What we learned in GCU basketball win over Hawaii: Grant-Foster’s takeover

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Tyon Grant-Foster’s emergence is starting to show. Ray Harrison is clutch down the stretch. And Grand Canyon is looking more like the team that racked up a Division I school-record 30 wins last season.

After the Lopes’ 78-72 win over Hawaii on Tuesday night at Global Credit Union Arena, there were more answers than questions for a team that entered the season with hopes of advancing deeper in the NCAA Tournament.

Here are takeaways from a game that started as a blowout and ended up in a last-minute, nerve-wracking win before a loud, sellout crowd:

Grant-Foster’s takeover moment

Grant-Foster, the WAC Preseason Player of the Year who is on the 50-man Naismith Trophy watch for college basketball’s best player, missed the first two games when the Lopes started 2-0. Once he started playing, the Lopes, then still without injured 6-foot-10 center Duke Brennan, started showing more on defense. It started against Arizona State in his debut with four steals. But it was evident he needed to find his rhythm on offense.

That started to come in last week’s 78-71 win over Stanford at the Acrisure Holiday Invitational in Palm Desert, California, where he had eight points, eight rebounds, five assists, three blocks and a steal.

His game really took off against experienced Big West team Hawaii (5-2), scoring 23 points on 6 of 17 shooting, 11 of 15 free throws, pulling down six rebounds, making four steals and blocking three shots. He didn’t have a turnover.

“I feel like tonight was good, even though I shot six of 17,” Grant-Foster said. “I just want to thank my teammates for trusting in me.”

The 6-foot-7 Grant-Foster figured it would take him a few games, because there were times he wasn’t practicing as GCU got ready for the first two games without him.

“When they were practicing, I would sit out, because Coach (Bryce Drew) wanted them to get used to playing without me,” Grant-Foster said. “I feel like this was a good step forward and getting in game shape.”

It was vintage Grant-Foster after Hawaii,…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/learned-gcu-basketball-win-over-190313551.html

Author : AZCentral | The Arizona Republic

Publish date : 2024-12-04 19:03:00

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