PHOENIX – Grand Canyon University’s ascent in the Mountain West Conference continued Saturday with a 94-79 victory over San José State, but the Lopes’ early entry into the league has not been without friction. The win, secured after overcoming a double-digit deficit, sets the stage for a crucial rematch against San Diego State on Wednesday at Viejas Arena, a venue where the Aztecs boast a formidable 7-0 record this season.
The January 21st victory at GCU, 70-69, established the Lopes as legitimate contenders in the Mountain West, but also highlighted the unease some established programs experience about GCU’s accelerated inclusion. San Diego State, along with Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, and Utah State – all departing for the Pac-12 after the current season – reportedly opposed Grand Canyon’s early arrival, according to conference sources.
Currently tied with Utah State for first place in the Mountain West with a 12-2 conference record (18-6 overall), San Diego State faces a challenging stretch run. Grand Canyon (16-9, 9-5 MW) is tied for fourth place, vying for a first-round bye in the Mountain West Championship. Nevada currently holds the tiebreaker over GCU.
“There are ups and downs,” said GCU senior guard Jaden Henley following Saturday’s win. “There is adversity for us. I’m glad it happened. You see the result of who we are. We’re the same team [that beat San Diego State]. We’ve got to go out there, and compete. Obviously, it’ll be a tough game there, but we’re capable of winning anywhere.”
The January matchup between the teams saw Henley and junior guard Makaih Williams each score 17 points for GCU. It was the fifth win in six all-time meetings against San Diego State for the Lopes, their only previous loss at Viejas Arena occurring in November 2019. GCU head coach Bryce Drew secured his 300th career win at San José State on Saturday.
San Diego State head coach Brian Dutcher acknowledged GCU’s capabilities. “Grand Canyon is dynamic,” Dutcher said Monday. “They score the ball at an elite level. They’re third in the conference defensively, and they’re going to present a lot of challenges. Everybody thinks, ‘Oh, well, we let one slip away,’ or ‘They were lucky to win.’ They would argue, ‘We were ahead double digits late in the game. They shouldn’t have had a chance to win the first game.’”
Despite the Lopes’ offensive prowess, their 3-point shooting has been inconsistent, ranking last in the Mountain West at 30.1% and 341st nationally. Junior guard Caleb Shaw, who contributed two 3-pointers in the first meeting, has been sidelined with an ankle injury sustained at Fresno State.
“We’re definitely capable of shooting the ball better,” Drew said. “If Dusty [Stromer] can get seen clean looks from 3, I’ll take that every game.”
Statistically, the matchup pits the Mountain West’s two most defensively efficient teams against each other, with San Diego State leading the conference and GCU in second. Both teams also rank among the league’s lowest in opponent field goal percentage since the 2020-21 season. San Diego State is holding opponents to 39.2% shooting, 12th-lowest in the nation, while GCU limits opponents to 39.8%. The Aztecs have recently regained the services of 7-foot sophomore Magoon Gwath, who contributed 13 points and five blocks off the bench against Nevada.
San Diego State’s balanced attack features six players averaging between 8.4 and 12.7 points, led by senior guard Reese Dixon-Waters. The Aztecs are averaging 79.8 points per game, their highest total since the 1984-85 season. GCU, meanwhile, allows a conference-low 69.8 points per game and leads the Mountain West in rebounding with 36.4 per game.
“That’s our identity,” Henley said. “We’ve got to be able to crash the boards hard and make it tough on teams on the glass. It’s hard to beat a team that’s beating you on the glass. It’s hard to play against our team for 40 minutes. We play hard. We’re physical. We run fast. So if we stay who we are every game for 40 minutes, and it’s going to be a tough game.”
GCU has been successful on the road in Mountain West play, posting a 2-2 record with losses by only two points at UNLV and in overtime at Nevada. San Diego State, historically dominant at home with an .888 winning percentage since 2009-10, has only been surpassed by Kansas, Gonzaga, Duke and Kentucky in that span.
“The fans in this building won’t accept anything less than our best,” Dutcher said. “That’s fun to come out here and play in front of a full house, in front of an enthusiastic fan base. Sometimes, that’s what makes a difference in a game like this.”
Lope Tracks
- GCU is 15-0 this season in games that it led at halftime.
- Lopes graduate power forward Nana Owusu-Anane is having his third consecutive season of averaging more than eight rebounds per game. He ranks 26th among active Division I players for career rebounds (763).
- The difference between field goal shooting in wins and losses has been double digits for Owusu-Anane (49% vs. 35%) and Henley (53% vs. 38%) this season.
- GCU is 14-2 when Owusu-Anane scores eight or more points.
- Henley is posting his career’s best per-game averages in points (17.3), rebounds (5.7), assists (2.8) and steals (1.6). He also is shooting a career-best 46.3%.
- The Lopes are pursuing a third Mountain West sweep after going 2-0 against Boise State and San José State.
