Tyon Grant-Foster’s first shot bounced high off the rim and back through the hoop for a 3-pointer.
“I knew the Lord was with me after that one,” he said.
Grant-Foster’s next shot was a 3. That swished dead-on, as the 6-foot-7 senior guard was back in the kind of offensive rhythm that made him the WAC Player of the Year last season. It helped drive Grand Canyon to an 82-71 win over Southern Utah in the Lopes’ Western Athletic Conference opener before a sellout crowd of 7,398 at Global Credit Union Arena on Saturday night.
He had 12 points in GCU’s 41-31 first half, making 4 of 7 shots, 2 of 3 3-pointers and both free throws. He finished with a game-high 23 points on 7-of-15 shooting, 3 of 5 from the arc, and pulled down nine rebounds, blocked two shots and had three streals.
Here are takeaways on GCU’s win that improved it to 11-4 overall:
Grant-Foster breaks out of shooting slump
Coming into Saturday, Grant-Foster made just one of his last 36 3-point tries. Since scoring 23 points against Hawaii on Dec. 3, he had made only 14 of 74 field goals.
“The Lord is with me every game, but I knew, it’s time,” Grant-Foster said.
Because Grant-Foster was getting it done on the defensive end during that stretch, coach Bryce Drew felt it was just a matter of time before his star player broke out of the scoring slump.
“I’m so happy for Tyon,” Drew said. “He’s been working, doing other things really well. He’s rebounding, making steals. He leads us in blocks. But we were all waiting for his scoring. Tonight, his scoring was on display.”
Drew even had him coming off the bench three games in a row, before inserting him back in the starting lineup in the final non-conference game, a blowout win over Bryant. But even in that game, Grant-Foster made only one of 13 shots, with the only field goal coming during garbage time late.
“These guys believed in me so much,” Grant-Foster said. “It’s really unbelievable. As many shots as I’ve taken and as many as I missed, they really told me to keep going.”
Duke Brennan’s rescue job
Southern Utah (8-7), which was 8-2 to start the season before injuries derailed it, was again healthy. It took its only lead with 7:40 to play. But, after GCU blew a 13-point lead in a 10-minute span in the second half, the Lopes pulled through down the stretch, mainly behind the offensive board work of center Duke Brennan.
Brennan had 15 rebounds, 10 on of the offensive end. GCU had 25 second-chance points with Brennan either finishing missed shots or popping the ball back out to teammates for baskets. Brennan had 16 points. It was his fourth career college double-double and second in a row.
“The last couple of games have been just finding it really well,” Brennan said. “Getting around a defender on offense for a play or two.”
Jan 4, 2025; Phoenix, Ariz., U.S.; GCU Lopes forward Duke Brennan (24) is fouled while going after a rebound against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds at Global Credit Union Arena.
Board work wins game
GCU outrebounded Southern Utah 45-32. The Lopes needed to attack the glass the way Southern Utah was hitting everything in the second half, making 55% of its shots and 4-of-8 behind the arc. With Dominique Ford making 4 of 9 3-pointers and scoring 22 points for Southern Utah, Drew got Ray Harrison back in the game to cover him. It got a lot harder in the final six minutes for Ford to score.
“We have to get better on some of our coverages,” Drew said. “But that’s a good team. They were 8-2. They had some injuries to some of the guards. Now that they’re full strength, they’re back to their 8-2 form.”
Lopes looked back on track
With Grant-Foster playing the way he did last season, taking over down the stretch with hard moves to the basket, with JaKobe Coles and Collin Moore and Lok Wur knocking down 3s, the Lopes looked much like they did when they won 30 games and their first NCAA Tournament game last season.
“I think the big thing is playing the right way, especially on offense, helping someone else make a basket, taking care of the ball,” Drew said. “When we do that, things look really smooth out there. When you start dribbling too much, things don’t look as good. I think our 11 of 23 3s, that was a direct correlation to our ball movement, especially in the first half.”
GCU made 8 of 10 3-pointers in the first half when Grant-Foster and Coles each connected on two 3s. Only six players scored in the game, but Coles finished with 10 points and Moore had 17 points and two steals. The Lopes had 12 steals.
Next up
GCU travels to Utah Valley on Thursday night, then is back home on Jan. 16 against Abilene Christian.
Richard Obert has been covering high school sports since the 1980s for The Arizona Republic. He also covers Grand Canyon University athletics and the Arizona Rattlers. To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at [email protected] or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @azc_obert
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: GCU takeaways in win over Southern Utah: Tyon Grant-Foster breaks out
