GCU Women Pick Up First-Ever NCAA Win, Play CSUMB Saturday

Friday, March 11

Pomona, CA

2:30 p.m.

Grand Canyon

28-2

Seattle Pacific

20-9

Seattle Pacific

Grand Canyon

Samantha Murphy had 25 points in GCU's first-ever NCAA tournament win Friday.

GCU Women Pick Up First-Ever NCAA Win, Play CSUMB Saturday

3/11/2011 8:35:19 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Murphy scores 25 in victory

By: Steve Heath

Grand Canyon (28-2) won its first-ever NCAA women’s basketball tournament game Friday with a 53-51 victory over Seattle Pacific (20-9) in the NCAA West Regional at Kellogg Gym in Pomona, Calif.

The Antelopes, ranked No. 7 in the nation and a second-seed in the tournament will play third-seeded CSU Monterey Bay (27-3) Saturday at 6 p.m. (Mountain Time).

GCU’s only post-season tournament win came in a 1989 victory over Western New Mexico in the NAIA District VII Playoffs. It was 0-3 in the NCAA prior to Friday, including a 77-48 loss to Seattle Pacific in 2009, the program’s last trip to the NCAAs.

Friday’s game may have been at a neutral site, but many students, parents, fans and administration took ground or air transportation to support the Antelopes. With over 100 fans in purple and black in attendance, the GCU contingent outweighed the Seattle faithful 10-to-1.

“What a great day,” said GCU head coach Trent May, whose team ran across the floor after the victory to thank the loud and proud fans. “We got great support from the purple reign of fans. Our girls fed off that and we so, so appreciated it.”

GCU led by as much as 17 in the first half, but found itself trailing 50-49 with only 47.2 seconds to go. Samantha Murphy, the two-time Pacific West Conference Player of the Year and the leading scorer (24.9) and free-throw shooter (91.6) in all of NCAA Division II, hit a pair of free throws to give Grand Canyon a 51-50 lead. Junior Jallisa Butler added two at the charity stripe with only 9.2 seconds left.

“Success breeds success,” said May, of his team withstanding the Seattle Pacific run and coming away with the win. “We’re so battle-tested and you have to be in the right mental place. We had good mental capacity down the stretch and that gave us the will to win.”

Murphy led all scorers with 25 points, putting her over the 2,100-plateau (2,109) for her career. Only one other player in GCU basketball history, Bayard Forrest (2,195), who later played for the Phoenix Suns, has more. Murphy, already the women’s all-time leader for points in a season became the basketball school-record for points in a season with 748. Chad Briscoe had 747 in the 1992-93 season for the men’s team.

Freshman Maylinn Smith had 16 points. Butler had a game-high 11 rebounds. Rosalyn Nelson had three points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals.

GCU was outrebounded (46-37) and shot an uncharacteristic 47.8 percent (11-of-23) from the free-throw line, but committed only eight turnovers to Seattle Pacific’s 20.

Grand Canyon scored 11 of the first 13 points and took advantage of Seattle Pacific hitting one of its first 12 field-goal attempts. The Antelopes led 32-17 at the break, getting 17 points from Murphy and nine off the bench from Smith.

“We were fired up at halftime,” said Murphy. “It all started with our defense. We pride ourselves on our fullcourt defense, but we were on top of it with our half-court defense today.”

A Murphy 3-pointer with 2:51 left in the first half gave Grand Canyon a 30-13 lead.

Seattle Pacific got back in the game when GCU went 8:29 without a field goal. A Katie Johnson basket with 11:45 to go gave the ‘Lopes a 41-30 advantage. The next field goal was a Smith 3-pointer, breaking a tie at 44-44 with 3:16 to go.

The loss gave the Falcons, who have qualified for every NCAA tournament since 1997, their earliest exit since being eliminated in the first round in 2002 by Cal State Bakersfield. SPU won the region tournament last year and had advanced to the championship game the past three years.

Caitlyn Rohrbach led Seattle Pacific in scoring with 21 points.

Box Score

Tournament Central