Lopes return home to host Seattle U, Utah Valley

Thursday, February 16

Phoenix, Ariz.

7:00 P.M.

Grand Canyon

Seattle U

2/15/2017 10:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball

GCU Game Notes Seattle U Game Notes Utah Valley Game Notes GCU Game Notes

THURSDAY, FEB. 16
7:00 p.m. MST \| GCU Arena \| Phoenix, Ariz.
GRAND CANYON LOPES 12-10 (4-5 WAC) Stats .pdf Link GAME NOTES	vs.	SEATTLE U REDHAWKS 11-13 (8-1 WAC) Stats .pdf Link GAME NOTES
HOW TO FOLLOW WAC Digital Network \| Live Stats \| @GCU_W BB

SATURDAY, FEB. 18
2:00 p.m. MST \| GCU Arena \| Phoenix, Ariz.
GRAND CANYON LOPES 12-10 (4-5 WAC) Stats .pdf Link GAME NOTES	vs.	UTAH VALLEY WOLVERINES 8-16 (3-6 WAC) Stats .pdf Link GAME NOTES
HOW TO FOLLOW GCU TV \| Live Stats \| @GCU_WBB

The Grand Canyon women's basketball team will return home to host Seattle U and Utah Valley. The Lopes will play Seattle U on Thursday, Feb.16 at 7 p.m. MST. GCU will square off with Utah Valley on Saturday, Feb. 17. Tip is set for 2.

Last Time Out
GCU fell to 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 which ultimately resulted in the loss.

GCU STARTING FIVE

1. GCU will host its Breast Cancer Awareness game on Saturday against Utah Valley as they honor the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. The Lopes will wear pink uniforms in the contest.

2.Fifth-year transfer Erika Thomas put up two high-caliber outings last week. Thomas picked up 22 boards in back-to-back contests, which included a 15 rebound outing at UTRGV and a seven board day at NM State. Thomas' 15 boards last Thursday, marked the first tme a Lope achieved the feat since the 2014-15 season. She is just the fourth player in the team's Division I history to combine for 22 or more boards in consecutive contests.

3.Since returning to the court after an ankle injury, Laramie has performed well. Through WAC contests she's averaged 19.3 points per game, good for first place in the league. Overall, she is averaging 19.9 points per game good for No.17 in the NCAA. She currently leads the conference in scoring by 3.6 points.

4. With an 9-2 home record, GCU has posted the best mark since the 2013-14 season. GCU's lone losses have been at the hands of No. 10 Washington and New Mexico State. The Lopes finished their inaugural season in Division I play with a 11-2 record. GCU's nine home wins before February, has been the highest in the program's Division I history.

5. With one Lope leading the conference in scoring and a total of four in the top-5 in the conference standings, GCU continues to impress on the court. Laramie leads with 19.9 ppg, she also leads in 3-Point FG Pct at 45.70 percent. Gajewski sits at fourth in the category (39.0). Zelor Massaquoi is now second with 8.2 rpg. Aniya Baker sits in the top 2 with 3.9 apg.

Seattle U Notables
The Redhawks are currently 11-13 on the year. They sit at second in the WAC with a 8-1 conference mark, with their lone loss to NM State.

They are currently averaging 64.2 points per game with 36.9 rebounds per game. Alexis Montgomery leads the squad in scoring with 16.3 points per game, she also has a team-leading 8.0 boards per contest. Kaylee Best is also putting up 13.5 points per contest.

GCU will meet Seattle U for the 10th time in program history. Seattle U holds the advantage in the all-time series at 4-5. In their last meeting, GCU fell to the Redhawks in Seattle U in a 86-60 finish.

Utah Valley Notables
Utah Valley is currently 8-16 on the year. The Wolverines are currently 3-6 in conference play and on a two game win streak after defeating UMKC and Chicago State.

The Wolverines are averaging 60.0 ppg with 35.3 rpg. Taylor Gordon leads the squad with 14.8 ppg, while Sam Lubke leads with 8.6 rpg. Utah Valley's Mariah Seals (13.4) and Lubcke (12.1) are both averaging double figures.

GCU will meet conference foe Utah Valley for the ninth time in program history and holds the 6-2 all-time advantage. GCU dominated in Orem in the team's last meeting in January, picking up its first WAC win of the season at 62-48.

Up Next
GCU will return to the road for its final road trip of the regular season as they meet Chicago State on Thursday, Feb. 23 at 6:00 p.m. MST and UMKC on Saturday, Feb. 25. Tip is set for 1 p.m.