Lopes open WAC slate at Utah Valley

SATURDAY, JAN. 7
7:00 p.m. MST \| UCCU Center \| Orem,Utah.
GRAND CANYON LOPES 8-5 (0-0 WAC) GAME NOTES	at	UTAH VALLEY WOLVERINES 5-10 (0-0 WAC) GAME NOTES
HOW TO FOLLOW WAC Digital Network \| Live Stats \| @GCU_WBB

The Grand Canyon women's basketball program will tip-off its Western Athletic Conference slate at Utah Valley on Saturday night. Game time is set for 7 p.m. MST

GCU will open conference play on the road for the second-straight season and will look to start league play on a high note.

Last time Out
The Lopes closed out their non conference slate in an exhibition contest against Arizona Christian on Wednesday night. While the Lopes came out of the gates hot, quickly taking the lead early in the game. The Firestorm put together a comeback that left GCU with just a 10-point lead at the half.

In the second half, GCU came out with the tenacity they needed to maintain their advantage as they engineered a 10-2 run early in the third period to extend its lead back to 48-29. The Lopes went on to apply the press successfully, which led to a late period flurry of baskets to leave the mark at 59-36 to end the period.GCU looked to continue its third quarter momentum, but the Firestorm wouldn't go quietly as they engineered an 11-7 run to cut the Lopes lead to 69-47 midway through the fourth. GCU quickly answered with a pair of baskets, pushing the lead to 73-51. The Lopes went on to control the rest of the contest in the remaining minutes. A pair of Julieh Clark free throws iced the game for GCU as they ended the contest with a 77-54 finish.

GCU STARTING FIVE

1. The Lopes will start conference play on the road for the second-straight season as they travel to face Utah Valley. GCU will look to pick up its first WAC win on the road after going 0-1 in its opening league game a season ago. The Lopes defeated Utah Valley in their first meeting in Orem last season at a 61-53 mark, picking up their first conference victory.

2. On Saturday against Chaminade, Brie Mobley notched GCU's eigth double double of the year off a 19 point 11 rebound outing. She has led GCU in rebounds through three straight contests and notched her second double-figure board outing this season.

3. GCU has been consistent from long range on the young season, with 103 baskets from beyond the arc, the Lopes are averaging 7.9 treys per game. GCU is currently third in the WAC with a .347 3-point field goal percentage. The Lopes made 10 triples against Chaminade, with six of the 10 from Casey Rarrick (6-of-9).

4. With four Lopes sitting in the top-5 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 8.3 boards per game. Marcos-Canedo sits atop the leader boards with a 2.3 assist/turnover ratio allowing 21 turnovers through 49 assists. Gajewski is third in 3-point field goal percentage with a .422 mark, while Aniya Baker is third with 4.2 assists per game.

5. The Lopes have done well in the turnover category this season. With a 1.2 turnover ratio, GCU's defense has caused problems for its opponents. GCU has averaged 15.8 takeaways thus far and has netted 186 points off turnovers this year. At Chaminade the Lopes forced 17 turnovers, netting 23 points off the 'Swords mistakes. GCU currently sits at third in the WAC in the category with 14.6 turnovers to its opponents 15.8.

Utah Valley Notables
Utah Valley is currently 5-10 on the year. The Wolverines are currently on a two-game win streak with wins over Antelope Valley and most recently Dixie State in its final non conference contest of the season.

The Wolverines are currently averaging 61.8 points per game with 34.9 rebounds per game. Taylor Gordon and Mariah Seals both lead the squad with 14.3 points per contest. Sam Lubcke has a team-leading 7.7 boards per game.

GCU will meet conference foe Utah Valley for the eighth time in program history and holds the 5-2 all-time advantage. Last season, the Lopes completed the sweep of UVU during Senior Night in the final home contest with a 65-64 victory. GCU will start the series on the road for the second straight season and will look to pick up back-to-back opening series victories on Saturday.

Up Next
The Lopes will open WAC play at home on Thursday, Jan.12 against conference foe New Mexico State. Tip is set for 7 p.m. MST.

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Players Mentioned

Aniya Baker

Julieh Clark

Brie Mobley

Casey Rarrick

Grand Canyon University Athletics