Grand Canyon basketball shocks No. 25 San Diego State on national TV

With maybe the most electric crowd in Grand Canyon basketball history, the Antelopes broke through with the biggest win of the 11 years they've competed in NCAA Division I.

GCU defeated No. 25-ranked San Diego State 79-73 Tuesday night before a sellout crowd of 7,280 and an ESPNU television audience at newly named Global Credit Union Arena.

It was the first time in their history that the Antelopes (7-1) beat an AP Top 25 team. The win jumped them from No. 56 to 45 in the NCAA NET rankings, the highest they've been in program history.

They did it with players diving for loose balls, fighting for offensive rebounds and knocking down clutch 3s and free throws.

The Havocs, who had camped out in front of the arena for more than a day, rushed the court afterwards, celebrating with the players as last year's national runner-up Aztecs (7-2) headed to the corner.

Which Lopes filled the stat sheet

Ray Harrison led GCU with 23 points. Gabe McGlothan had 15 points and 13 rebounds. Tyon Grant-Foster had 18 points, five assists, three steals and two blocks. Guard Collin Moore had 15 points, hitting two 3s midway through the second half after the Aztecs had tied the score.

After making just 2 of 11 shots in the first half, Grant-Foster started to take off midway through the second half.

He hit successive 3s in a 35-second span that gave the Lopes (7-1) a 69-56 lead with 4:28 to play.

GCU came out with the most energy it has shown all year.

A dominant first half from Grand Canyon

The Antelopes went on a 9-0 run in the last 2:35 of the half to take a 35-28 lead. McGlothan, Grant-Foster and Moore keyed the surge. Grant-Foster knocked down four free throws. McGlothan followed up a miss with a basket, then rebounded a miss and was fouled with a second left. He knocked down two free throws.

McGlothan matched his first-half career high with nine rebounds. It was the third time he had done that. He led GCU with 13 points in the half. McGlothan had a blocked shot and he nailed a 3 with four minutes left.

The Aztecs' last basket in the half came with 3:40 left when Micah Parrish knocked down a 3. They led 28-26 after making four free throws, before GCU closed the half with its run.

GCU held San Diego State to 32% shooting in the half and outrebounded the Aztecs 24-18.

What they said

Winning two of the past three WAC tournaments to get into the NCAA Tournament was huge. But ranking biggest wins since he’s been a part of the Lopes, McGlothan -- the former Basha High star -- puts this one at the top, based on national attention.

GCU was one-and-out in its two NCAA Tournament appearances, losing to Iowa in 2021 and to Gonzaga last season.

“Being able to beat a ranked team and what this means to this school and how it’s growing, they invested so much in us, so to be able to give something back like this, it’s a huge win for us,” McGlothan said.

Harrison said beating a Top 25 team was always the goal when he came from Presbyterian, where he was the best player on a team that lost more than it won.

“Coming from the previous situation, this was something that was unimaginable,” he said. “It’s great to be able to complete this with my guys.”

Harrison and McGlothan quickly got swallowed up in the sea of Havocs after the game.

“It was crazy,” Harrison said. “I was trying to get up out of there. But they weren’t letting me. One dude was up in my face, and said, ‘Nah, you’re not leaving.’“

The Havocs, with 158 tents pitched outside of the arena Monday afternoon, made this maybe the mostly highly anticipated home game in school history. They were rewarded with the best beginning-to-end effort by the Lopes this year.

“I think our guys knew how tough they played and how they beat people,” coach Bryce Drew said. “You can know but can you actually do something about it?

"This team has a natural instinct to be aggressive and play tough. We've done it in spells different times throughout the year. A couple of games we really did it for the entire game. Today was our most consistent effort for 40 minutes, especially playing such a physical team like San Diego State."

The Lopes beat the Aztecs at their own game; pounding the glass, getting physical in the paint, blocking shots and rebounding. They had a 40-32 rebound edge with McGlothan battling for four of his 13 rebounds on offense. Duke Brennan had a big offensive rebound that led to the bucket in the second half when the Aztecs were making their move.

Grant-Foster, who Monday was named the WAC Player of the Week for his efforts in the Lopes’ first two WAC wins of the season, was clutch with his successive 3s, after struggling with his shot most of the night. And his ball distribution and defense were needed. He had five assists.

But he called McGlothan the player of the game because of how he pulled down 13 rebounds and scored 15 points against San Diego State’s beasts, led by 6-9, 240-pound senior Jaedon LeDee, who had 24 points and 10 rebounds.

“Gabe is a real strong guy,” Grant-Foster said. “But the people he going up against, like LeDee. Gabe is 6-7. He’s a huge part of our team. Fifteen points and 13 rebounds, that’s excellent. Without him, we don’t win that game.”

Only eight turnovers were committed between the teams in the half -- five by the Antelopes.

Harrison had 11 points in the half. He banked in a 3 just before the shot clock expired that tied the score at 19 with 6:21 left in the half.

How do the Lopes build on this?

"It helps us focus," McGlothan said. "Our identity, we can lean heavier into that, knowing what tough games it will take to win down the stretch. We plan to play in games that are high caliber. So playing a team like this; the togetherness, the intensity, the tenacity, and just our defense, that's what we're going to put a rock on."

To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert atrichard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@azc_obert

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: GCU Lopes basketball shocks No. 25 San Diego State on national TV