Unstoppable force.
Grand Canyon University Men's Club Basketball White's 9-0 record after the second weekend of the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association Tournament stayed perfect as they swept yet another set of matches. The Lopes went 5-0 on the weekend and moved their overall NIRSA record to 14-0. This keeps them as the top ranked team in the West Region standings as the season ends.
NIRSA Game 10: GCU White 69, Cal Poly Pomona 45
The first game of the weekend for GCU Men's Club Basketball White was against California Polytechnic University Pomona Broncos. Despite previously close face offs between the two teams, the Lopes kept distance with the Broncos from start to finish in this one.
"Pomona has tested us in the past with size and speed," GCU Head Coach Lamont Lane said. "This time around we got off to a great start and turned it into a blowout early thanks to some solid defense and scoring from the whole team."
Lopes' Drew LaJocies finished with 14 points, Jacob Rice added 19 points, and Elyon Zevenbergen finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
NIRSA Game 11: GCU White 52, NAU 50 (OT)
The second game on Saturday saw the Lopes in a back-and-forth battle with the Lumberjacks.
Holding onto a nine-point lead at halftime, the Lopes were met with bad news when their starting center left the game due to a hand injury early in the 3rd quarter. The Lumberjacks capitalized on the absence and ended up with an eight-point lead themselves with two minutes remaining in the game.
Facing what could be the first NIRSA loss of the season for GCU, Lopes' Shiloh Zevenbergen started to will his team back with his play. Zevenbergen scored a quick three and then stole the ball from NAU, dishing out an assist to cutting Lope Drew LaJocies. GCU's Mason Petersen then put in a buzzer-beating three point shot after a Lumberjack missed free throw to tie the game.
Overtime featured as much back and forth as regulation, coming down to one possession. With seconds remaining, GCU guard David Black swung the ball out to Jacob Rice, who darted to the basket and scored around three NAU defenders to win the game.
GCU guard David Black ended the game with 27 points, going 7/10 from the three-point arc.
NIRSA Game 12: GCU White 48, 5C Staghens A 44
When the Lopes played 5C Staghens A last, they cruised to a near 20-point victory. This game had a different feel to it, going down to the wire.
Eventually, the Lopes put the game away thanks to some clutch free throws from Amari Coe-Johnson.
NIRSA Game 13: GCU White 100, UC Riverside 63
"With our big man Elyon Zevenbergen out for the rest of the weekend with a hand injury, we needed more scoring from the bench," said Lamont Lane. "Jacob Rice stepped up and exploded with his offensive attack."
This game had GCU guard Jacob Rice's fingerprints all over it. Scoring 37 points, Rice was getting buckets from a variety of places on the court, dominating University of California Riverside's defense.
GCU scored their NIRSA tournament-best 100 points in the game.
NIRSA Game 14: GCU White 94, San Jose State 56
"The San Jose State Trojans were just in the wrong place at the wrong time," Lane joked after the game. "Jacob Rice hadn't cooled off yet- he was unstoppable from everywhere on the court."
Picking up right where he left off, Lopes' Jacob Rice was equally dominant in this game. Nearly matching San Jose State University's total of 56 points by himself, Rice poured in 48 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.
Jacob Rice would end up scoring a team-high 35.7 points per game for the Lopes throughout the weekend.
"He was absolutely the story of the weekend," said coach Lamont Lane.
