Completed Event: Men's Basketball at Baylor on October 10, 2025 , Loss , 74, to, 79
M Basketball
at Baylor
L 74-79
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Grand Canyon University Athletics
Monday, November 3
Phoenix, Ariz.
7 p.m.
Grand Canyon
1-0,0-0Mountain West
90
vs
71
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Purdue Fort Wayne
0-1,0-0Horizon
1
2
F
Purdue Fort Wayne
27
44
71
Grand Canyon
49
41
90
Photo by: Jayden Todd
Hidden work shows in season-opening win
11/3/2025 11:16:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro
Lopes' 11 made 3s, 21 assists highlight 19-point home victory
By: Paul Coro
When nobody was watching for the past five months, Grand Canyon made extra passes for each other's successes, ran for each other's mistakes and hit shots in front of a wall-length mural of Havocs in the GCU Basketball Practice Facility.
When every moment counted to start the season Monday night, those tendencies, that selflessness and all of the shooting transferred to sold-out Global Credit Union Arena for a 90-71 victory against Purdue Fort Wayne.
The Lopes were devastatingly brilliant at times, buckling the Mastodons with waves of depth to build a 35-13 lead after a 20-2 run in the first half. And when Purdue Fort Wayne mounted a second-half challenge to be within nine points, the starting five asserted itself to outscore the Mastodons 14-3 in crunch time.
The box score looked like a magic trick for a magician to offer, "Pick a number, any number." Every uniform number in the nine-man rotation was a difference maker at times, and nearly every stat was a great place for the season to start.
GCU made 11 3-pointers, a number it hit or exceeded twice last season. The Lopes assisted 21 times, a number it hit or exceeded three times last season.
With an all-new starting lineup for the first time in GCU's Division I era, each of the starters scored eight or more points and two more Lopes did so off the bench.
"I was really pleased with our energy to come out," said Lopes head coach Bryce Drew, who is 6-0 in GCU season openers. "On the defensive end, we had good intensity. We were engaged. We were intense. They had to earn their points,"
GCU peppered Purdue Fort Wayne with three consecutive 3-pointers from three Lopes in the first 2:15 of the game and shot out to a 12-4 lead.
Purdue Fort Wayne has been among the best teams in the nation for scoring off 3-pointers and opponent turnovers in recent seasons, but GCU flipped those areas to their strengths by making 8 of their first 12 shots from 3-point range and not committing a turnover for 10 minutes.
Five Lopes players accounted for making those eight 3s in the first 10 minutes. Last season, GCU made eight or more 3s in 10 games.
"We have a ton of guys that can shoot the ball, and we are super versatile," said Lopes senior guard Jaden Henley, who went 3 for 6 on 3s and notched 17 points to share the team scoring lead with graduate power forward Nana Owusu-Anane.
"This week, we have been working on getting in the arena and getting up shots. We have a ton of hard workers, so it's nothing that we didn't expect from ourselves."
It was GCU junior guard Dusty Stromer and four reserves who broke the game open for the Lopes in the first half. Starting with the second of two 3s from junior guard Makiah Williams, GCU scored 15 unanswered points.
"We love the depth of this team, and we feel like there are a lot of pieces and lineups we can put out there that give us different looks," Drew said.
When Stromer found graduate power forward Wilhelm Breidenbach for a half-ending layup, the Lopes took a 49-27 lead to halftime without a stat from freshman center Efe Demirel over his official debult's seven first-half minutes.
After fouling out in six minutes of the exhibition loss to USC, Demirel maintained composure in his play amid a massive life and basketball transition and starred in the second half with his first 11 points and five rebounds as a collegian.
The 7-foot-1 Turk slammed on a fastbreak feed from Stromer, who had five assists, and blocked Mastodons guard Mikale Stevenson moments later.
When GCU went to a 2-3 zone defense as Purdue Fort Wayne tightened the lead on drives, Demirel held the rebounding down and scored off a follow, a layup and a dunk during the game-cinching 12-3 run.
"It's a credit to him for staying mentally engaged and ready to go in the second half," Drew said.
Purdue Fort Wayne guard DeAndre Craig Jr., a Denver transfer, scored all of his team-high 18 points in the second half, nearly all of which came before Drew switched to the zone defense.
The starters asserted themselves upon re-entry in the middle of the second half, as the Mastodons pulled within nine points three times. GCU graduate guard Brian Moore Jr.'s drive-and-dish for an Owusu-Anane slam sparked the Lopes to pull away with all layups and dunks during the decisive 14-3 run.
