Record defense wins opener for record crowd

Wednesday, November 10

Phoenix, Ariz.

6 p.m.

Grand Canyon

1-0,0-0WAC

Arizona Christian

0-1

Arizona Christian

Grand Canyon

11/10/2021 9:44:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

Lopes force 41 opponent turnovers for rout in front of 2,831 fans

By: Paul Coro

Does the GCU Arena environment feed the opponent turnover total for Grand Canyon women's basketball? Or do the mounting miscues created by Lopes pressure defense make for an amped ambiance?

GCU might not know as long as both are breaking records simultaneously.

The Lopes opened the regular season by setting a Division I-era record for opponent turnovers in a game (41) and an all-time record for attendance (2,831) on Wednesday night. The turnovers helped GCU rout Arizona Christian 95-48, which provides reason for those fans to return Tuesday when the Lopes play next against Eastern Washington.

"The fans were incredible," GCU head coach Molly Miller said. "That's one of the reasons why I'm committed to really getting this team to buy into everything we do to make it a fun time for the fans. For them to have support of women's basketball, it's not like that everywhere. So it can't get lost on us. We're so extremely grateful for the support."
Molly Miller

Nine Lopes were making debuts in GCU uniforms, but they looked like they had been in the GCU defensive pressure system for longer than a few months.

From the time early in the game when transfers Dominique Phillips (Nevada) and Jay McChristine (Indiana State) made successive steals with junior guard Taylor Caldwell, the Lopes were rolling to 13-2 and 24-6 leads in the first quarter. Whoever rotated into the game maintained the pressure and effort to create 21 first-half turnovers for GCU's 48-21 halftime lead.

The Lopes topped the turnover record of 36 from last year's season opener, when Miller introduced her defensive style of trapping dribblers and interrupting passing lanes.

"We wanted to play for our fans," Miller said. "The last thing we talked about as exited the locker room for our warmups is show them how much heart and hustle you have and that will be appreciated. They came out to support us so the least we can do is leave it all out on the floor."

The Lopes put five scorers in double figures with four being newcomers. GCU's top two scorers were freshman reserve guards Kiyley Flowers and Ja'Mya Powell-Smith, who each scored 14 points despite playing less than 15 minutes apiece. McChristine and another graduate transfer, defending WAC scoring champion Amara Graham, scored 12 and 13 points, respectively, while McChristine topped the rebound count with eight boards in 16 minutes.

With GCU taking 40 more shots than Arizona Christian, McChristine crashed the offensive glass for five of the rebounds and shared the team lead in steals (four) with Flowers.

Jay McChristine

"It's fun for me," said McChristine, a 6-foot-1 post player who made 6 of 8 shots and dished three assists. "I love being up on the ball. I love playing defense. I love turning people over. It just feels good. I feel like I'm at home again.

"Being around this environment and being around people that I can mold with instantly, it was fun. My word is fun for today. I just enjoyed myself, especially with this team. We feed off each other. We give each other energy."

GCU played without Tiarra Brown, its most heralded returning player, because of an ankle sprain. Her sister, Tianna, teamed in the starting lineup with Graham and Caldwell for eight combined steals. The Lopes maintained the effort to the end, when sophomore guard Ambranette Storr dived on the floor for a steal that marked the Firestorm's 40th turnover.

The more GCU created turnovers, the less it needed to deal with Arizona Christian's attempt to slow the game with zone defense.

Powell, a freshman guard from Kansas City, split any kind of defense with her dribble drives. She made six of eight shots despite not being fully recovered from an ankle sprain.

"They gave me great energy for sure," Powell-Smith said of the GCU Arena crowd, which was bolstered by about 1,200 students from GCU Club Sports programs. "I wasn't expecting it. But I went out there and gave them all I could."

The crowd of 2,831 obliterated the old mark of 2,049 with the familiar look of a Purple Pregame Party and the infectious energy of Havocs, band, cheer and dance.

"It's emotional because women's basketball is taking off in the country," Miller said. "Here, GCU has totally bought into that and really given us resources and commitment into making women's basketball special and a special environment here. That's not lost on us or our kids."