Completed Event: Men's Basketball at UNLV on February 7, 2026 , Loss , 78, to, 80
M Basketball
at UNLV
L 78-80
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Photo by: David Kadlubowski
Rapid recap: GCU 73, San Diego State 63
2/17/2026 9:19:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro
Lopes sweep season series, move to 6-1 all-time vs. SDSU
SAN DIEGO – Grand Canyon swept the season series and improved its all-time record against San Diego State to 6-1 by dominating the second half Tuesday night to down the Aztecs 73-63 at sold-out Viejas Arena.
GCU became the first Mountain West team to win a game at San Diego State by double digits since February 2015, with no conference opponent winning by more than Thursday night's 10-point margin at Viejas since February 2011.
The Lopes (17-9, 10-5 Mountain West) moved into fourth place in the conference alone with San José State knocking off Nevada on Thursday night. GCU trailed 35-29 at halftime but outscored San Diego State (18-7, 12-3 MW) with a 44-30 second half, closing out the game with a 7-2 stretch.
GCU freshman center Efe Demirel posted his second double-double of the season with both coming in the past three weeks. The 7-foot-1 Turk established a physical, intense interior presence for 14 points, a career-high 11 rebounds and two blocked shots in 28 minutes of play.
Demirel made 6 of 9 shots from the field, hitting two shots early in each half to help GCU burst out well each time. The scoring effort backed up the 15-point outing that he posted in Saturday's win at San José State.
The hot start rolled into a 19-8 run over the first nine minutes of the second half. During that stretch, San Diego State went 3 of 14 from the field with three turnovers.
It was the Aztecs' worst home shooting performance since a January 2022 loss to Boise State.
Return to gculopes.com for Paul Coro's full game story with quotes from Drew and players.
GCU became the first Mountain West team to win a game at San Diego State by double digits since February 2015, with no conference opponent winning by more than Thursday night's 10-point margin at Viejas since February 2011.
The Lopes (17-9, 10-5 Mountain West) moved into fourth place in the conference alone with San José State knocking off Nevada on Thursday night. GCU trailed 35-29 at halftime but outscored San Diego State (18-7, 12-3 MW) with a 44-30 second half, closing out the game with a 7-2 stretch.
Key player
GCU freshman center Efe Demirel posted his second double-double of the season with both coming in the past three weeks. The 7-foot-1 Turk established a physical, intense interior presence for 14 points, a career-high 11 rebounds and two blocked shots in 28 minutes of play.Demirel made 6 of 9 shots from the field, hitting two shots early in each half to help GCU burst out well each time. The scoring effort backed up the 15-point outing that he posted in Saturday's win at San José State.
Key moment
The Lopes opened the second half with scores on the first six possessions, retaking a lead that they would never surrender.The hot start rolled into a 19-8 run over the first nine minutes of the second half. During that stretch, San Diego State went 3 of 14 from the field with three turnovers.
Key statistic
GCU held San Diego State to 35.5% shooting for the game Thursday night. Only No. 1 Michigan and No. 4 Arizona have held the Aztecs to a lesser shooting percentage this season..It was the Aztecs' worst home shooting performance since a January 2022 loss to Boise State.
Quotable
GCU head coach Bryce Drew: "The start of the second half was so key. We were able to get some scores and get some momentum and then just had some great individual plays throughout that second half, whether it was defense. Efe's block was just sensational. Dennis (Evans) protected the rim Our guards were just making some incredible finishes. Obviously, Nana (Owusu-Anane) and Wil (Breidenbach), you can't say enough about them with the pressure. They pretty much doubled for 30 minutes, and our 4s had to handle the ball and bring it up and make some decisions. They didn't got in and take bad shots. They didn't force bad passes. They stayed patient. They were calm."What's next?
The Lopes return to Phoenix to play Wyoming at 6 p.m. Saturday in Global Credit Union Arena. The Lopes are 11-3 at home this season. Wyoming (14-12, 5-10 MW) defeated Fresno State 92-82 at home Thursday night.Return to gculopes.com for Paul Coro's full game story with quotes from Drew and players.
Players Mentioned
C
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