Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus Western New Mexico (Exhibition) on October 27, 2026 , Win , 82, to, 59
M Basketball
vs Western New Mexico (Exhibition)
W 82-59
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Photo by: Bryce Wheeler
11/13/2026 5:24:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro, Lopes Insider Blog
Darling, Holloman team for 20 points, 10 assists per game in Lopes' 3-0 start
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Becoming the nation's only team to score at least 99 points three times against a Division I opponent this season started with the point guards, Dylan Darling and Tre Holloman, a pair of fifth-year playmakers who bring high-level achievement to GCU's lofty goals.
The point guard duo is combining for 20 points and 10 assists per game and shares the backcourt at times to set the fast-moving, ball-sharing tone. They are setting the tone for the season too, as GCU goes for its first 4-0 start since 2020 with a 6 p.m. Saturday homestand finale against Louisiana-Monroe.
As a result of its free-flowing offense, GCU ranks fifth nationally for pace of play and 25th nationally with 21.7 assists per game – an important unselfish characteristic for a team with 12 rotation players who have Division I starting experience.
"Our guards were tremendous moving the ball, and our wings," Lopes head coach Bryce Drew said of Wednesday's 99-71 win against Cal Poly. "I loved how we shared the ball.
"They (Darling and Holloman) really see the open man and they get the ball moving. That becomes contagious. They really set a tone for our team."
Darling, a 6-foot-1 point guard who helped St. John's to the Sweet 16 last season, brings 50 career starts and last season's 2.5-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio to being the Lopes starting point guard.
It can be hard to tell that neither Darling, due to an early-summer injury, or Holloman, due to a later arrival, were able to have a full summer to adapt to a new system and teammates.
"I'm feeling better every game out," Darling said. "I think the whole team is. Just by watching us, you can probably tell that. I'm getting more comfortable each game and each possession. The game is slowing down a bit."
But not for opponents, with GCU scoring 99 or more points in its first three games for the first time in program history. Their ball distribution helped put seven Lopes in double-digit scoring for the first time in GCU's Division I era (since 2013-14).
Holloman, a 6-2 guard from Minneapolis, comes off the GCU bench after starting 43 games over the past two seasons at Michigan State and North Carolina State.
There was instant familiarity with the GCU offense from the staggers and pitch plays he ran with the Wolfpack to the pin
downs that were a Spartans staple.
"I feel like Coach has done a great job of having us scrimmaging and watching film," said Holloman, who has 17 assists to three turnovers as a Lope. "I'm talking with my teammates to see where they want the ball and where they like to score at.
"We are jelling together. We just need to stay like a family and not let anybody separate our family. We all like each other. We just chill in the locker room and talk. When we're on the court, everyone is playing for each other."
That was never more evident in the first three wins than Wednesday's second half, when GCU scored 62 points, shot 61% from the field and committed three turnovers.
The Lopes pledged a faster pace to fit their personnel's ability this season, but even averaging 100.3 points is startling for Lope Nation.
"Because I see it in practice every day, the results haven't been surprising," Darling said. "Honestly, as time goes on and on, it'll probably keep getting better and better."
Darling plays in a locked-in zone, while Holloman celebrates with the Havocs, giving the Lopes a yin and yang that even fits well together because each guard can be a spot-up shooter as well. Holloman made 40.2% of his 3-pointers last season, and Darling was a 35.6% 3-point shooter at Idaho State as 2024-25 Big Sky Player of the Year.
They are spearheading an offense that is playing at the nation's fifth-fastest tempo, per kenpom.com, while still shooting 51% from the field.
"Every game, we've seen us get better," Drew said. "Every game, we've seen us jell together a little bit more."
Becoming the nation's only team to score at least 99 points three times against a Division I opponent this season started with the point guards, Dylan Darling and Tre Holloman, a pair of fifth-year playmakers who bring high-level achievement to GCU's lofty goals.The point guard duo is combining for 20 points and 10 assists per game and shares the backcourt at times to set the fast-moving, ball-sharing tone. They are setting the tone for the season too, as GCU goes for its first 4-0 start since 2020 with a 6 p.m. Saturday homestand finale against Louisiana-Monroe.
