Lopes Drop Hard-Fought Contest to Seattle U

Thursday, February 5

GCU Arena

7 p.m.

Grand Canyon

9-11, 3-4

Seattle U

7-15, 4-3

Seattle U

Grand Canyon

Coach Trent May

Photo by: Darryl Webb

2/5/2015 9:01:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Grand Canyon had a rough shooting night, but battled all evening to have a shot at the end. Unfortunately for the Lopes, freshman sharpshooter Casey Rarrick's three-pointer from the right baseline didn't fall and the Lopes dropped a 59-56 decision to Seattle U (7-15, 4-3) at GCU Arena Thursday.

Rarrick was one of the keys to the comeback. She finished the night with a game-high 20 points. It was her third straight 20-plus scoring night – the only three by the Lopes this season. Rarrick had 12 in the second half. August Touchard added 17 and Cheyenne Hedrington had a career-best 15 rebounds.

GCU (9-11, 3-4) shot just 28.1 percent from the field (18-of-64), but scrapped and clawed back from a 10-point second-half deficit. The Lopes trailed by six, 59-53 with :24 left. On an assist from Rarrick, Touchard hit a three-pointer with :16 remaining. After a GCU timeout, Courtney Hayes got a steal and Rarrick got a good look at the game-tier, but it wasn't meant to be Thursday night.

To hear the postgame wrapup with Jared Cohen and Jenna Pearson along with interviews with head coach Trent May and freshman Casey Rarrick, click here.

Hayes had eight points, seven rebounds and three assists. The Lopes outrebounded the Redhawks 45-42. Both teams had just nine turnovers.

After hitting only two of their last 20 first-half field goal attempts, the Lopes were down just 27-22 at the half. Seattle U, after leading by as much as eight, 27-19, struggled from the field, too. The Redhawks hit just one of their last eight and had three turnovers in the final 4:22. Rarrick hit her second trey of the first half with :43 to go to cut the lead to five. For the half, the Lopes were 7-of-29 (24.1 percent) and the Redhawks were 11-of-33 (33.3 percent). The Lopes made up the difference by hitting four three-pointers to Seattle U's one. Rarrick and Touchard each had eight first-half points.

Kaylee Best had 16 points for Seattle U. Taelor Ross had 14 points and 14 rebounds.

The night was deemed 'Barefoot Thursday'. The GCU staff coached barefoot and, at halftime, fans were asked to donate their shoes to the Barefoot Tribe, a ministry that supplies footwear to people in Liberia and Malawi.

SU 59, GCU 56