Grand Canyon basketball wins 13th straight in blowout statement rout of Tarleton State
Down 14 points in the first nine minutes Saturday night? No problem.
As usual, Grand Canyon turned to defense and the big two of Gabe McGlothan and Tyon Grant-Foster to bury Tarleton State with a 16-0 run to close the first half in a 74-48 WAC basketball rout before a sellout crowd at Global Credit Union Arena.
After making one incredible shot after another to build a 24-10 lead with 11:33 left in the half, GCU (16-1, 6-0 WAC) outscored the Texans (10-6, 3-2) 26-5 the rest of the half behind McGlothan and Grant-Foster.
Tarleton was making amazing shots, especially in the last few seconds of the shot clock on each possession. One time, Jakorie Smith banked in a contested 40-footer to avoid a shot clock violation to give Tarleton a 27-17 lead with 7:22 to play in the half.
McGlothan then started a 19-2 run with a 3.
"They were hitting tough shots," McGlothan said. "For us, it's keep having heart, trust what we do, and keep playing hard. Eventually, we found a way and let out shots go in and get stops on defense."
Here are takeaways as GCU made a statement that perhaps it is ready to crack the Top 25 for the first time in its NCAA Division I history after its 13th consecutive win:
Has a good enough resume been built for Top 25?
GCU is on a historic run in its 11th year as a Division I program: The Lopes' best start since becoming D-I, the most consecutive wins in D-I. Their only loss was to 14-2 South Carolina way back on Nov. 19.
They've been ranked anywhere from 45 to 37 in the NET. They beat then-No. 25 San Diego State and won across the country at Liberty. They've had AP Top 25 votes for five straight weeks. The next AP rankings come out on Monday.
"I don't know," McGlothan said when asked if they've done enough to be ranked. "Either way, we've got work to do. If it is, it's a major blessing. If it isn't, it's still a major blessing. And we've got work to do tomorrow."
Grant-Foster, who tweaked his ankle with about six minutes to go and came out, had an efficient 16 points, four below his season average. It was the first time in six WAC games he didn't score at least 20 points. But he impacted the turnaround, making five of nine shots, including three of four 3-pointers. He also blocked three shots.
More McGlothan news: Faith first: How Gabe McGlothan became heart and soul of Grand Canyon basketball team
He said his ankle is fine, and that the Lopes aren't taking anything for granted, as they find different gears to get over rough beginnings of games.
"Time and time again, teams are going to give us their best punch," Grant-Foster said. "I think their guard (Devon Barnes), he hit three tough 3-point shots in the first half. You've got to live with those tough shots.
"When it's going that way, you've got to try to weather the storm, and that's what we did."
Locking it down on defense
Barnes had 11 points in the first half, but went scoreless in the second half, as Ray Harrison, Collin Moore (six assists, one turnover) and Jovan Blacksher Jr., took turns guarding him.
Tarleton State built its double-digit lead by making 52% of its shots, mostly working each possession to under 10 seconds on the shot clock. But the GCU defense got much stronger and the Lopes started rebounding better with help defense to block shots. Sydney Curry had one massive block that had the student-section Havocs at its loudest in the second half, as the Lopes never let the Texans back in the game.
Tarleton State shot just 28% in the second half, and went 0-for-5 from beyond the arc, making 31.7% of its field goals for the game. GCU shot 50.9% and made 8-of-15 3-pointers, as McGlothan knocked down three of four 3s on a 20-point scoring night.
"They're really good when they get steals and they want to run," coach Bryce Drew said. "They control the tempo really well. You've got to defend the last 10 seconds (of the shot clock). The first half, they made a bunch under 10. Then, thankfully, we were able to get some stops under 10 in the second half."
Still building off wins
The players don't talk about the win streak, the 16-1 start, or any rankings that could come their way. They know there's been noise about it on social media, though, as more media begins to cover them.
Asked if they're close to being Top 25, Drew said, "We're more concerned about winning one game at a time."
"We're going to enjoy this one tonight and tomorrow. And Monday start preparing for Thursday (at home against Utah Valley)."
The expectations have grown. With this being the oldest and longest team in Drew's four years at GCU, it makes all of the outside stuff, along with early deficits, easier to deal with.
"We have a veteran group," Drew said. "It's not something we talk about daily. But they're aware. They're mature. They can talk about stuff and handle stuff."
Grant-Foster, who waited two years to play college basketball again after a medical scare in the fist half of his season opener for DePaul, said he feels GCU has shown enough to crack the Top 25.
"But with the politics, it's going to be hard, because people are going to say our conference (isn't as strong)," Grant-Foster said. "But every conference, it's hard to win at. I just feel like we're used to being the underdog. We're just going to come out and show them."
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: GCU wins 13th straight in blowout statement rout of Tarleton State
