Grand Canyon men’s basketball has 18-game home court win streak end in loss to UC Davis

This is not what Grand Canyon coach Bryce Drew envisioned in the first four games of the season. A 2-2 start with players out of position, out of sync, out of rhythm, a defense struggling at times and a lack of focus shooting the ball.

In one of the worst 3-point shooting performances at home in Drew’s five years leading the program, the Lopes made just 4 of 25 from long distance and lost to UC Davis 75-68 on Wednesday night.

A sellout crowd of 7,002 watched the Lopes’ 18-game home winning streak end at Global Credit Union Arena. The Lopes have now lost their past two games.

“We had good looks, but guys have got to make shots,” Drew said. “You can’t go 4-for-25 in your own gym, especially when you have good looks.

“A lot of shooting is pride, putting in the extra work and being focused and locking into your shooting so it carries over to the game. A lot of times when you miss shots, it’s lack of focus. Lack of focus in practice. Lack of focus in the game. We had really good looks.”

Defense has been another issue.

Last year, when the Lopes won 30 games and their first NCAA Tournament game, only three opponents shot at least 50% against GCU.

Last week, in an 11-point loss to Arizona State at Footprint Center, the Lopes allowed the Sun Devils to shoot 54% from the field and make 11 of 25 3-pointers.

On Wednesday, in the first half, UC Davis (3-2) shot 52% in the first half, when national scoring leader TY Johnson went off for 17 points, making 6 of 13 shots and all five of his free throws as the Aggies built a 46-35 lead.

“He’s a really good player and he controlled the game,” Drew said. “He led their team tonight. We didn’t step up to the challenge we needed to early. We tried to late. But it was too late. Lesson learned. We learned the hard way tonight.”

Johnson didn’t score another point until 23 seconds remained, swooping in for a basket to give the Aggies a 73-66 lead. That crushed any GCU chance.

The Aggies, who made 7 of 15 3-pointers, led by Leo DeBruhl’s 4 of 7, built their…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/grand-canyon-mens-basketball-18-141749885.html

Author : AZCentral | The Arizona Republic

Publish date : 2024-11-21 14:17:00

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