Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus San Diego State on January 21, 2026 , Win , 70, to, 69
M Basketball
vs San Diego State
W 70-69
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Photo by: David Kadlubowski
Rapid recap: GCU 81, Air Force 57
2/3/2026 9:34:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro
Lopes win 7th in 9 games, stay 1 back of 1st in MW loss column
Grand Canyon took a 30-point halftime lead Tuesday night to cruise to an 81-57 conference win against Air Force at Global Credit Union Arena.
GCU (15-7, 8-3 Mountain West) held an opponent for 40% shooting or less from the field for a sixth consecutive game and won on the merit of its second-largest halftime lead in its Division I era. With Nevada's Tuesday night loss at Boise State, the Lopes moved into fourth place in the Mountain West and are one loss back of the conference leaders.
GCU senior Jaden Henley filled up the stat sheet in limited time, racking up 13 points, six rebounds, six assists, two steals and no turnovers in 23 minutes.
The 6-foot-7 guard set the tone with an 11-point, five-assist first half in which he scored or assisted on six of the Lopes' first seven baskets of the game.
Air Force rushed into turnovers and missed shots, including three airballs, during the stretch in which GCU centers Efe Demirel and Dennis Evans each also blocked a shot.
The Lopes also had just held Fresno State to a 19-point first half on Jan. 24.
Return to gculopes.com for Paul Coro's full game story with quotes from head coaches Bryce Drew and players.
GCU (15-7, 8-3 Mountain West) held an opponent for 40% shooting or less from the field for a sixth consecutive game and won on the merit of its second-largest halftime lead in its Division I era. With Nevada's Tuesday night loss at Boise State, the Lopes moved into fourth place in the Mountain West and are one loss back of the conference leaders.
Key player
GCU senior Jaden Henley filled up the stat sheet in limited time, racking up 13 points, six rebounds, six assists, two steals and no turnovers in 23 minutes.The 6-foot-7 guard set the tone with an 11-point, five-assist first half in which he scored or assisted on six of the Lopes' first seven baskets of the game.
Key moment
The Lopes defense took hold in the first half, shutting out the Falcons for more than seven minutes to open up a 21-7 lead after the first 12 minutes of the game.Air Force rushed into turnovers and missed shots, including three airballs, during the stretch in which GCU centers Efe Demirel and Dennis Evans each also blocked a shot.
Key statistic
GCU tied its Division I-era low for points allowed in a first half, limiting Air Force to 18 points on 7-for-22 shooting with 13 turnovers.The Lopes also had just held Fresno State to a 19-point first half on Jan. 24.
Quotable
GCU head coach Bryce Drew: "I thought we really came out good. I thought our defense was really good. Thankfully, they missed some shots. Thank the Lord they missed some 3s. Our guys really rebounded and got out in transition. We got a 30-point halftime lead, and I was really pleased with that. Sometimes on a Tuesday night, it's hard to get going right away. A 30-point lead was great. Free throw shooting, not good. We built to a 38-point lead and obviously we subbed some at the end and they cut it to 24. They made some shots, but I'm proud of the effort. Everybody is coming out pretty healthy right now."What's next?
The Lopes will play UNLV for the first time Saturday when GCU goes to Las Vegas for the matchup at Thomas & Mack Center, where the Mountain West Championship will be held in March.Return to gculopes.com for Paul Coro's full game story with quotes from head coaches Bryce Drew and players.
Players Mentioned
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