LAS VEGAS - For the second time in three years Grand Canyon has punched its ticket into the NCAA Tournament. The No. 5 seed Lopes caught fire from the floor early and never looked back in an 84-66 triumph over No. 3 Southern Utah on Saturday in the 2023 Hercules Tires WAC Men's Basketball Tournament Championship Game at The Orleans Arena.

GCU, winners of the 2021 WAC tournament, became the highest seeded team to win the event since Hawai'i (also the fifth seed) in 2001. The Lopes were also the first squad that won four games on the way to a WAC tournament title since UNLV accomplished the feat in 1998.

GCU rode a 12-2 run over a 5:35 span midway through the first half to open a 25-18 lead. Cameron Healy broke the surge with a corner 3-pointer for Southern Utah that closed the gap to 25-21. GCU would hit five of its final six shots in the opening half and hold the Thunderbirds without a field goal for the final 3:05 of the first period to take a 44-31 lead to the half.

The Lopes continued to build on the advantage with hot shooting from distance, as Gabe McGlothan (6'7''-F) hit his first five field goal attempts of the second half (two from 3-point range) for 12 points that extended the GCU edge to 64-48 at the under-12 media timeout. McGlothan finished the second half 7-of-8 from the floor with 16 points and three rebounds in just 15 minutes played.

GCU's Rayshon Harrison (6'4''-G) was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player after leading all players in scoring for the week (80 points), filling up the stat sheet with 31 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and two steals in the title game. Joining Harrison on the WAC All-Tournament Team were McGlothan, Harrison Butler (6'5''-G) and Tevian Jones (6'7''-G-2000) from Southern Utah and Trey Woodbury (6'4''-G-1999) from Utah Valley.

Courtesy of wacsports.com

All-Tournament MVP: Rayshon Harrison (6'4''-G) of GCU
Player of the Year: Qua Grant (6'1''-G) of SHSU
Defensive Player of the Year: Aziz Bandaogo (7'0''-C-2001) of Utah Valley
Freshman of the Year: Chendall Weaver (6'3''-G) of UT Arlington
Newcomer of the Year: Aziz Bandaogo (7'0''-C-2001) of Utah Valley
Sixth Man of the Year: Dee Barnes (6'4''-G-2000) of SUU
Coach of the Year: Mark Madsen of Utah Valley

First Team
Rayshon Harrison (6'4''-G) of GCU
Qua Grant (6'1''-G) of SHSU
Cameron Tyson (6'3''-G) of Seattle
Tevian Jones (6'7''-G-2000) of SUU
Aziz Bandaogo (7'0''-C-2001) of Utah Valley
Le'Tre Darthard (6'4''-G) of Utah Valley
Trey Woodbury (6'4''-G-1999) of Utah Valley
Justin Johnson (6'6''-G/F) of UTRGV

Second Team
Taran Armstrong (6'6''-G-2002) of CBU
Gabe McGlothan (6'7''-F) of GCU
Donte Powers (6'2''-G) of SHSU
Riley Grigsby (6'6''-G/F-1999) of Seattle
Maizen Fausett (6'6''-F) of SUU
Sadaidriene Hall (6'5''-F) of SF Austin
Freddy Hicks (6'6''-G/F-2002) of Tarleton St.
Cameron Gooden (5'11''-PG-1998) of Utah Tech

All-WAC All-Defensive Team 2023

Daniels

May

Bogues

Bandaogo

Darthard

All-Defensive Team
Damien Daniels (5'7''-PG-2000) of ACU
Javion May (6'2''-G) of SHSU
Shamir Bogues (6'4''-G-2002) of Tarleton St.
Aziz Bandaogo (7'0''-C-2001) of Utah Valley
Le'Tre Darthard (6'4''-G) of Utah Valley

All-WAC All-Newcomer Team 2023

Harrison

Grant

Huefner

Allen

Bandaogo

All-Newcomer Team
Rayshon Harrison (6'4''-G) of GCU
Qua Grant (6'1''-G) of SHSU
Cameron Huefner (6'7''-F-2001) of SHSU
Drake Allen (6'4''-G) of SUU
Aziz Bandaogo (7'0''-C-2001) of Utah Valley

All-WAC All-Tournament Team 2023

Harrison

McGlothan

Butler

Jones

Woodbury

All-Tournament Team
Rayshon Harrison (6'4''-G) of GCU
Gabe McGlothan (6'7''-F) of GCU
Harrison Butler (6'5''-G) of SUU
Tevian Jones (6'7''-G-2000) of SUU
Trey Woodbury (6'4''-G-1999) of Utah Valley