GCU Goes For Fourth Title in Five Years

Saturday, March 5

Honolulu, HI

3:00 p.m.

Grand Canyon

Hawai'i Pacific

Rosalyn Nelson and the No. 8 Grand Canyon University Antelopes look for their fourth outright conference title in five years against HPU in Honolulu Saturday.

3/5/2011 12:33:07 AM | Women's Basketball

Antelopes have dominated PacWest with 73-10 record

By: Steve Heath

Already owning a share of the Pacific West Conference title, Grand Canyon’s women’s basketball team will try to win the crown outright for the fourth time in five years when it takes on Hawai’i Pacific in Honolulu Saturday in the team’s regular-season finale.

Ranked No. 8 in the USA Today/ESPN Division II Top 25 Coaches’ Poll and No. 3 in the NCAA West Region, Grand Canyon (26-2, 14-1) faces a tough challenge in HPU (18-6, 12-3), ranked No. 10 in the West Region.

The PacWest champion earns an automatic berth into the NCAA West Region along with conference tournament champions from the California Collegiate Athletic Association and Great Northwest Athletic Conference. The five remaining tournament spots go to at-large teams selected from the three conferences by a committee. GCU, with its high region ranking, has all but assured itself of one of the spots. It would be the team’s second trip to the tournament in the last three years.

Grand Canyon beat HP 70-60 at Antelope Gymnasium Feb. 17. The teams split games last season with GCU winning by one point, 57-56, on a last-second lay-in by Samantha Murphy. The Antelopes lost 67-64 in overtime in Phoenix.

“HPU has done a good job all year and they got a big win over Dixie (earlier this week),” said GCU coach Trent May. “They have a lot to play for and (coach Jeff Harada) will have his players prepared.”

Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. MT (Noon in Hawai’i). Fans can listen to the game on GCULopes.com. A link on the basketball calendar and schedule pages is provided for the live audiocast with the play-by-play call from GCU Athletics Director Keith Baker.

For rosters, stats and more on the GCU-HPU contest, click here.