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 80, UNLV 67
2/25/2026 9:47:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro
Lopes use 12-0 start toset tone, take 2-game lead om Rebels
Grand Canyon sprinted to a 12-0 start and never trailed UNLV in an 80-67 conference win Wednesday night at Global Credit Union Arena.
The Lopes (18-10, 11-6 Mountain West) led UNLV (14-14, 9-8 MW) by as many as 20 points to move GCU back into a tie with Nevada for fourth place, which will receive the last Mountain West Championships first-round bye. Nevada holds the tiebreaker over GCU with each team having three regular-season games remaining.
GCU senior guard Jaden Henley posted 28 points and 11 rebounds for his fourth career double-double, all of which have come this season as a Lope.
Henley made 9 of 14 shots from the field, 3 of 3 from 3-point range and 7 of 10 at the free throw line to finish one point shy of his career scoring high. the 6-foot- 7 guard and former UNLV player made three 3-pointers in a game for the first time since the Lopes' season opener.
Less than one-third of the Lopes' shots were from 3-point range, as GCU went 7 for 15 on 3-pointers (47%). GCU is 8-0 when it shoots better than 35% from 3-point range.
Return to gculopes.com for Paul Coro's full game story with quotes from head coach Bryce Drew and senior guard Jaden Henley.
The Lopes (18-10, 11-6 Mountain West) led UNLV (14-14, 9-8 MW) by as many as 20 points to move GCU back into a tie with Nevada for fourth place, which will receive the last Mountain West Championships first-round bye. Nevada holds the tiebreaker over GCU with each team having three regular-season games remaining.
Key player
GCU senior guard Jaden Henley posted 28 points and 11 rebounds for his fourth career double-double, all of which have come this season as a Lope.Henley made 9 of 14 shots from the field, 3 of 3 from 3-point range and 7 of 10 at the free throw line to finish one point shy of his career scoring high. the 6-foot- 7 guard and former UNLV player made three 3-pointers in a game for the first time since the Lopes' season opener.
Key moment
A 12-0, game-opening run set the tone, but it was a 13-1 run later in the first half that busted the game open. GCU took its largest lead at 35-15 wtih 2:47 remaining in the first half when graduate guard Brian Moore Jr. took a charge on Walter Brown's drive and scored six consecutive Lopes points.Key statistic
GCU took a modest amount of 3-pointers and converted them at a high percentage.Less than one-third of the Lopes' shots were from 3-point range, as GCU went 7 for 15 on 3-pointers (47%). GCU is 8-0 when it shoots better than 35% from 3-point range.
Quotable
GCU head coach Bryce Drew: "I loved the response. We had a rough couple days after our last game, and it was physically demanding at times and mentally demanding at other times. We kind of recalibrated, and it was on the guys. I give them all the credit. They responded. I thought that initial 12-0 run was just so fun to see them play with so much energy and togetherness and aggressiveness on the defensive end and to rebound the basketball."What's next?
The Lopes hit the road for their final two Mountain West away games. GCU will play at conference leader Utah State (23-4, 13-3 MW) on Saturday before going to last-place Air Force (3-25, 0-17 MW) on Tuesday.Return to gculopes.com for Paul Coro's full game story with quotes from head coach Bryce Drew and senior guard Jaden Henley.
Players Mentioned
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