Regular season starts at home

Wednesday, November 10

Phoenix, Ariz.

6 p.m.

Grand Canyon

Arizona Christian

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11/10/2021 6:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball

Lopes welcome Arizona Christian to GCU Arena to start Miller's 2nd season

By: Sierra Smith

Wednesday, Nov. 10 \| 6 p.m. \| GCU Arena

	ARIZONA CHRISTIAN FIRESTORM (2-1)	vs.	GRAND CANYON LOPES (0-0)

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The Grand Canyon women's basketball officially begins its 2021-22 slate with a home game against Arizona Christian at 6 p.m. Wednesday for Wildlife Night.

THREE THINGS TO KNOW

New year, new team: The Lopes added 10 newcomers with five freshmen and five transfers. The freshmen are Ja'Mya Powell Smith, Kassidy Dixon, McKenna Simons, Kiyley Flowers and Naudia Evans. Transfers include Amara Graham (UT Rio Grande Valley), Ambranette Storr (Moberly Area Community College), Dominique Phillips (Nevada), Lauren Rewers (Michigan State) and Jay McChristine (Indiana State).
Defensive focus: Last season, GCU ranked second nationally for steals (13.4 per game) and turnover margin (plus-8.4 per game) while also coming in fourth for turnovers forced (23.3 per game).
Top win percentage: Head coach Molly Miller holds the highest career winning percentage (.892) of any NCAA men's or women's basketball coach at the Division I, II or III levels with at least seven years of experience.

SCOUTING

Arizona Christian is 2-1 with a season-opening loss to Providence and wins against Embry-Riddle and Park (Ariz.).
The Firestorm played an exhibition game at Arizona and lost 110-39.
ACU is led by Alyssa Alvarez, who is averaging 17.7 points.

LAST TIME OUT

The Lopes defeated the Mustangs of Western New Mexico 93-56 in an exhibition. The game went more than three minutes before Western New Mexico was able to put a ball on the rim. The rest of the night adhered to the Lopes' penchant for pressure defense, getting 24 steals to create 30 turnovers in a 93-56 home victory that prepped GCU for the regular season.
Seven Lopes played a game for GCU for the first time, including a trio of double-digit scorers in McChristine (15 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals in 20 minutes), graduate Lauren Rewers (15 points in 12 minutes) and junior Dominique Phillips (14 points, three assists).
The Lopes blew the game open in the second quarter with a 17-4 finish that put GCU ahead 41-25 at the half. Graham scored all eight of her points in the first half while Caldwell made all five of her steals in the first half.