Lopes fall in OT heartbreaker

Thursday, February 1

Kansas City, Mo.

6 P.M.

Grand Canyon

10-11, 4-3WAC

UMKC

8-14, 4-3WAC

OT 1

Grand Canyon

UMKC

2/1/2018 9:58:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Five players in double-digits

By: Sarah Woodward

KANSAS CITY – Junior Kavita Akula tallied a career-high 20 points and five players scored in double-digits for the Lopes on Thursday night at the Swinney Recreation Center, but GCU (10-11, 4-3 WAC) was outlasted in overtime by Kansas City (8-14, 4-3 WAC), 84-82. The loss marks the second to the Roos this season and the first in overtime for the Lopes this year.

Akula was 6-11 from the 3-point line in her 20-point game, a season-high triple basket number for the guard. She also tallied 2-3 from the free throw line, four rebounds and an assist.

Senior Jessica Gajewski hit 4-8 3-pointers for the Lopes as well en route to 16 points on the night. The guard added four assists, three steals and a board as well.

In 33 minutes of play, senior Brie Mobley tallied 14 points for her 19th double-digit game on the year. Mobley also had eight rebounds and assists apiece before fouling out prior to the end of regulation.

The pair of senior August Touchard and junior ShaRon Miller had 10 points apiece, while Touchard had a team-best nine rebounds and three assists and Miller had four boards.

Sophomore Vanessa Murphy and freshman Camille Hailey added five points each, while freshman Myra Williams had two.

The Lopes took an early lead in the first before UMKC went ahead, leaving GCU down 12-5 after a 10-0 run. The Lopes fought back to come within six, 26-20, at the end of the first.
End of Q1: Lopes trail, 26-20

Four-straight 3-pointers from Akula brought the Lopes ahead, 36-30, with 6:10 to play in the second quarter. The Lopes went ahead by as many as eight (40-32), before UMKC cut the GCU lead to five, 41-36, heading into the locker room.

The Lopes outscored the Roos 21-10 in the second quarter and Akula made a team-best and personal season-high five 3-pointers in the first half alone.

GCU maintained a lead until the 3:53 mark in the third quarter, when UMKC hit a jumper to go ahead by one, 53-52. Momentum went back and forth between the teams before the Roos jumped out to a two-point 59-57 lead at the end of the third.

GCU and UMKC traded the lead seven times in the fourth quarter before settling at a 74-74 knot to force the overtime period.

The Roos used a 5-0 run to take the largest lead of five points in the overtime period and held the Lopes off despite a series of free throws in the final seconds of play.

The Lopes close out the two-game trip on Saturday, Feb. 3 at Chicago State. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. (MT).