GCU Dominates from the Charity Stripe in Torero Showdown at Intuit Dome

LOS ANGELES – San Diego was five points behind with slightly more than a minute remaining but fell victim to Grand Canyon’s dominant free throw performance, concluding the game 55-68 inside the Intuit Dome in a West Coast Hoops Showdown matchup that was more competitive than the final score indicates.
 
The six points from the free throw line in the last minute reflected the game’s overall flow where the Lopes tallied 36 points from free throws on 42 attempts, while the Torero defense limited them to a mere 15 made field goals, achieving 27.8% FG and 16.7% from three-point range.
 
The Toreros also achieved back-to-back games out-rebounding their opponents in this final matchup of the 2024 non-conference schedule. The Toreros drop to 3-10, 0-1 in Quad 3 ahead of the commencement of WCC Play.
 
Making his first appearance off the bench this season, junior guard Kjay Bradley Jr. recorded his fourth game scoring over 20 points in his hometown of Inglewood, California.
 
Sophomore forward Santiago Trouet, following a remarkable 20-rebound game, achieved his fourth double-double of the season with 14 rebounds and 17 points.
 
How it Unfolded

• Freshman guard Tony Duckett was back in the Torero lineup, marking his fifth start of the season

• As an omen for the day’s events, the game began with GCU visiting the free throw line, although the Toreros netted the first field goal of the evening
• Grand Canyon encountered a three-minute period early without a field goal but took a 10-4 lead thanks to an 8-0 foul discrepancy
• Eight Toreros were substituted in during the first 12 minutes
• Also foreshadowing the night ahead, both teams struggled with their shooting, as USD went 3-13 and GCU 1-14
• Bradley Jr. scored the only two three-pointers of the first half
• At halftime, San Diego faced a 26-31 deficit with Trouet and Bradley Jr. both contributing 10 points
• The Toreros experienced increasing turnovers as the second half began
• San Diego mounted a 7-0 scoring surge over a two-minute period, narrowing the lead to five
• Grand Canyon connected on their initial two threes of the game with 9:24 left, restoring their lead to double digits
• Toreros initiated another run to reduce the gap, led by scores from Bradley Jr. and sophomore guard Joey Chammaa, who concluded the game with nine points
• San Diego struggled with inevitable foul issues as senior center Steven Jamerson II fouled out early in the second half, joined by freshman guard Jackson Gaffney and two others who reached the limit of four fouls
• In the final minutes, another Torero surge reduced the lead to five with 1:15 remaining
• However, GCU stood firm, converting all six free throw attempts in the dying moments to secure the victory by a maximum margin of 13 points

Next Up
The Toreros will return home to commence WCC play, hosting Pacific on Monday, Dec. 30 at 7 p.m. within the Jenny Craig Pavilion. 
 
Post Game Remarks
Head Coach Steve Lavin
 
Opening thoughts…
I am extremely pleased with the defensive progress we have made, and the statistics reflect that well. In all my coaching experience, this is the first scenario where we had seven more field goals [than our opponent] and they still won by a considerable margin. Nonetheless, we demonstrated resilience and kept fighting back, given the defensive statistics: I believe they shot around 27 percent from the field and nearly 17 percent from beyond the arc. So, significant development was made. We had a plus-four advantage in the paint. However, aspects we’ve been concentrating on in our defensive strategies persistently allowed them to penetrate and drive, as we refer to it regarding dribble penetration. At times, our positioning off the ball required us to be more compact, akin to eight in a box in football when facing a robust running back, recognizing they’ll keep attempting to advance. Consequently, they reached the bonus and double-bonus, ultimately receiving substantial yields from their aggressive approach, achieving 42 free throws. We must continue to sharpen our footwork with effective techniques, remain aggressive, and impede penetration by utilizing our defensive shield. Instances arose where we resorted to hand usage; in youth leagues, it’s taught to utilize the feet—slide rather than grab. Thus, these principles and concepts at all basketball levels necessitate ongoing attention for the improvement of our habits.
 
Regarding David Simon’s injury…
It’s a significant setback; David Simon is likely out for the remainder of the season due to his injury, and we find ourselves in a position to support and encourage him.for him. And that’s the essence of the message in the locker room: it’s what teams do, what families do, what communities do; you rise up and assist those you cherish. That’s genuine brotherhood in terms of actions and efforts, not merely phrases or slogans or bumper stickers or mantras, but to truly be present for David, because in his inaugural year he was sidelined with two fractured feet, and now he faces a broken hand.

Regarding the upcoming week…
We must move past this and concentrate on the commencement of conference competition. Everyone starts off at zero when you enter your league. We have two home contests, a fantastic chance to conclude 2024 with a victory, and gain some momentum heading into 2025. Then, we hit the road. This coming week, you have the match against Pacific, followed by Santa Clara, then we travel up to Oregon State, and after that, we visit Gonzaga. Therefore, these next two weeks are incredibly vital, and it represents a fresh start, a new chapter. We have to seize the moment. It won’t be a walk in the park. No one is going to hand us anything; we discussed that we didn’t receive the call we would have liked tonight, but that’s also part of life. You just have to keep improving. No excuses.

On his main insights from non-conference play…
You know, we pushed ourselves, and I take pride in the team’s perseverance, even though we didn’t reach the winner’s circle as often as we would have hoped. We would prefer that record to be reversed, sitting at 10 and 3, and we were quite close, but the ‘coulda, woulda, shoulda,’ as we know, only counts in horseshoes… we simply need to learn from that report card. There were various factors at play; in some matches, we struggled defensively, while in others, we could not shoot well from beyond the arc, or we left too many points at the free-throw line, or we allowed the opponent too many trips to the foul line. Nevertheless, there were some bright spots. There are areas where we’ve improved, particularly among individual players. Joey Chammaa has stepped up and performed well for us. Santiago is competing at an exceptionally high level. Kjay has had moments where he excelled magnificently, and then there are phases where he’s still figuring out how to direct our offense, orchestrate plays, engage his teammates, and truly set the rhythm and pace for our squad. But that process takes time. Jackson Gaffney is back, and he’s bound to improve with each game he plays. We provided Neel Beniwal with a chance in the first half, so we must enhance our depth due to the injuries we’ve faced, but overall, I’d say it was an educational experience, with 15 underclassmen, seven newcomers, and a significant number of injuries. Thus, I believe we’ve learned. Competing against Arizona State, San Diego State, and Grand Canyon; those are strong teams that could find themselves in the NCAA Tournament.