GCU drops Cal Poly 64-59 Saturday

Saturday, December 10

Phoenix, Ariz.

1:00 P.M.

Grand Canyon

5-4

Cal Poly

4-5

Cal Poly

Grand Canyon

12/10/2016 4:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Imani Suber

The Grand Canyon women's basketball program picked up its second-straight win Saturday afternoon as they defeated Cal Poly 64-59 at GCU Arena. With the win the Lopes improve to 5-4 on the season and 5-1 at home.

GCU had two players accomplish double double performances for the first time this season as Marina Laramie ( 21 points, 11 rebounds) and freshman Vanessa Murphy ( 15 points, 10 rebounds) achieved the feat.

Laramie led the squad with 21 points for the seventh time this season, while Aniya Baker lead the team with five assists. She was also the GCU's third player to score in double-figures on the day finishing with 13 points and five boards.

How it Happened
GCU started slow as Cal Poly jumped out to an early four point advantage through the first two minutes. Casey Rarrick opened the Lopes scoring with a 3-pointer. GCU then followed with a couple baskets from Baker and Laramie to take the early lead at 5-4 which they would never relinquish. After the first timeout, the Lopes mounted a 7-2 run started by Baker's trey from the top of the arc, followed by a jumper from Laramie and a layup by Murphy. The Lopes kept the Mustangs from scoring for over two minutes and extended their lead at 16-11 at the end of the first.

In the second quarter both team's went on scoring droughts as only 18 points where put up on both sides. The Lopes held Cal Poly to just eight points in the second period and extended their lead off of Laramie's six points in the period along with Murphy and Marcos-Canedo scores to keep the advantage at 26-19 going into the half.

The Mustangs opened the third period with a 4-0 run to cut the deficit to four at 27-23. But GCU got the spark they needed from Laramie as the Lopes quickly answered with four-straight scores and extended their lead to 35-25. The Mustangs turned up the heat putting together a 6-0 run to come back within four at 34-31 with less than four minutes left in the third. The Lopes then engineered a 10-4 run deep in the period with a Baker triple at the buzzer to maintain a commanding lead at 47-35.

In the fourth, Cal Poly gained momentum after holding the Lopes from scoring for 3:02 minutes and going on a 7-1 run, cutting its lead to seven with under four minutes left in the game. The final frame was gritty and aggressive as Cal Poly had a late push coming within six, before two back-to-back Murphy layups. Although the Lopes were outscored in the final frame, the Mustangs couldn't overcome the five point deficit despite fighting down to the last second of the game. As a result, GCU pulled out the victory at 64-59.

Lopes Quotes
Head Coach Trent May
(on the team's performance)
"Our girls did a really good job in the second half of staying the course. It wasn't the prettiest half, but we found a way to win two first quarters which is huge, which gave us the half time lead. Thankfully that was enough to bring us to the win. So we had to compete obviously in the third and fourth quarter. Definitely proud of this team for fighting through adversity and overcoming the obstacles we had from warm-ups all the way to the end of the fourth quarter. Sometimes they say 'An ugly win is better than a good loss,' so I'll definitely take it. I'm proud of our girls tonight."

(on F Vanessa Murphy)
"Vanessa did a great job, when 'Red' (Marina Laramie) fouls out with four minutes left in the fourth quarter, that's still big minutes for a freshman. She grabbed some big rebounds and easy looks at the end because of the press and she finished those. So very proud of her and her effort tonight."

Lopes Notes

For the first time this season, the Lopes had two players notch double double performances in Marina Laramie ( 21 points, 11 rebounds) and freshman Vanessa Murphy ( 15 points, 10 rebounds).
Laramie led GCU in scoring with 21 points for the seventh time this season and led with 11 rebounds for the fifth time this year.
Laramie notched her fourth double double of the season. She accounts for five of the Lopes seven double doubles.
Vanessa Murphy picked up her first double double of her career, after collecting 15 points, 10 boards. She also had GCU's lone block and one trey on the day.
GCU has shot over 50 percent from the field in a half for the third time this season. The Lopes shot 52 percent in the second half.

Up Next
GCU heads back on the road as they travel to Cedar City, Utah to face the Southern Utah Thunderbirds on Friday, Dec. 16. Tip-off so 7 p.m. MST.