GCU closes nonconference with UC Irvine

Thursday, December 23

Phoenix, Ariz.

12 p.m.

Grand Canyon

UC Irvine

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Photo by: Elizabeth Tinajero

12/22/2021 2:27:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Lopes return to GCU Arena to face Anteaters after 3 weeks away

By: Sierra Smith

Thursday, Dec. 23 \| Noon \| GCU Arena

	UC IRVINE ANTEATERS (5-5)	vs.	GRAND CANYON LOPES (6-4)

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The Grand Canyon women's basketball team is finally back at GCU Arena after three weeks on the road. GCU hosts UC Irvine for its final nonconference matchup before WAC play starts on Dec. 30.

THREE THINGS TO KNOW

DEFENSE STAYING HOT: The Lopes rank No. 1 nationally for steals per game (15.2), No. 4 for turnovers forced per game (25.2), No. 6 for total steals (152) and No. 7 for turnover margin (plus-8.3).
FIRST FRESHMAN STARTER: GCU freshman guard Naudia Evans earned the first start of her collegiate career at the South Padre Island Classic last weekend, making her the first Lopes freshman to start a game this season.
HAPPY TO BE HOME: The Lopes are happy to be back at GCU Arena, where they are 5-0 this season and 17-1 in head coach Molly Miller's two seasons.

SCOUTING UC IRVINE

The Anteaters (5-5) started their Arizona trip with a 69-52 loss at Arizona State on Tuesday.
Kayla Williams leads the team with 13 points per game. She also averages 4.2 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 2.6 steals per game.
Chloe Webb, a 5-foot-8 guard, is leading the boards for UC Irvine with 6.1 per game.
Seven Anteaters stand over 6 feet tall, with three of those players being freshmen.
Head coach Tamara Inoue, who is in her sixth season at UC Irvine, was named Big West Co-Coach of the Year for 2020-21 after leading the Anteaters to a 15-9 record and 11-4 conference record to finish second in the regular season. The Anteaters reached the Big West Tournament championship game for the first time since 1997.

LAST TIME OUT

GCU vs. Liberty

The Lopes battled hard until the end but fell to Liberty 76-61 on Day 1 of the South Padre Island Classic on Friday.
Graduate forward Jay McChristine led the GCU offense with 15 points. She also added four rebounds and a game-high three steals for the Lopes.
Joining McChristine in double figures was sophomore guard Tiarra Brown, who scored 12 points with six rebounds, and graduate guard Amara Graham, who posted 12 points and five assists.
The Lopes forced 18 Liberty turnovers, turning those takeaways into 12 points.
The Lopes shot 30.8% in the third quarter, putting them at a 54-45 disadvantage heading to the fourth quarter.

GCU vs. UTSA

Brown collected a double-double with 16 points and a career-high 13 rebounds to lead the Lopes to a 62-52 win over UT San Antonio in Saturday's final game of the South Padre Island Classic.
Joining Brown in double figures was her sister, senior guard Tianna Brown, who had 14 points on 5-for-5 shooting with four assists and two steals. Graham added 10 points, three rebounds, two steals and two assists
The GCU defense held UTSA to 34.6% shooting from the field. The Roadrunners did not get many second opportunities with only nine offensive rebounds and eight second-chance points, while the Lopes pulled down 29 defensive rebounds. GCU won the boards 38-31.
The Lopes extended their lead to 10 points with a 3-pointer from Evans to start the fourth quarter, but a 6-0 UTSA run cut the GCU lead to four with 7:19 to play. It was a back-and-forth battle for the rest of the quarter, but GCU came out on top, winning its first game away from GCU this season.