Ball movement, defense flip exhibition into 23-point win

Tuesday, October 27

Phoenix, Ariz.

7 p.m.

Grand Canyon

0-0,0-0Mountain West

Western New Mexico (Exhibition)

0-0,0-0Lone Star

Team	1	2	F
Western N.M.	30	29	59
Grand Canyon	40	42	82

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Photo by: David Kadlubowski

10/27/2026 11:21:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro

Box Score Photo Gallery

Minus 3 guards, Lopes overcome 2 disqualified centers to roll with defense

By: Paul Coro

Tuesday night's Grand Canyon exhibition game at Global Credit Union Arena had all the staples of a dress rehearsal – costumes (on the Havocs), scenery (the Purple Pregame Party and a full house) and full throttle-sound of music and voice boxes.

But GCU did not have its full company and the actors missed their marks early in the first home walk-through before getting in synch before intermission to put on the show Lope Nation came to see – an 82-59 exhibition game victory against Western New Mexico to prep GCU for Monday's season opener against Texas Southern at home.

Phoenix, AZ Oct. 27, 2026: The Lopes dominate Western New Mexico 59-82 in their exhibition game at Global Credit Union Arena. David Kadlubowski/GCU

Phoenix, AZ Oct. 27, 2026: The Lopes dominate Western New Mexico 59-82 in their exhibition game at Global Credit Union Arena. David Kadlubowski/GCU

The Lopes, missing three rotation players (guards Dylan Darling, Caleb Shaw and Jaden Zimmerman) who GCU hopes will be available Monday, went from an early 10-point deficit to a 23-point win by tilting the game with ball movement, rebounding dominance and in-game improvements in defense.

"It didn't feel smooth to me tonight, as smooth as it could have been," GCU head coach Bryce Drew said. "But also, there's a lot of potential there that when it does start to be smoother out there, it could be fun to watch these guys."

Six players made their Lopes debuts in Global Credit Union Arena and have that out of the way for Monday's regular-season opener against Texas Southern. The coaches have more video to correct the mistakes that put GCU in an 18-8 hole and kept them from taking their first lead until there was 4:59 to go in the first half.

But the defense dug in and the offense adjusted, the Lopes outscored the Mustangs 74-41 over the final 31 minutes of action.

"I liked how we played in the second half," Drew said. "I thought we rebounded better. We took care of the ball better and ended up with 21 assists (for the game). But that first 10 minutes was very alarming – just the turnovers and missed layups and missed assignments on defense. It was the stuff that we've been really emphasizing on defense in the last week. For the first 10 minutes, we didn't come out and do that. It doesn't make us happy, but I'm happy how the guys responded."

There was no star scorer, although senior guard Makaih Williams delivered a team-high 14 points and turned momentum with a stretch of eight points, including two 3-pointers, in 90 seconds.

No player entered a double-double, although fifth-year guard Jaden Henley led the Lopes with 11 rebounds.

Phoenix, AZ Oct. 27, 2026: The Lopes dominate Western New Mexico 59-82 in their exhibition game at Global Credit Union Arena. David Kadlubowski/GCU

Fifth-year swingman Amarion Dickerson became the star of the game by scoring six points off the bench. The 6-foot-7 energizer grabbed seven rebounds and blocked four shots in 24 minutes of plus-29 basketball.

"You definitely got a glimpse of what I can do," Dickerson said. "I feel like I just play winning basketball. I think I can do a little bit of everything. Whatever the coach needs, I'm more like a plug-and-play guy. I do everything at a high level."

Dickerson even slid to power forward at times and made highlight plays like running the lane for a one-handed putback and swatting a shot like a volleyball kill into the court.

The Cleveland native had not played a game for nearly a full year, fracturing his hip while playing for USC on Nov. 3. Not only does he not play with inhibition, his motor runs like his tank stays on full.

"His energy was contagious," Drew said. "He made other guys play harder out there. He was flying around. He's so long. When he was on the court, good things were definitely happening for us. He's a big part of our team. He's a big voice on our team. When he can make plays like that, that's something that we missed last year. We missed that shot-blocking around the rim. Those are change-around plays that can change momentum, can keep momentum in your hands, can get the crowd excited. He's definitely a crowd-pleaser."

Over the first nine minutes of the game, the Lopes went 3 for 11 with seven turnovers. They were missing Darling, their starting point guard, and the mistakes opened with overdribbling and expanded to charging and traveling.

After that stretch, GCU only made five turnovers over the final 31 minutes with North Carolina State late-summer transfer Tre Holloman making his debut in Daniels' spot. He led the team in assists (six), steals (three) and minutes (29). He and teammate Blake Barkley are two of GCU's best shooters but combined to go 0 for 9 on 3-pointers Tuesday, when the team was 4 for 21.

Phoenix, AZ Oct. 27, 2026: The Lopes dominate Western New Mexico 59-82 in their exhibition game at Global Credit Union Arena. David Kadlubowski/GCU

"The energy in the building is real," Drew said. "The adrenalin that flows through those guys' bodies is real. A lot of opponents come in and they don't feel the pressure as much. Our guys, with the crowd all behind them, it definitely gets the blood flowing. That's why you've got guys like Makaih who have been here. He came out and made those two 3s in the first half. He's used to shooting in here. There's a benefit really for guys who have played in this gym before. Other guys will get better."

The GCU centers certainly need to manage their fouls better. Sophomore returnee Efe Demirel and senior transfer Tyler Behrend, who started Tuesday, fouled out in 13 and 15 minutes, respectively.

They had their moments, with Demirel improving in post offense as the game progressed to score 13 points in 13 minutes and Behrend grabbing seven rebounds and delivering three assists in his 15 minutes.

Phoenix, AZ Oct. 27, 2026: The Lopes dominate Western New Mexico 59-82 in their exhibition game at Global Credit Union Arena. David Kadlubowski/GCU

"They've got to defend better without fouling," Drew said. "Be physical without fouling. Those two bang each other every day. I think they get used to a level of contact, that they have to be physical or the other guy dominates in the practice. Today, a lot of those are getting called. They've got to be able to adjust, move their feet, keep their hands up and use their size. They're both good players, and they'll get better than this."

Rotation decisions were clearer Tuesday with nine players handling a fairly even distribution before sophomore Jack Sawyer finished with three rebounds in three minutes.

But the mix gets deeper if Darling, Shaw and Zimmerman are able to return Monday night against Texas Southern. Darling could clean up the team's early turnovers. All three could improve the team's perimeter shooting. The team already won fastbreak points 17-4 without their added runners and dominated defensively after Western New Mexico's hot start.

"Coach says three things — effort, focus and then discipline," Holloman said. "So that's what we try to do. We try to create chaos."

The Mustangs made six of its first eight shots and then shot 27% from the field for the duration of the game and did not register a second-chance point.

"We know all of the guys on the team can produce at a very high level," Dickerson said. "We all have proven over the years of our college career that we can do it at a very high level. It's all about at this point just jelling all together, continue to build that brotherhood and that togetherness and put it on the court for display."