Lopes look to bounce back against UTRGV

SATURDAY, JAN. 14
2:00 p.m. MST \| GCU Arena \| Phoenix, Ariz.
GRAND CANYON LOPES 9-6 (1-1 WAC) GAME NOTES	vs.	UTRGV VAQUEROS 12-7 (2-1 WAC) GAME NOTES
Live Stream WAC Digital Network \| Live Stats Live Stats \| Twitter @GCU_WBB

The Grand Canyon women's basketball program will continue its home stand as as they welcome UTRGV to GCU Arena Saturday, Jan. 14. Game time is set for 2 p.m. MST

GCU will look to bounce back after suffering its first WAC loss to New Mexico State on Thursday.

Last time Out
GCU put up a fight against NM State, but couldn't overcome the 16-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Led by Marina Laramie's 23 points (9-of-18), the Lopes shot 43.3 percent from the field. Brie Mobley added 17 points and 10 rebounds for her second double-double of the season. Jessica Gajewski dropped 10 points (4-of-10), including two 3-pointers. In the first half, Laramie turned things around for Lopes as she recorded 11 points off 4-of-9 shooting. Laramie and Mobley (8) accounted for 19 of GCU's 29 points before the break. Headed into the locker room, the Lopes shot 40.7 percent compared to the Aggies' 48.3 percent.

After the break, the Lopes turned up the offense, hitting 64.7 percent of their shots in the 3rd Quarter. Led by Laramie's 12 points, the Lopes were able to cut the Aggies' lead to 52-50 with less than three minutes to go in the period. After a 6-0 run by the NM State, the Lopes headed to the final quarter down 62-55. In the 4th Quarter, the Lopes lost their rhythm offensively as they struggled to find the net in the first five minutes. The Aggies stepped up their defense giving GCU problems and went on an 8-0 run to improve their lead to 70-57. While the Lopes continued to fight back during the remaining minutes of the game, NM State's lead proved too tough to overcome as the Lopes suffered just its second loss of the season at GCU Arena.

GCU STARTING FIVE

1.GCU has registered nine double doubles on the year off performances from five different Lopes. Laramie currently leads the squad in the category with four. Mobley picked up her second double double against New Mexico State after netting 17 points and pulling down 10 boards on the night. Aniya Baker, Vanessa Murphy and Zelor Massaquoi share one a piece.

2. With a WAC leading 8.5 boards per game and a total of 111, Massaquoi has embraced her starting role as the team's leading rebounder. On the season, she has 44 offensive rebounds and 67 defensive boards. Against NM State, she pulled down nine boards. She has led GCU in the category five times this year.

3. GCU has been consistent from long range on the season, with 117 baskets from beyond the arc, the Lopes are averaging 7.8 treys per game. GCU now leads the WAC with a .353 3-point field goal percentage. The Lopes made five triples against the Aggies. Jessica Gajewski currently sits at No.32 in the nation with a 43.2 3-point FG scoring mark.

4. With four Lopes sitting in the top-3 in the WAC in their respective categories and two Lopes leading the conference in rebounds and assist/turnover ratio, GCU continues to impress on the court. Massaquoi continues to maintain a WAC leading 8.5 boards per game. Marcos-Canedo sits atop the leader boards with a 2.6 assist/turnover ratio allowing 22 turnovers through 58 assists. She now sits at third in assists with 4.1 per game. Gajewski is second in 3-point field goal percentage with a 43.2 mark .

5. The Lopes have done well in the turnover category this season. With a 1.3 turnover ratio GCU's defense has caused problems for its opponents. GCU has averaged 15.7 takeaways thus far and has netted 216 points off turnovers this year. Against NM State, GCU forced 10 turnovers.

UTRGV Notables

UTRGV is currently 12-7 on the year. The Vaqueros are 2-1 in conference play with wins over Chicago State (71-43) and UMKC (74-39). Their lone loss came at the hands of CSU Bakersfield (74-46).

They are currently averaging 65.6 points per game with 39.2 rebounds per game. Shawnte Goff leads the squad in scoring with 14.9 points per game. Hild Kjartansdottir also has a team-leading 7.2 boards per contest. Mary Savoy is putting up 11.2 points per contest.

GCU will meet UTRGV for the seventh time in program history with the all-time series locked at 3-3. While GCU was swept by UTRGV last season, the Lopes won both contests during the 2014-15 season. In their last meeting, GCU put up a fight, but failed to secure a triple in the remaining seconds to claim the win. As a result, the Lopes fell 68-66 to UTRGV.

Up Next
The Lopes will head back on the road for a showdown at Seattle U on Saturday, Jan.21. Tip is set for 5 p.m. MST. The game will be featured on the WAC Digital Network.

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Players Mentioned

Aniya Baker

Jessica Gajewski

Marina Laramie

Zelor Massaquoi

Brie Mobley

Vanessa Murphy

Grand Canyon University Athletics