Lopes upended by NM State

Sunday, February 12

Las Cruces, NM

2:00 P.M.

Grand Canyon

12-10, 4-5

New Mexico State

18-6, 10-0

Grand Canyon

NM State

2/12/2017 4:45:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: Imani Suber

LAS CRUCES, n.m. -- The Grand Canyon women's basketball team fell to the NM State Aggies 67-60 Sunday afternoon. It was a tale of two halves as GCU came out popping in the first half, putting up 37 points for a nine point lead heading into the locker room. But the Lopes came out stagnant in the third, relinquishing a lead they would never get back deep in the third.

Marina Laramie led the Lopes with 26 points, going 11-of-25 from the field. Brie Mobley notched her fourth double double of the season with 14 points and 11 boards, while Jessica Gajewski also put 12 points on the board.

How it Happened
Gajewski opened up the contest with a triple giving GCU the early lead, Laramie followed shortly after with a trey herself to spark a 10-3 run early in the contest. Gajewski scored 10 in the first period to lead GCU to a 21-18 advantage at the end of the first.

The Lopes continued to capitalize on their momentum from the first half, as Laramie and Gajewski continued to rain buckets. While NM State briefly tied the game up at 21-21 early in the second, the Lopes wouldn't have it stepping up their defense and going on an offensive tear. GCU scored on four straight possessions outscoring the Aggies 16-10 in the quarter to end the half with a nine point advantage at 37-28.

While GCU came out of the break with a nine point lead, the Aggies mounted an 18-10 rally that rendered the Lopes scoreless for over a pair of minutes. They claimed the lead at 45-43 with two minutes left in the period. Laramie answered with back-to-back layups to keep the score within two at the end of the third at 49-47.

GCU started the final frame stagnant, going without a field goal for the first three minutes. As GCU struggled to get its offense in a consistent rhythm Touchard ended the scoring drought to stay within five at 54-49. NM State went on to continue its momentum on offense and extend its lead to nine at 60-51 with 2:12 left in the game. While Casey Rarrick drilled three free throws to bring the Lopes within seven, NM State's lead proved insurmountable in the final seconds of the game.

Lopes Quotes | Head Coach Trent May
"Once again we had our chances to steal a game against a really good team. We can be dangerous at times but we have to sustain it in crucial moments. We still have a lot to play for and can write a great script. "

Lopes Notes

Brie Mobley notched her fourth double double of the season with 14 points and 11 boards.
Marina Laramie put up a team-leading 26 points, shooting 11-of-25 from the field. She's lead GCU in points 12 times this season.
GCU scored 35 or more points in a half against its third WAC opponent this year with 37 first half points.

Up Next
The Lopes will return to GCU arena on Thursday, Feb.16 for a rematch with Seattle U. Tip is set for 7 p.m. MST.