Completed Event: Women's Basketball versus San Diego State on February 4, 2026 , Win , 57, to, 44
W Basketball
vs San Diego State
W 57-44
Grand Canyon University Athletics
WAC tourney brings 'new season'
3/13/2019 8:25:00 AM | Women's Basketball, Paul Coro
Healthier team, emerging Daniel bolster Lopes for postseason
LAS VEGAS — The WAC Basketball Tournament always can be considered a new season for teams.
But for Grand Canyon women's basketball, it is especially true with only two players who return from last season's WAC Tournament team and a freshmen-heavy playing rotation that did not find full health this season until this month.
The sixth-seeded Lopes open the tournament against third-seeded CSU Bakersfield at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at Orleans Arena with the winner advancing to a 2:30 p.m. Friday semifinal.
"We have improved," GCU second-year head coach Nicole Powell said. "You can see it because everyone is here for a sustained duration so I think our best basketball is ahead of us honestly. I think we're seeing it here at the end of the season.
"It's a new season for us. It's a fresh perspective. Nothing else matters. It doesn't matter what your record is. It's right now. I want them seeing and feeling that and we'll give everything we have."
Two of the WAC's top four defensive teams meet after Bakersfield (13-16, 9-7 WAC) beat GCU (7-19, 5-11) twice during the season by scores of 59-46 on Feb. 2 and 51-37 on March 2. But each team is coming off a season-ending split series, with each recording a win against Utah Valley and loss to Seattle.
The youthful Lopes, often reduced to seven healthy players, have grown up this season with a leniency on resiliency. This game will test that against a Bakersfield defense that averages 11 steals per game and leads the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio.
"One of our biggest things has been resiliency," Powell said. "Bouncing back and growing from those things and moving forward. That is something the team has really gained and resiliency has become our identity."
GCU junior power forward Da'jah Daniel has been one of the most positive products of how the Lopes reinvented themselves along the way. The 6-foot-4 junior college transfer was not able to work out with GCU over the summer, began the season as a reserve and finished the regular season on the All-WAC second team, making her one of the conference's top 10 players by the coaches' vote.
Daniel is one of 11 Division I players in the nation to have at least 22 rebounds in a game this season. She posted a 24-point, 22-board game against California Baptist on Jan. 26 for one of her three double-doubles in WAC competition. Despite being limited by a broken thumb for several games, Daniel ranked fifth in WAC play for rebounds per game (9.1) and field goal percentage (53.5).
"We just need to continue to defend them well and lock them down because defense wins games," Daniel said. "We have to crash the boards. If we lead in rebounds, we're going to win.
"This is a great chance for us to show everybody what we're made of."
Senior AJ Cephas teams with Daniel on the frontline to lead GCU in scoring at 10.2 points per game while adding 5.7 rebounds per game. Teamed with senior ShaRon Miller off the bench, the Lopes' post game often has been its offensive strength. Next to senior guard Kavita Akula's leadership, freshman guards Laura Piera, Taylor Caldwell and Venla Varis have developed over the season with Varis becoming the seventh-ranked 3-point shooter in the conference at 39.3 percent.
"It's a tribute to the staff to continually push the envelope and figure out what we can do with what we have," Powell said. "Our kids stayed with us."
Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
But for Grand Canyon women's basketball, it is especially true with only two players who return from last season's WAC Tournament team and a freshmen-heavy playing rotation that did not find full health this season until this month.
The sixth-seeded Lopes open the tournament against third-seeded CSU Bakersfield at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at Orleans Arena with the winner advancing to a 2:30 p.m. Friday semifinal.
"We have improved," GCU second-year head coach Nicole Powell said. "You can see it because everyone is here for a sustained duration so I think our best basketball is ahead of us honestly. I think we're seeing it here at the end of the season.
"It's a new season for us. It's a fresh perspective. Nothing else matters. It doesn't matter what your record is. It's right now. I want them seeing and feeling that and we'll give everything we have."
Two of the WAC's top four defensive teams meet after Bakersfield (13-16, 9-7 WAC) beat GCU (7-19, 5-11) twice during the season by scores of 59-46 on Feb. 2 and 51-37 on March 2. But each team is coming off a season-ending split series, with each recording a win against Utah Valley and loss to Seattle.
The youthful Lopes, often reduced to seven healthy players, have grown up this season with a leniency on resiliency. This game will test that against a Bakersfield defense that averages 11 steals per game and leads the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio.
"One of our biggest things has been resiliency," Powell said. "Bouncing back and growing from those things and moving forward. That is something the team has really gained and resiliency has become our identity."
GCU junior power forward Da'jah Daniel has been one of the most positive products of how the Lopes reinvented themselves along the way. The 6-foot-4 junior college transfer was not able to work out with GCU over the summer, began the season as a reserve and finished the regular season on the All-WAC second team, making her one of the conference's top 10 players by the coaches' vote.
Daniel is one of 11 Division I players in the nation to have at least 22 rebounds in a game this season. She posted a 24-point, 22-board game against California Baptist on Jan. 26 for one of her three double-doubles in WAC competition. Despite being limited by a broken thumb for several games, Daniel ranked fifth in WAC play for rebounds per game (9.1) and field goal percentage (53.5).
"We just need to continue to defend them well and lock them down because defense wins games," Daniel said. "We have to crash the boards. If we lead in rebounds, we're going to win.
"This is a great chance for us to show everybody what we're made of."
Senior AJ Cephas teams with Daniel on the frontline to lead GCU in scoring at 10.2 points per game while adding 5.7 rebounds per game. Teamed with senior ShaRon Miller off the bench, the Lopes' post game often has been its offensive strength. Next to senior guard Kavita Akula's leadership, freshman guards Laura Piera, Taylor Caldwell and Venla Varis have developed over the season with Varis becoming the seventh-ranked 3-point shooter in the conference at 39.3 percent.
"It's a tribute to the staff to continually push the envelope and figure out what we can do with what we have," Powell said. "Our kids stayed with us."
Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
Players Mentioned
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