PHOENIX – A late surge from Wyoming spoiled Grand Canyon’s home court advantage Saturday night, as the Cowboys rallied for a 70-65 victory over the Lopes. The loss is a significant setback for GCU as they navigate a crowded Mountain West Conference standings race and comes on the heels of a key road win at San Diego State earlier this week.
The Wyoming comeback was fueled by a dominant performance from their bench, outscoring GCU’s reserves 34-2. Despite a season-high 29-point performance from GCU junior guard Makaih Williams, who surpassed 1,000 career points in the contest, the Lopes couldn’t overcome the Cowboys’ depth and late-game execution. The defeat tightens the race for a first-round bye in the Mountain West Championship tournament.
GCU (17-10, 10-6 Mountain West) matched their most home losses in a season under sixth-year head coach Bryce Drew. The loss was particularly costly as Nevada defeated first-place Utah State 80-77, creating a tie with the Lopes for fourth place in the conference standings. Nevada currently holds the head-to-head tiebreaker, adding pressure on GCU to perform in their remaining games.
Wyoming’s Bench Proves Decisive
The Wyoming Cowboys’ depth proved to be the difference-maker in Saturday’s contest. Four Cowboy substitutes combined for 34 points, a stark contrast to the meager two points contributed by the GCU bench. This disparity in bench production allowed Wyoming to maintain a consistent presence on the court and ultimately secure the victory. Wyoming’s bench scoring mirrored a similar advantage Nevada posted in their January 27th win over the Lopes, where they outscored GCU’s reserves 41-2.
“The numbers speak a lot,” Drew said after the game. “We had some guys scared to shoot. They were open on some penetration for 3s and they were scared to shoot it. We had some guys that didn’t rebound the basketball. WE had some guys that didn’t get 50-50 balls that you have to get to win in February. We had some guys not strong with the ball. When you’re not strong with the ball, you get turnovers and that led to a majority of their points in the first half. Those are a lot of plays that boil down to aggressiveness and toughness.”
Lopes Struggle with Consistency
Despite a closely contested first half, GCU struggled to maintain offensive momentum in the second half, shooting just 33% from the field. A late push, with three consecutive baskets in the final 19 seconds, proved insufficient to overcome Wyoming’s lead. The Cowboys, led by freshman Simm-Marten Saadi’s career-high 13 points, capitalized on GCU’s turnovers and defensive lapses.
Wyoming secured their only road win besides a December 30 victory at Air Force, continuing a trend of visiting teams finding success in matchups between the two programs. GCU briefly took the lead with 4:21 remaining, but Wyoming quickly responded with a crucial three-pointer from Saadi, shifting the momentum back in their favor.
Looking Ahead for Grand Canyon
The Lopes face a critical stretch of games as they attempt to solidify their position in the Mountain West standings. They will need to regroup quickly as they prepare to host UNLV on Wednesday at 7 p.m. PT. The Runnin’ Rebels (14-13, 9-7 MW) recently defeated GCU 80-78 on February 7th at Thomas & Mack Center and secured a 91-66 win at Air Force on Saturday. A strong performance against UNLV will be crucial for GCU to avoid falling into the eight-team first round of the Mountain West Championship tournament.
The Lopes will need to address their bench production and improve their consistency on both ends of the court to remain competitive in the conference. The team’s ability to rebound and secure 50-50 balls, as highlighted by Coach Drew, will be key factors in their success moving forward.
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