Lopes conclude homestand, host Cal Poly

Saturday, December 10

Phoenix, Ariz.

1:00 P.M.

Grand Canyon

Cal Poly

12/9/2016 10:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball

GCU Game Notes Cal Poly Game Notes Cal Poly Notes

By: Imani Suber

SATURDAY, DEC. 10
1 p.m. MST \| GCU Arena \| Phoenix, Ariz.
GRAND CANYON LOPES 4-4 (0-0 WAC) Stats .pdf Link GAME NOTES	VS	CAL POLY MUSTANGS 4-4 (0-0 BIG WEST) Stats .pdf Link GAME NOTES
HOW TO FOLLOW Live Video Stream GCU.TV \| Live Stats \| @GCU_WBB

The Grand Canyon women's basketball program concludes its homestand at GCU Arena as they welcome Cal Poly to Phoenix, Ariz on Dec. 10. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. MST.

GCU will look to continue its winning ways after dominating Florida Atlantic last Sunday in a 81-60 victory, picking up its fifth win at home this year.

Last time Out
GCU took control in the first half putting together a 10-1 run to get the early advantage leading 18-11 at the end of the first. In the second the Lopes defense continued to force turnovers which they converted into 17 points off of eight Owl miscues. Led by Marina Laramie's 21 points in the half, GCU was effective in the paint scoring 23 of its 39 under the basket with a 39-21 advantage.

GCU continued to thrive on defense in the third quarter going into cruise control on offense and ending with a 49-31 lead. But, the Owls came alive in the fourth, engineering a 14-4 run and applying the press to render the Lopes scoreless for the majority of the quarter. Although FAU put together a solid comeback, the Lopes lead was insurmountable and GCU claimed the contest with a 81-60 victory.

Laramie lead the squad with 30 points (12-for-21) while Jessica Gajewski picked up 15 (6-for-10) going 3-for-6 from long range. Laramie snagged 10 boards en route to her third double double of the year.

GCU STARTING FIVE

1. Laramie garnered her first ever WAC Player of the Week accolades for her performance during Week 4 of action. She produced three straight 24 scoring outings and collected a double double with 30 points and 10 rebounds against Florida Atlantic on Sunday. This is the first POW Accolade for the squad this season.

2. GCU sits atop the nation's best this season. Laramie currently sits within the NCAA's top-20 with 20.5 ppg, occupying the 17th spot. The Lopes have also continued to thrive in the 3-point field goal's made category as they are now tied for 32nd in the nation with 8.3 per game and have tallied 66 on the year.

3. Laramie and Gajewski have put together consecutive double-figure scoring marks against UC Riverside, Washington and FAU. Laramie tallied three straight 20 point outings at with 24 points in both games against UCR and Washington, she put up 30 points against Florida Atlantic. Gajewski netted 16 points at UCR, with a pair of 15 point outings against Washington and FAU.

4. GCU has been consistent from long range, with 66 of its 192 total field goals from beyond the arc, the Lopes have shown confidence in the category. GCU outscored Florida Atlantic in the category draining 12 treys to the Owls two. GCU tied its season high mark with 12 triples, last achieved against Alcorn State in the season opener. The Lopes are currently second in the WAC in 3-point field goals made and tied for 32nd in the NCAA.

5. The Lopes are making their presence known in the WAC statistical categories. With Lopes sitting in the top-3 in the conference in their respective categories GCU continues to improve on the court. Laramie now leads the conference with 20.5 points per game, while Zelor Massaquoi sits at third with 8.4 boards per game. Casey Rarrick is tied for second in 3-point field goals made with 2.6 per game, and Aniya Baker is third in steals averaging 2.8 per game. She also sits in the third spot with 4.5 assists per game.

Cal Poly Notables
The Mustangs are currently 4-4 on the year. Cal Poly has played two ranked opponents in No. 10 Stanford and No. 9 UCLA this season. The Mustangs are currently averaging 69.5 points per game with 42.8 boards per game. Hannah Gilbert leads the team with 16.3 points per game and 7.9 rebounds per contest. The Mustangs begin the week No. 1 in the Big West and No. 14 nationally in free-throw percentage, at .784 (109-for-139)

In their last outing, Cal Poly defeated Pepperdine, 62-53. The Mustangs dominated early leading the Waves through three quarters of action. Pepperdine rallied late coming within four in the final frame, but through four straight Mustang stops they were able to claim the victory. Yas Bacote-Robinson led the team with 14 points and nine rebounds.

GCU and the Mustangs will meet for the first time in program history Saturday afternoon.

Up Next
The Lopes resume their road slate as they travel to face Southern Utah on Thursday, Dec. 6. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. MST.