PHOENIX – Eastern New Mexico men's basketball played against (RV) Grand Canyon in the final exhibition before the official start of the 2024-25 season in front of one of the best environments in all of college basketball.

ENMU battled with toughness and grit in an 87-57 loss to GCU. The Lopes brought back seven players from a team that won the 2024 conference title. Grand Canyon showed why they are deserving of a national ranking as they forced key turnovers and drew fouls in crucial scenarios.

"Our guys competed so hard. It just didn't go our way," said head coach Daven Võ after the game. "I was really proud that they faced adversity, and they stayed together. That's what I want our identity to be – that we're tough."

GCU got going quickly as they lead 18-5 through six minutes of action. ENMU managed to ignite an 8-0 run led by four points during that stretch from Jaden Clarke. Clarke scored seven of the team's first 17 points despite coming off the bench and playing just above six minutes during that span.

The game stayed within single digits up until the under-4 media timeout in the first half.  The Lopes were able to force tough shots and earn four turnovers while outscoring the Hounds, 11-2. GCU led 44-26 at the break.

One of the key stats at the halftime intermission was the rebounding battle. The Greyhounds outrebounded the Lopes, 23-18, including 10-4 on the offensive glass.

"I was happy how our guys attacked the glass," said Võ.

Going into the second half, ENMU looked to continue applying pressure defensively. However, seven fouls within the first four minutes of the period altered the direction of the matchup and kept GCU's advantage by 18 points, 51-33.

Eastern's Cooper Jackson carried the team with 13 total points on the night – 11 came in the second half. Jackson hit 6-of-10 shots from the field and was one of two players with two steals.

The Greyhounds' effort allowed the game to be within 18-20 points until the seven-minute mark in the second half. Grand Canyon had another stretch outscoring Eastern New Mexico, 20-8, to earn the 30-point victory.

For a second-straight contest, Cougar Downing scored 11 points. He added two steals and two assists.

Isaiah Randolph played strong minutes off the bench for ENMU. He finished with nine points and three rebounds with just 18 minutes of action. The team's leading rebounder was Clarke who grabbed eight on the night.

Defensively, ENMU limited GCU to shooting 27-of-64 (42.2%) and forced 14 total turnovers. The Lopes went 9-of-28 (32.1%) from deep range and split up the attack with 36 points in the paint.

Eastern New Mexico is now looking forward to the regular season. The Hounds will travel to Durango, Colo. for a battle with Fort Lewis, November 8.