Lopes advance to third straight NCAA tourmament
Grand Canyon to face Maryland in West Region opening round in Seattle on Friday afternoon
LAS VEGAS - (KYMA, KECY) - Late Saturday night, the Grand Canyon men's basketball clinched their third consecutive Western Athletic Conference championship and automatic bid into the NCAA men's basketball tournament.
The Lopes defeated the regular season conference champion, Utah Valley University, 89-82 at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. Grand Canyon trailed by nine points to the Wolverines near the midway point in the first half before chipping away and eventually taking the lead for good on a Luke Wur three pointer with nearly seven minutes remaining in the half.
The Lopes extended their lead to as many as 11 points in the second half before the Wolverines cut the deficit to three points with just under nine minutes the play. That's as close as Utah Valley would get as Grand Canyon weathered a late game storm from the Wolverines en route to a 89 - 82 victory.
The win made it three straight WAC championships and NCAA automatic bids for GCU. The Lopes have also won four of the past five WAC championships and are 21-1 all-time under head coach Bryce Drew.
"It's such a blessing to have a chance to play in the NCA tournament," Head Coach Bryce Drew said. "that's the reason Tyon [Grant-Foster] came back. It's why Ray [Harrison] came back's why JaKobe [Coles] came, you know, uh, this was the week they're waiting for all year. Tonight was the night they've been waiting for, you know, all year. And so, so happy for them, so happy that they're getting a chance to do what they came back to do."
Sunday afternoon, the Lopes found out they were placed in the NCAA West Region as a #13 seed and will play #4 seed Maryland, in Seattle, Washington.
"It was nice to know we were in since our name was called so late and not being on the bubble," Drew said. "Excited to be on the west coast, excited to be going back to Seattle, and hopefullt it's a place where a lot of our fans can travel."
This will make the Lopes fourth appearance in the NCAA tournament in program history. Grand Canyon is 1-3 all-time including the program's first ever tournament win a year ago against St. Mary's as a 12 seed, 75-66. The Lopes then fell to Alabama 72-61. The Crimson Tide would eventually make their way to the NCAA Final Four in Glendale.
The Lopes and Terps tip off at 1:35 p.m. in Seattle this Friday, the game will be televised on TBS.
