Pit stop stages defensive duel for Lopes, Lobos

Tuesday, January 13

The Pit • Albuquerque, N.M.

7 p.m.

Grand Canyon

New Mexico

Photo by: David Kadlubowski

1/12/2026 6:44:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro

The Pit practice photo gallery

GCU tries to snap New Mexico's 20-game home winning streak

By: Paul Coro

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Grand Canyon will walk past the mile-high reminders and down the slope of a cherry-red tunnel Tuesday night into The Pit, one of college basketball's most famed home-court advantages for New Mexico.

The Lopes have begun their Mountain West era with road wins against a higher-elevation team (Wyoming) and a team that beat New Mexico (Boise State), but GCU's game-time descent to The Pit court provides a welcome-to-the-MW moment for ascent.

GCU is embarking on its season's most challenging stretch with Phoenix visits ahead from No. 23 Utah State and perennial power San Diego State, but the Lopes' eyes are locked on the task of ending the Lobos' 20-game home winning streak in a venue averaging 12,054 frenzied fans per game this season.

"It's loud," said GCU senior Jaden Henley, whose injury-riddled UNLV team lost at New Mexico last season. "It's an advantage, for sure. It feels like the floor is shaking at times when you're out there and they're going on a run. But it's a fun environment to play. You can feed off the energy. We have a crowd that's pretty matchable in my eyes, so it's not going to be anything too crazy for us. We're going to be composed."

A defensive duel awaits with each team allowing fewer than 68 points per game this season, and New Mexico's numbers for opponent field goal percentage (40.0%, 40th nationally) and opponent 3-point percentage (28.4%, 12th nationally) being even more stifling with its switching screen coverages. It is the instant impact of first-year New Mexico head coach Eric Olen, who constructed an all-new roster to defend the Lobos' Mountain West championship.

GCU practiced at The Pit in preparation for a conference game against New Mexico.

GCU practiced at The Pit in preparation for a conference game against New Mexico.

Olen knows how to build success, having guided UC San Diego to a 30-5 record and an NCAA Tournament appearance last season in the Tritons' first year of Division I postseason eligibility.

But just as New Mexico (13-3, 4-1 MW) is on a recent roll of three consecutive double-digit MW victories, Olen is looking at GCU as a level-up challenge. In his weekly press conference, Olen noted that the Lopes are the Lobos' first MW opponent with a winning conference record.

"It'll be a great test for our guys," Drew said. "It will really test your togetherness and how connected you are. We'll learn a lot about our team after this game."

New Mexico had kept seven consecutive opponents to less than 40% shooting from the field before Colorado State and Air Force shot 46% and 42% in the Lobos' road wins. The Olen formula followed from UC San Diego, where his team allowed 39.7% shooting last season to yield the sixth-lowest opponent scoring average in the nation at 61.8 points per game.

"They try to speed you up," Drew said. "They're physical and blow up on a lot of handoffs, screens and things like that. It's hard to slow it down on offense. With the pressure, you have to react and go."

Tuesday night's game will feature the Mountain West's top two rebounders in New Mexico's Tomislav Buljan, at 6 feet 9 and 250 pounds, and GCU's Nana Owusu-Anane, at 6-8 and 240.

The Lobos' 23-year-old Croatian freshman is averaging 9.9 rebounds per game and adding 11.8 points per game to make New Mexico the only team in the nation with three freshmen averaging double-digit points.

With a 21-rebound game against Mississippi State and a streak of four consecutive double-digit board efforts, Buljan's high motor would put him among the nation's top 20 rebounders if he had not left a game injured in the first half without a rebound.

"Tomislav is a monster on the glass, but it's a collective effort to finish possessions," Olen said, adding that for the GCU game, "We have to play with physicality. We have to rebound as a group."

The Lopes rank 11th nationally for allowing opponents the 11th-lowest offensive rebound percentage (24.8%).

Last week, GCU posted a 10-rebounding advantage at Boise State, which previously averaged a plus-8.4 rebound margin. On Saturday, Owusu-Anane grabbed 11 rebounds to put his season average at a career-high 9.1 per game.

"Nana has an intensity and a desire to go get the ball," Drew said. "He's done a great job of being fearless and attacking, whether it's in his area or out of his area.

"His rebounding is fun to watch with how tenacious he is to go get the ball. It's remarkable the effort he is giving on the glass. He brings an intensity we need."

The Lopes are going from facing a San José State missing its top three scorers on Saturday night to playing aat a New Mexico team ranked No. 41 in NET on Tuesday night. The Lobos' 20-game home winning streak is tied for the nation's sixth-longest active home winning streak and includes 13 consecutive Mountain West home victories.

"Every game no matter if it's at home or on the road, it's to prove a point," Henley said.

Lope tracks

GCU's highest-ranked Mountain West category is free throw shooting, where it ranks second at 76.5%.
Lopes junior guard Dusty Stromer is questionable to play Tuesday after spraining his ankle in Wednesday's win. He tied his career high with four 3-pointers in the first half.
GCU is 8-1 when opponents make 12 or more turnovers and 2-4 when they make fewer than 12 turnovers.
Owusu-Anane has recorded multiple steals in five consecutive games for the first time in his career.
Olen on Henley: "He's a really talented offensive player. He puts a lot of pressure on the paint. He shoots the basketball. He creates his own shot. He has really good size, so depending on matchups, he can present problems there."
New Mexico freshman guard Uriah Tenette, a native of Prescott, Arizona, comes off the bench as part of the Lobos freshman trio of double-digit scorers at 10.6 points per game.
The Lobos' leading scorer is 6-foot-4 freshman guard Jake Hall, who averages 14.2 points with 40% 3-point shooting. He already broke the New Mexico record for 20-point games by a freshman with five.
New Mexico senior guard Chris Howell, a starter, has been out injured since Dec. 14.
The Lobos last loss came Dec. 30 at Boise State, which kept New Mexico to 30.8% shooting. Since then, New Mexico beat Wyoming by 20, Colorado State by 10 and Air Force by 42.
GCU and New Mexico are two of the eight Mountain West teams ranked in the NET top 100. Only the ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten and SEC also have eight or more.