The other major GCU breakout was the offensive game from Owusu-Anane, who was playing his first regular-season game in 19 months after missing last season for a shoulder injury. Owusu-Anane had been a beast on the boards, particularly with 16 against USC, but he had struggled to find his shot in the paint or on the perimeter in two exhibition games.
The Canadian showed off his mutli-tiered ability with a season-opening line of 17 points, nine rebounds, five assists, three steals and a blocked shot. He made 7 of 11 shots from the field and led fastbreaks by dribble or pass.
"Game by game, I'm just going to continue to get more comfortable," Owusu-Anane said. "The biggest thing is really that my teammates and coaches continue to instill confidence in me."
GCU finished with 15 turnovers despite not committing one in the game's first 10 minutes or the game's last nine minutes.
"Most of our turnovers were just dribble turnovers." Drew said. "The passing turnovers weren't as prevalent. We've got to cut that down. Makaih and Brian are too good of ball-handlers to have four turnovers."
After going 32-1 at Global Credit Union Arena over the past two seasons, the Lopes secured this season's first home win Monday night and will return to the home floor Friday night to play Youngstown State. The Penguins challenged Pittsburgh into the second half Monday night before losing 74-59.
"We've got the best student section in the country," Owusu-Anane said. "You want to play well in front of these guys. It's a blessing."
Drew added, "The great thing is the excitement. The Havocs bring so much excitement. Our players feed off of that, and the new guys were talking the locker room about really enjoying playing in front of our crowd."
When every moment counted to start the season Monday night, those tendencies, that selflessness and all of the shooting transferred to sold-out Global Credit Union Arena for a 90-71 victory against Purdue Fort Wayne.
The Lopes were devastatingly brilliant at times, buckling the Mastodons with waves of depth to build a 35-13 lead after a 20-2 run in the first half. And when Purdue Fort Wayne mounted a second-half challenge to be within nine points, the starting five asserted itself to outscore the Mastodons 14-3 in crunch time.The box score looked like a magic trick for a magician to offer, "Pick a number, any number." Every uniform number in the nine-man rotation was a difference maker at times, and nearly every stat was a great place for the season to start.
GCU made 11 3-pointers, a number it hit or exceeded twice last season. The Lopes assisted 21 times, a number it hit or exceeded three times last season.
With an all-new starting lineup for the first time in GCU's Division I era, each of the starters scored eight or more points and two more Lopes did so off the bench.
"I was really pleased with our energy to come out," said Lopes head coach Bryce Drew, who is 6-0 in GCU season openers. "On the defensive end, we had good intensity. We were engaged. We were intense. They had to earn their points,"
GCU peppered Purdue Fort Wayne with three consecutive 3-pointers from three Lopes in the first 2:15 of the game and shot out to a 12-4 lead.
Purdue Fort Wayne has been among the best teams in the nation for scoring off 3-pointers and opponent turnovers in recent seasons, but GCU flipped those areas to their strengths by making 8 of their first 12 shots from 3-point range and not committing a turnover for 10 minutes.
Five Lopes players accounted for making those eight 3s in the first 10 minutes. Last season, GCU made eight or more 3s in 10 games.
"We have a ton of guys that can shoot the ball, and we are super versatile," said Lopes senior guard Jaden Henley, who went 3 for 6 on 3s and notched 17 points to share the team scoring lead with graduate power forward Nana Owusu-Anane."This week, we have been working on getting in the arena and getting up shots. We have a ton of hard workers, so it's nothing that we didn't expect from ourselves."
It was GCU junior guard Dusty Stromer and four reserves who broke the game open for the Lopes in the first half. Starting with the second of two 3s from junior guard Makiah Williams, GCU scored 15 unanswered points.
"We love the depth of this team, and we feel like there are a lot of pieces and lineups we can put out there that give us different looks," Drew said.
When Stromer found graduate power forward Wilhelm Breidenbach for a half-ending layup, the Lopes took a 49-27 lead to halftime without a stat from freshman center Efe Demirel over his official debult's seven first-half minutes.
After fouling out in six minutes of the exhibition loss to USC, Demirel maintained composure in his play amid a massive life and basketball transition and starred in the second half with his first 11 points and five rebounds as a collegian.
The 7-foot-1 Turk slammed on a fastbreak feed from Stromer, who had five assists, and blocked Mastodons guard Mikale Stevenson moments later.When GCU went to a 2-3 zone defense as Purdue Fort Wayne tightened the lead on drives, Demirel held the rebounding down and scored off a follow, a layup and a dunk during the game-cinching 12-3 run.
