WAC title requires beating 23-0 CBU

Saturday, March 13 \| 3 p.m. (Phoenix time) \| WAC Tournament championship \| Orleans Arena

	CALIFORNIA BAPTIST LANCERS (23-0)	vs.	GRAND CANYON LOPES (18-6)

WATCH: ESPN+ \| STATS: View

LAS VEGAS – The Grand Canyon women's basketball team approached the WAC Tournament with "Why not us?" stamped into its mindset.

So when it comes to vying to be the first team to beat California Baptist, the Lopes ask again, "Why not us?"

There would be no better time to do it than Saturday's WAC Tournament championship game at 3 p.m. (Phoenix time) and no more equipped team to do it than the Lopes, who came the closest to beating the Lancers (23-0) this season.

When GCU (18-6) lost two games at CBU on Feb. 19-20, the Lopes missed two potential game-winning shots at the end of regulation before losing 81-77 in overtime. CBU beat GCU 79-64 a day later, but the Lancers escaped a blemish again last week with a 66-64 win at Seattle.

"They're just pretty dominant offensively so you're going to have a powerhouse from an offensive perspective at CBU and then, us defensively, we're very strong on that side of the ball," Lopes head coach Molly Miller said. "We feel confident, though, because we were right there. That should give us a lot of confidence."

Taylor Caldwell

Like the Utah Valley team that GCU beat in the semifinals, the Lancers put a point guard and a power forward on the All-WAC first team. Unlike the Wolverines pair Friday, the CBU duo has thrived against GCU.

Senior point guard Ane Oleata averages 12.0 points and 7.7 assists per game and put up 19.0 points and 10.0 assists against the Lopes with 52% shooting. Senior power forward Britney Thomas, who missed last season for injury, is averaging 13.4 points in 19.2 minutes per game on 66% shooting. Against GCU, Thomas averaged 20.5 points and 8.5 rebounds against GCU with 74% shooting.

This tournament would be the Lancers' crowning achievement, even as the nation's only undefeated women's basketball team. CBU is not eligible for the NCAA tournament because it is in the third year of a four-year transition. Utah Valley, as the regular season's second-place team, would be the WAC's automatic qualifier if CBU wins Saturday.

"I'm pretty excited that we've gotten this far," Lancers head coach Jarrod Olson said. "We've had a great season and hopefully we can continue to play well (Saturday). I know it's going to be a tough game … Molly and Grand Canyon have been dynamite."

In the games at CBU, freshman Katie Scott and Tiarra Brown led GCU's scoring, as they have on the season. Scott posted 26 points and eight rebounds in the overtime loss but was limited in opportunities in a 12-point, 7-rebound second game. Brown averaged 17.5 points and 8.5 rebounds on 48% shooting in the set. The Lopes' other perimeter starters went 7 for 33 in the overtime loss.

The GCU pressure defense rattled CBU into 22 turnovers in the first game, but the Lancers made a Lopes opponent season-low 12 turnovers in the second win.

GCU ranks fifth nationally for opponent turnovers per game (23.5) and third for steals with 13.6 per game, led by guards Laura Piera and Taylor Caldwell combining for 5.4 per game.

"All around, this team has grown since Day 1," said Miller, in her first season as GCU head coach. "Here, a stranger came in and asked them to do some crazy stuff. We're going to press full-court for 40 minutes? We're going to trap, run-and-gun and play fast, something the returners weren't really used. So I'm really proud of them accepting my vision and obviously putting it out there on the court."

Saturday's game will be streamed on ESPN+.

Saturday, March 13 | 3 p.m. (Phoenix time) | WAC Tournament championship | Orleans Arena

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Players Mentioned

Tiarra Brown

Taylor Caldwell

Laura Piera

Katie Scott

Grand Canyon University Athletics