SEATTLE — The purple wave of Grand Canyon’s March Madness journey crashed against the steady tide of Maryland, with the Terrapins overpowering the Lopes 81-49 in a first-round contest. The Friday afternoon game, played in the electric atmosphere of Seattle, showcased Maryland’s fourth-seeded might against GCU’s spirited 13th-seed challenge.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Maryland started the first half determined to set the tone, maintaining an aggressive defense and solid scoring from the beginning. Maryland Terrapins forward Julian Reese was a crucial player in the halftime score, accumulating 18 points and nine rebounds. Reese’s 18 points were a close match to GCU guard Tyon Grant-Foster, who scored 16 in the first half. Despite this strong start from both key players, Maryland took an assertive 42-28 lead at halftime.
GCU head coach Bryce Drew said, “I really think they opened the door in the first five minutes for us to build a lead. Once they got the lead, it just snowballed. Once they took away our energy level, they exposed us in a lot of ways.”
Aside from the final score, GCU entered the game with a positive mindset and strong confidence. Even though the Lopes didn’t take the win, they had many positive takeaways—such as one of their top senior guards, Grant-Foster, stepping into the spotlight. Grant-Foster had just returned from a four-week injury layoff during the WAC Tournament, making his bounce-back performance even more impressive. He finished with 23 points, four rebounds and three assists to close out his season.
Grand Canyon ends the 2024-25 basketball season ranked 11th nationally in steals per game, as well as within the top 60 teams in the NCAA NET rankings. GCU walked away from this tournament with a light heart, knowing they were truly challenged and can continue to grow from this experience.
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Reporter Dulce Antonsen covers general assignments in The Valley for Burn City Sports.
