Casey Benson impresses as GCU blows out Norfolk State

Grand Canyon leaned on Josh Braun's 3-point shooting to win two games last week at home.

On Monday, it was sophomore Oscar Frayer and 6-foot-10 freshman Roberts Blumbergs in the first half before Casey Benson took over in the second half.

Benson, a Tempe Corona del Sol graduate, made all four of his 3-point attempts and added eight assists in an 85-60 rout of Norfolk State that extended the Antelopes' NCAA Division I-leading winning streak to 11 games.

Even with Braun, the school's all-time leader for 3-pointers, having an off night (2 for 8 on 3s), GCU made 14 3-pointers, tying the most ever in a game during the Dan Majerle coaching era. It was one short of the single-game school record.

"He just says, 'Take what the defense gives you,' " Benson said. "Whether that's getting 10 assists, or getting 15 of 20 points, that's just being a basketball player."

Majerle said it is going to take time and patience for Benson to adjust from what his role was at Oregon for three years, when he mostly distributed. And Majerle said he's going to have to figure different ways to utilize Benson after being accustomed to DeWayne Russell darting into the lane and creating for almost all of his shots.

"It's probably more my fault," Majerle said. "Last year, with DeWayne, the ball was in his hands all the time. DeWayne was such an explosive scorer, he would score first, then get guys involved.

"Casey is not like that. We've got to get the ball moving, side to side, get other guys involved, then get it back to Casey when he's open. It's a maturation process for me and our guys, learn with these guys."

The front-court duo of Frayer and Blumbergs combined for 23 of GCU's 37 first-half points.

Braun, who made nine 3-pointers and averaged 24.5 points last week, missed his first three 3-point attempts on Monday.

With Braun cold to start, GCU (4-0) struggled to find another go-to scorer. After the winless Spartans went on a 10-2 to take their first lead, Blumbergs and Frayer took over.

They had 17 of the Antelopes' 23 points in the final eight minutes to help them build a 37-22 halftime lead.

Five takeaways

– After jumping out to a 7-0 lead, GCU had only seven points over the next five minutes and fell behind 15-14 as the Antelopes' second unit struggled to find offense. Coach Dan Majerle subbed back in his starting five, who promptly got the Antelopes back on track. He was able to go with a long rotation the first three games. But the second five didn't give him much Monday, and that is why starters Frayer, Blumbergs, Braun and Benson all played at least 30 minutes.

– Frayer's hops and defense have never been disputed. He is the team's best pure athlete. But his jump shot has vastly improved. He came into the game having made 3 of 7 3-pointers through three games. In the first half Monday, the 6-foot-7 Frayer made 3 of 4 from behind the arc and had 11 points. Frayer and Blumberg (2 of 3 3-pointers in the first half) consistently knocking down 3s would give GCU opponents more to worry about beyond the arc than Braun and Benson. Overall, the Antelopes made 14 of 26 3-pointers for their best 3-point-shooting game of the season.

– This was easily the best Benson has looked since leaving Oregon to play his final college season at GCU. Benson hit two quick 3s to open the second half and the Antelopes took their biggest lead, 45-24, less than three minutes in. He was loose, confident, efficient. He had four assists in the first half. He made his first four shots, including three 3-pointers, and had 12 points early in the second half when the lead was 24.

– Alessandro Lever, the other 6-10 freshman from Europe, had his most productive second half of his college career, scoring 10 of his 12 points. Lever can stretch his game out to the arc, but this was the best he looked in the post. He made four of six shots and knocked down all four of his free throws. This type of balanced scoring shows how well Majerle has recruited to get to this point in the school's first year of being NCAA Tournament eligible. The depth gives Majerle more scoring options than ever.

- Defense was not as tight in the second half, as the Spartans started to get easier looks and was shot 52 percent after making just 32 percent of their shots in the first half.

Final word

"That second group, which has been really good, if that second group comes in again like it did in the second half and not play any defense, I'll cut it down in a second," Majerle said. "If they're not going to give an effort, they're not going to play. ... These guys are digging for your own playing time. If you don't care, I don't care. I'll go with a six, seven rotation, whoever is playing hard. That's the same way with the starters. If they're not playing hard, I'll bring in the other guys. They'll play. the good thing about the first three games, everybody played hard. The second half (Monday), we didn't play hard at all. And they're not going to play. That's their fault, not mine."

Up next

GCU (4-0) plays at home on Saturday night against San Diego (4-0), which figures to be its toughest opponent to date.

Hot start: Josh Braun's hot shooting continues in GCU's rout of Little Rock

Recruiting: GCU basketball lands highest-rated player in Dan Majerle coaching era

Monday's game

Norfolk State (0-3) at Grand Canyon (3-0)

When: 7 p.m.

Where: GCU Arena.

TV/Radio: YurView Cox 4, 1580 The Fanatic, 99.3 FM.

Update: GCU is looking to extend its nation-leading Division I winning streak to 11 games. It is coming off its best shooting performance of the season, making 51.1 percent of its shots in a rout of Little Rock on Saturday. Senior G Josh Braun had a big week, making 9 of 14 3-pointers and averaging 25 points in two games. Braun holds the school record for career 3-pointers. ... Norfolk State is coming off a 71-62 loss at San Diego, falling behind by 22 points at halftime. The Spartans are giving up 85 points a game and shooting 38 percent.