"It's a credit to him for staying mentally engaged and ready to go in the second half," Drew said.
Purdue Fort Wayne guard DeAndre Craig Jr., a Denver transfer, scored all of his team-high 18 points in the second half, nearly all of which came before Drew switched to the zone defense.
The starters asserted themselves upon re-entry in the middle of the second half, as the Mastodons pulled within nine points three times. GCU graduate guard Brian Moore Jr.'s drive-and-dish for an Owusu-Anane slam sparked the Lopes to pull away with all layups and dunks during the decisive 14-3 run.
The other major GCU breakout was the offensive game from Owusu-Anane, who was playing his first regular-season game in 19 months after missing last season for a shoulder injury. Owusu-Anane had been a beast on the boards, particularly with 16 against USC, but he had struggled to find his shot in the paint or on the perimeter in two exhibition games.
The Canadian showed off his mutli-tiered ability with a season-opening line of 17 points, nine rebounds, five assists, three steals and a blocked shot. He made 7 of 11 shots from the field and led fastbreaks by dribble or pass."Game by game, I'm just going to continue to get more comfortable," Owusu-Anane said. "The biggest thing is really that my teammates and coaches continue to instill confidence in me."
GCU finished with 15 turnovers despite not committing one in the game's first 10 minutes or the game's last nine minutes.
"Most of our turnovers were just dribble turnovers." Drew said. "The passing turnovers weren't as prevalent. We've got to cut that down. Makaih and Brian are too good of ball-handlers to have four turnovers."
After going 32-1 at Global Credit Union Arena over the past two seasons, the Lopes secured this season's first home win Monday night and will return to the home floor Friday night to play Youngstown State. The Penguins challenged Pittsburgh into the second half Monday night before losing 74-59.
"We've got the best student section in the country," Owusu-Anane said. "You want to play well in front of these guys. It's a blessing."
Drew added, "The great thing is the excitement. The Havocs bring so much excitement. Our players feed off of that, and the new guys were talking the locker room about really enjoying playing in front of our crowd."
How bout the big men sharing the rock! 🤝
— Grand Canyon Men's Basketball (@GCU_MBB) November 4, 2025
Nana and Efe exchanging dimes to give the Lopes TWENTY assists on the night 💪 pic.twitter.com/ZtwrwYIthF
Wilhelm Breidenbach, certified dimer. 👀👏 pic.twitter.com/Ea5vEJBofR
— Grand Canyon Men's Basketball (@GCU_MBB) November 4, 2025
Str👀mer no-look to Efe for the flush! 😯 pic.twitter.com/bJY6tB4R9h
— Grand Canyon Men's Basketball (@GCU_MBB) November 4, 2025
Five more triples, courtesy of Kaih, Kaih, Caleb, Will and Caleb 🔥🎯
— Grand Canyon Men's Basketball (@GCU_MBB) November 4, 2025
Lopes lead 35-16 with under 8 to play in the half. pic.twitter.com/SXiw88Itoe
Shaw, Williams help lift newcomers
Shaw, Williams help lift newcomers
Thursday, November 06
Opening Night adds intrigue, emphasis
Opening Night adds intrigue, emphasis
Sunday, November 02
Team Stats
Pur-FW
GCU
FG%
.422
.561
3FG%
.267
.458
FT%
.900
.750
RB
27
39
TO
13
15
STL
9
7
Game Leaders
- Scoring
- Field Goals
- 3PT Field Goals
- Free Throws
- Rebounds
Pts
17
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
17
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
10
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballC
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballShaw, Williams help lift newcomers
Shaw, Williams help lift newcomers
Thursday, November 06
Opening Night adds intrigue, emphasis
Opening Night adds intrigue, emphasis
Sunday, November 02
Head Coach Bryce Drew Sits Down with Daron SuttonHead Coach Bryce Drew Sits Down with Daron Sutton
Tuesday, November 04
Inside the Locker Room: Coach Drew’s Pregame Message to TeamInside the Locker Room: Coach Drew’s Pregame Message to Team
Tuesday, November 04
GCU Men's Basketball vs. Purdue Fort Wayne - Postgame with Jaden Henley, Nana Owusu-AnaneGCU Men's Basketball vs. Purdue Fort Wayne - Postgame with Jaden Henley, Nana Owusu-Anane
Tuesday, November 04
GCU Men's Basketball vs. Purdue Fort Wayne - Postgame with Bryce DrewGCU Men's Basketball vs. Purdue Fort Wayne - Postgame with Bryce Drew
Tuesday, November 04