Second Half Burst Propels GCU to Road Win
Lopes shot the lights out after the break to pick up another road win.
There was no overtime. No 9-point comeback. No need for any divine intervention.
It was simply a matter of knocking down shots.
And in the second half of a Saturday afternoon matinee, league-leading GCU did just that.
Ray Harrison had a game-high 21 points to lead GCU to an 86-67 win over Utah Valley at the UCCU Center.
“Really proud of the guys,” GCU head coach Bryce Drew said. “It’s been a long stretch here. Lot of travel. Four of the last five on the road. We were definitely fatigued at parts of the game.
But when you make some shots, it’s amazing how it does help your energy.”
Well, GCU did hit shots…a lot of shots especially in the second half.
Just how good was GCU in the second half, you might ask?
Well, on the first GCU possession of the second half, Tyon Grant-Foster knocked down a 3-pointer from the top of the key. Two possessions later, Ray Harrison knocked down a 3-pointer.
It should be mentioned that Gabe McGlothan also knocked down a pair of 3-pointers in the second half. And Lök Wur knocked down one of his trio of 3-pointers after halftime.
6-6 from 3-point land in the second half. 54 percent from the field. And just for kicks, the Lopes were also 20-25 from the charity stripe after halftime.
Perhaps it should be mentioned that GCU never trailed in the game after Ray Harrison knocked down a jumper on the Lopes’ first possession.
Okay, so let’s tell the whole story.
GCU led wire-to-wire but Utah Valley hung around.
In the first half, it was Tanner Toolson who kept Utah Valley in the game. With 4:02 remaining, Toolson’s 3-pointer cut the deficit to four.
On the following Utah Valley possession, Trevin Dorius got a layup to go and it was a one-possession game.
Prior to the Dorius bucket, Bryce Drew went to his bench to call on the services of Lök Wur.
After Dorius’ bucket, Wur hit back-to-back 3-pointers to push the lead right back to eight. It was part of a very efficient afternoon for the Oregon transfer.
“He was so good,” Drew said. “He was so efficient. His 3-point shooting was tremendous. Had some great drives to the rim. An element he is bringing is also rim protection…his length around the paint really helps our defense.”
Ray Harrison’s 3-pointer was the final bucket of the second half as the Lopes went into the locker room with a 32-23 lead.
Perhaps it was the performance of Jean’s Golden Girls at halftime. Perhaps it was a changing of the ends. Who knows what it was. But, the lids came off the rims after halftime.
“Coach Drew told us, ‘keep shooting, keep shooting, the shots are gonna fall,’” GCU guard Ray Harrison said. “And they did.”
Especially in the case of the Lopes.
On GCU’s first possession of the half, Tyon Grant-Foster knocked down a 3-pointer. Two possessions later, Ray Harrison knocked down a 3-pointer.
Caleb Stone-Carrawell and Tanner Toolson hit back-to-back 3-pointers for Utah Valley.
At one point, a tweet came in asking, “What’s with all the points all of a sudden?”
Not only were there points but there were a pair of flagrant fouls, as well.
As Tanner Toolson was defending Ray Harrison up the floor, Gabe McGlothan set a blindside screen that was called a Flagrant I.
A few possessions later, Nate Tshimanga knocked Duke Brennan to the floor in a non-basketball play and was called for a Flagrant I.
Free throws were made on both ends and we still had a 4-point ball game with 13:29 to play after an Ethan Potter hook shot.
That was as close as Utah Valley would get. Over the next six minutes and change, the Lopes took control.
Gabe McGlothan hit back-to-back 3-pointers as well as knocked down a trio of free throws after being fouled on a 3-pointer and all of a sudden the lead ballooned to 11 with 11:12 to play.
Lök Wur’s two-handed flush off a Tyon Grant-Foster steal and assist made it a 19-point lead with 7:23 to play.
“What was his name again?,” Harrison jokingly said when asked about Wur’s performance. “I’ve had a lot of belief in him since he first got here. I just try to keep him confident, and, as of right now, a lot of these teams have no answer for him.”
Josh Baker’s step-back jumper as the shot clock expired gave GCU its largest lead at 22 with 3:46 to play.
It was the icing on the cake of a dominant second half for the top team in the WAC.
GCU scored 54 second-half points, shot 54 percent in the second half, went a perfect 6-6 from 3-point land, and committed just seven total turnovers in the contest.
Along with Harrison’s 21 points, Gabe McGlothan had 17 points and 11 rebounds. Tyon Grant-Foster finished with 14 points and Lök Wur finished with 13 points.
Caleb Stone-Carrawell finished with 15 points to lead Utah Valley. Tanner Toolson had 14 points and Trevin Dorius had 12 points.
GCU improves to a program best 21-2 overall and 11-1 in WAC play. The Lopes have the week off before hosting Southern Utah.
Utah Valley falls to 9-13 overall and 4-7 in WAC play. The Wolverines host Tarleton on Thursday and ACU on Saturday.