Lopes suffer first home loss to No.13 Washington

Thursday, December 1

Phoenix, Ariz.

7:00 P.M.

Grand Canyon

3-4

101

Washington

7-1

Washington

101

Grand Canyon

12/1/2016 9:15:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Imani Suber

PHOENIX - The Grand Canyon women's basketball team suffered its first home loss Thursday night at the hands of No.13 Washington in a 101-66 finish.

GCU had a strong outing to start the contest, shooting 42.4 percent from the field and secured five 3-pointers in the half. But, the Lopes lost momentum in the second as the Huskies athleticism and quickness became overpowering.

Marina Laramie led GCU in scoring with 24 points going 10-for-21, she also led with seven rebounds on the night. Jessica Gajweski netted 15 points good for second on the team, while Aniya Baker had a season-high seven assists.

How it Happened
The Lopes had a solid performance in the first half shooting 42.4 percent from the field. Although the Lopes trailed by nine at the half, Laramie and Gajewski put up double digit performances to help keep the game manageable. GCU held the nation's leading scorer Kelsey Plum scoreless for nine minutes of action, before she netted her first points late in the first quarter.

GCU took the early lead off a Baker jumper. While the Huskies quickly answered with a layup, Laramie struck back draining a jumper to give GCU back the lead at 4-2. The Lopes continued to execute their game plan on offense as Laramie scored a bucket from long range to bring the Lopes within one at 10-9. At the end of the first quarter, GCU and the Huskies were aggressive, trading buckets on each possession. The Lopes shot 47.7 percent from the field, while Washington shot 40 percent for a 20-13 mark.

Early in the second quarter, GCU kept its offense going as Baker scored to cut the Huskies lead to 25-19. Gajewski followed with a 3 to get the Lopes within eight at 26-18. GCU remained vigilant knocking down three straight treys to come within nine at 35-26 with 2:19 left in the half. Both teams continued to perform on offense trading scores and the half ended with a 43-34 Washington advantage.

Baker opened the second half as she opened the first with a jumper to answer a Washington trey that opened the half. From that point on, Washington controlled both sides of the court accompanied by smothering defense to pull away with the scoreboard at 72-43.

In the fourth, the Lopes engineered a 10-4 run to cut the lead to 81-56 midway through the final quarter, but the Huskies power and strength proved insurmountable. Although Alyx Bloom scored six points in the last two minutes, the Lopes weren't able to apply enough defensive pressure to give themselves a chance to mount a come back and ended the contest in a 101-66 finish.

Lopes Quotes
Head coach Trent May
"They've are very talented. They really have some players that understand the game of basketball and that are hard to matchup with. You've got the country's leading scorer in Kelsey Plum and Chantel Osahor is great, great player just incredible talent. I'm really proud of our girls. I think we got better tonight in a lot of ways, we rebounded the ball well in the first half. I think our players got some confidence shooting the ball a little bit. There are always things you can take away from this game. The scoreboard is not something you want to look at, but you learn from these experiences and we gained experience throughout the game. A lot of reference points for sure, good and bad but definitely a good test and a great opponent."

Lopes Notes

Marina Laramie led the Lopes in scoring for the sixth time this season.
Laramie posted her second consecutive 20+ point outing.
GCU made 11 3-point field goals, its second highest total of the year and second double digit performance in two contests.
Aniya Baker had a season-high seven assists.

Up Next
GCU is back in action at GCU Arena on Sunday, Dec. 4 against Florida Atlantic. Tip-off is set for 12 p.m. MST.