Grand Canyon completes season sweep of Boise State with blowout victory

Lopes blow by Broncos, 86-69

Grand Canyon guard Jaden Henley. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Boise State’s four-game Mountain West men’s basketball winning streak came to an end on Friday night at Grand Canyon. 

The Lopes (14-7, 7-3) shot a blistering 59 percent from the floor en route to an 86-69 victory over the Broncos (13-9, 5-6) at Global Credit Union Arena. 

Grand Canyon, a first-year MWC member, finished off a regular-season sweep of Boise State. The Lopes picked up a 75-58 victory at ExtraMile Arena earlier this month. 

Jaden Henley paced Grand Canyon with 20 points, six assists, five rebounds and two steals.

Javan Buchanan led the Broncos with 14 points and six rebounds. 

Here are three takeaways from Boise State’s poor showing on the road: 

Lopes go scorched earth 

Boise State and Grand Canyon—two of the top defensive teams in the MWC—traded baskets throughout the first half. 

The Broncos opened 4 of 7 from beyond the arc and took an early 20-15 lead on a Bhan Buom transition flush. The Lopes, meanwhile, started 10 of 13 overall, 5 of 5 on three-pointers and 6 of 6 from the foul line to build a 31-26 advantage. 

Both teams shot a high percentage in the first half (Grand Canyon 64 percent, Boise State 52 percent) as a Buchanan buzzer-beating three-pointer cut the Lopes’ lead to 43-41 at the break. 

Grand Canyon remained hot to start the second half, going up 54-44 on a Dusty Stromer elbow three-pointer. Henley later drained another triple for a 64-48 lead with 10 minutes remaining. 

The Lopes ended the game 29 of 49 from the floor and 9 of 15 (60 percent) from beyond the arc. 

The Broncos cooled off in the second half, finishing 21 of 53 overall (40 percent) and 8 of 23 (35 percent) from three. 

Broncos win rebounding battle

The Lopes dominated in nearly every category during their 17-point win in Boise, but the rebounding margin may have been the most glaring statistic. 

Grand Canyon pulled down 10 offensive boards and won the rebounding battle 38-28. 

The Broncos fared much better on the glass in the rematch, out-rebounding the Lopes 28-26.

Grand Canyon grabbed just one offensive board in the first half, an Efe Demirel putback on the opening possession that went for a three-point play. The Lopes corralled only two offensive rebounds all game but had 24 on the defensive glass. 

Grand Canyon’s one-man bench

Strong bench play was a recurring theme during Boise State’s four-game winning streak, but Grand Canyon got a major lift from Stromer against the Broncos. 

Stromer, a Gonzaga transfer, scored a career-high 16 off the bench for the Lopes. 

Stromer had started the last two games in place of Brian Moore Jr., who sat out with a hamstring strain. Moore Jr. returned to the starting lineup on Friday and had four points in 23 minutes. 

The Broncos still won the bench points battle 25-20, but Stromer’s big night helped the Lopes complete the regular-season sweep.