GCU falls in tough game at Kansas City

Saturday, November 20

Kansas City, Mo.

1 p.m. (Phoenix time)

Grand Canyon

2-1,0-0WAC

Kansas City

3-1,0-0Summit League

Grand Canyon

Kansas City

11/20/2021 3:32:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

Lopes force Roos into 29 turnovers; Evans scores 13 in 11 minutes

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Grand Canyon women's basketball team forced 29 turnovers but fell 89-62 at Kansas City on Saturday.

The Lopes (2-1) had three double-digit scorers with 13 points from freshman guard Naudia Evans, a Missouri native who was among the GCU players and staff with local ties to attract a crowd of 1,199 fans. Graduate forward Jay McChristine posted 12 points, four rebounds and three steals and junior forward Dominique Phillips added 11 points, four rebounds and three assists.

"A lot of credit to UMKC," GCU head coach Molly Miller said. "They played a great all-around game."

The Roos (3-1) came out strong, leading 8-2 less than three minutes into the first quarter. The Lopes fought back to tie the game at 12-12 with a 3-pointer from senior guard Tianna Brown, but Kansas City went on a 14-0 run to end the quarter with a 26-12 lead.

In the second quarter, the Roos stretched their lead with a 7-0 run before GCU graduate guard Amara Graham drew a foul and sank two free throws to end the run. The Roos rebutted strong and led 50-34 at halftime.

The Lopes looked promising at the start of the second half with an 8-2 run that included four points from junior guard Taylor Caldwell and pulled them within 10 points (52-42 with 6:31 remaining in the third quarter). Kansas City senior guard Mandy Willems made sure the lead stayed out of reach with more of her six 3-pointers that helped her to 19 points. The Roos were led by graduate forward Brooklyn McDavid's 29 points on 9-of-12 shooting.

"On our third-quarter comeback, we showed what we are capable of, especially defensively," Miller said. "We have to string more of those stints together with consistency. This is a new team that's still figuring things out, but we were disappointed in our performance."

After trailing by 22 points going into the final quarter, the Lopes' foul trouble gave Kansas City eight points on free throws. The Roos were 29 of 33 from the line for the game and shot 46.4% from the field.

GCU had a good fan turnout at Swinney Center for the homecoming of Miller and the freshman trio of Evans, Kiyley Flowers and Ja'Mya Powell-Smith.

Got some @kiyley1 super fans in the house 💜 #LopesUp pic.twitter.com/rtLJTCzXMt
— GCU Women's Basketball (@GCU_WBB) November 20, 2021

"As a learning opportunity, we hope to move forward in a positive direction," Miller said. "The end goal is still in play and I am confident this team will find some internal motivation to bounce back and get better."

Up next, GCU heads home to host the GCU Women's Basketball Classic, presented by Talking Stick Resort, over Thanksgiving weekend.