As a result of its free-flowing offense, GCU ranks fifth nationally for pace of play and 25th nationally with 21.7 assists per game – an important unselfish characteristic for a team with 12 rotation players who have Division I starting experience.
"Our guards were tremendous moving the ball, and our wings," Lopes head coach Bryce Drew said of Wednesday's 99-71 win against Cal Poly. "I loved how we shared the ball.
"They (Darling and Holloman) really see the open man and they get the ball moving. That becomes contagious. They really set a tone for our team."
Darling, a 6-foot-1 point guard who helped St. John's to the Sweet 16 last season, brings 50 career starts and last season's 2.5-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio to being the Lopes starting point guard.It can be hard to tell that neither Darling, due to an early-summer injury, or Holloman, due to a later arrival, were able to have a full summer to adapt to a new system and teammates.
"I'm feeling better every game out," Darling said. "I think the whole team is. Just by watching us, you can probably tell that. I'm getting more comfortable each game and each possession. The game is slowing down a bit."
But not for opponents, with GCU scoring 99 or more points in its first three games for the first time in program history. Their ball distribution helped put seven Lopes in double-digit scoring for the first time in GCU's Division I era (since 2013-14).
Holloman, a 6-2 guard from Minneapolis, comes off the GCU bench after starting 43 games over the past two seasons at Michigan State and North Carolina State.
There was instant familiarity with the GCU offense from the staggers and pitch plays he ran with the Wolfpack to the pin
downs that were a Spartans staple."I feel like Coach has done a great job of having us scrimmaging and watching film," said Holloman, who has 17 assists to three turnovers as a Lope. "I'm talking with my teammates to see where they want the ball and where they like to score at.
"We are jelling together. We just need to stay like a family and not let anybody separate our family. We all like each other. We just chill in the locker room and talk. When we're on the court, everyone is playing for each other."
That was never more evident in the first three wins than Wednesday's second half, when GCU scored 62 points, shot 61% from the field and committed three turnovers.
The Lopes pledged a faster pace to fit their personnel's ability this season, but even averaging 100.3 points is startling for Lope Nation.
"Because I see it in practice every day, the results haven't been surprising," Darling said. "Honestly, as time goes on and on, it'll probably keep getting better and better."
Darling plays in a locked-in zone, while Holloman celebrates with the Havocs, giving the Lopes a yin and yang that even fits well together because each guard can be a spot-up shooter as well. Holloman made 40.2% of his 3-pointers last season, and Darling was a 35.6% 3-point shooter at Idaho State as 2024-25 Big Sky Player of the Year.
They are spearheading an offense that is playing at the nation's fifth-fastest tempo, per kenpom.com, while still shooting 51% from the field.
"Every game, we've seen us get better," Drew said. "Every game, we've seen us jell together a little bit more."
Lope tracks
- Louisiana-Monroe is playing its fourth road game in six days after a Friday night visit to Arizona State.
- The Warhawks took TCU to double overtime before losing 100-92 in Fort Worth, Texas on Tuesday.
- ULM first-year coach Ryan Cross, a former eight-year Warhawks assistant, spent the past five seasons on UAB's bench. His top two scorers this season, 6-2 senior guard Dayjuan Anderson and 6-4 senior guard Quaran McPherson, transferred from UAB to follow Cross to Monroe.
- GCU fifth-year swingman Amarion Dickerson ranks 31st nationally with 2.33 blocks per game.
- Seven Lopes are averaging 8.0 points per game or more. Those seven players are averaging 77.1 points per game, which is more than 136 Division I teams without the rest of the GCU players' scoring.
- GCU fifth-year guard Jaden Henley is one of 44 active players with at least 1,400 career points.
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