"It's a tough way to lose, but we have to have a short memory and focus on our next game," said GCU White Head Coach Lamont Lane.
The Grand Canyon University Men's Basketball White team suffered a heartbreaking, three-point loss to Justice College Tuesday night at the Canyon Activity Center. The squad's third loss in a row drops their record under .500 for the first time this season at 2-3. Meanwhile, GCU Purple secured their second win of the season on Tuesday at the CAC, defeating Southwestern Assemblies of God University, 51-41, improving their record to 2-1.
"It's awesome to secure a win, but even more important is the fact that we're improving with every game that we play," said GCU Purple Head Coach Caleb Smith.
Tuesday: Justice College 58, GCU White 55
GCU struggled with Justice College's aggressive playstyle, committing three turnovers in the first minute of the game against Justice's full-court press. The Lopes adjusted and found their rhythm through the post, where point guard David Black developed a successful two-man game with center Elyon Zevenbergen. Despite Zevenbergen's 10 first-half points, the Lopes still trailed, 33-26, at the break.
The Lopes became more aggressive in the second half, attacking the hoop and drawing fouls to create opportunities and cut into the deficit at the free-throw line. Trailing by four points with 30 seconds left, Black made a clutch layup to make it a one-possession game. After a Lopes' foul to stop the clock with 10 seconds left, Justice made one of two free throw attempts at the line. Black hoisted a game-tying three-point attempt that missed as the buzzer sounded, allowing Justice to escape with the narrow victory.
"Losses like that will make or break our season, so we need to build and improve for the future," said Black. "The key for us in the next game will be better teamwork and ball movement."
Tuesday: GCU White 51, SAGU 41
Staying active on both offense and defense, GCU White played as a cohesive unit and took a 20-17 lead at halftime. In the second half, the Lopes continued their great play and increased their lead to 12 with 16 minutes left. GCU maintained a double-digit lead for the rest of the game as they coasted to the 10-point victory.
"The key for the game tonight was energy," said Lopes' Head Coach Caleb Smith. "I tell my guys that it doesn't matter what the situation is, if we show energy and effort, good things will happen."
GCU White will hit the road to play South Mountain Community College on Saturday, Nov. 13 at 4 pm, while GCU Purple's next game is against Ottawa University Tuesday, Nov. 16 at the Canyon Activity Center at 8 pm.
You can catch all Lopes' home games every Tuesday night at the CAC!
