January.
GCU (10-5, 3-1 Mountain West) remained tied with Nevada for fourth in the conference with a chance to climb Tuesday at third-place New Mexico (13-3, 4-1 MW).For the fifth time in the past eight games, the Lopes held an opponent to less than 38% shooting. That keep them from ever trailing San José State, which was missing three starters who average 42.5 points cumulatively.
With 8-for-18 accuracy on 3-pointers in the first half, GCU kept a double-digit lead for the final 26 1/2 minutes of the game once freshman center Efe Demirel flipped in an overhead shot while being fouled. That was part of a 12-0 run in which the defense shut out San José State for nine consecutive possessions with the last four being three turnovers and an airball.
The Lopes led 42-23 at halftime with some of the ball sharing prompting head coach Bryce Drew to call it "pretty basketball." GCU assisted on 10 of its 13 first-half made field goals, swinging the ball around the perimeter and kicking the ball out of the paint swiftly.
"Overall, I liked our eyes up and looking for our teammates," Drew said. "A lot of the turnovers weren't guys just dribbling. They were turnovers trying to pass to teammates. I'd rather live with those."
After scoring on the opening possession for the second consecutive game, GCU freshman center Efe Demirel posted back-to-back double-digit scoring games for the first time as a Lope. He even reached double digits in the first half of each win, scoring 10 of his 14 points Saturday before halftime. Burying defenders deep into the paint with post-ups, Demirel drew shooting fouls three times in the first half and continued to show smooth fastbreak and pick-and-roll finishes that defy a 7-foot-1 frame."The physicality was there early," said Demirel, who finished with a team-high 14 points and six rebounds. "We've been trying to bring physicality in the game, so that was there. I think that's what changed the game."
Drew said, "I really liked his aggression. He was big inside. He finished well. We love the 4 for 5 at the free throw line. He got us off to a good start in the previous game and this game. It's great to see him playing at this level."
Because of its injury issues and early fouls, San José State tried to mix in zone defense but junior guard Dusty Stromer's breakout shooting game squashed that effort. Junior guard Makaih Williams set up the first pair of 3s from Stromer, who had another pair in the final 1:15 of the first half to put GCU ahead 42-23 at halftime.
"I've been waiting a long time," Stromer said. "I put in so much work. I just go out there and trust my work. I'm grateful for the opportunity."
Stromer made four first-half 3s on five tries to set a season high in his first 10 minutes of action. The 6-foot-6 Gonzaga transfer had been shooting 30.6% from beyond the arc this season and was poised to carry his hot hand to the second half, when a sprained ankle sidelined him with a 17-minute night."That was unfortunate because he was having his best game of the year," Drew said,
"He's an excellent shooter. It's just him getting rhythm and getting comfortable and seeing a few go through the net."
The larger lead enabled Drew to extend playing rotation time to freshman point guard Evan Boisdur and redshirt freshman center Dennis Evans. Boisdur scored on a lefthanded driving layup and logged a steal in six minutes for the Frenchman's first significant time since playing 16 minutes in a Nov. 10 win against Northern Illinois.
Evans, at 7 feet 2, stole the show in the final minute when he blocked three shots in an 11-second span, starting with swatting a 3-point shot before rejecting the follow shot and a driving dunk attempt."His reaction time is something that he's been working on and we've worked on with him," Drew said. "He had perfect timing on those. He got off the ground quickly. He covered ground. They were all in different spots on the floor."
The Lopes made 11 steals to come within one of their season high because senior guard Jaden Henley swiped five, starting with the Spartans' opening possession, to come within one of his career-high for steals.
Those steals sparked the GCU transition game, which recorded its most fastbreak points (17) since Nov. 10 vs. Northern Illinois (19).
"A lot of our offense comes in transition, so that's part of our game plan every night to get out and run and capitalize on our defensive stops," Henley said.
The GCU individual superlatives also included graduate power forward Nana Owusu-Anane, who grabbed 11 rebounds to post his sixth double-digit rebounding effort of the season. He also made two steals for the fifth consecutive game.
"His rebounding is so fun to watch with how tenacious he is going for the ball," Drew said. "It's remarkable the effort he was giving on the glass. He brings an intensity we need."
After taking a second home loss Jan. 3, GCU restored its home success with the win that also welcomed back a full-fledged Havocs section for the first time since Dec. 2. The Lopes are 6-2 at home, where a monster clash with conference leader Utah State (14-1, 5-0 MW) awaiting them in Phoenix next Saturday.
"It was super important," Stromer said of re-establishing home-court advantage. "That was our biggest thing to think about – to come home and give this crowd a good show because we haven't been able to give them what they wanted. Tonight was a step in the right direction."
Team Stats
SJSU
GCU
FG%
.365
.456
3FG%
.316
.300
FT%
.636
.833
RB
25
33
TO
14
14
STL
9
11
Game Leaders
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballC
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballGCU Men's Basketball vs. San José State - Postgame with Jaden Henley, Dusty Stromer
Sunday, January 11
GCU Men's Basketball vs. San José State - Postgame with Bryce Drew
Sunday, January 11
GCU Men's Basketball vs. San José State - Postgame Radio with Bryce Drew
Sunday, January 11
GCU Men's Basketball vs. San José State - Postgame Radio with Dusty Stromer
Sunday, January 11