Last-second jumper takes down Aggies

Saturday, January 29

Phoenix, Ariz.

2 p.m.

Grand Canyon

13-5,6-1WAC

New Mexico State

6-10,2-4WAC

New Mexico St.

Grand Canyon

1/29/2022 5:46:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Graham hits clutch shots; GCU moves to 6-1 in WAC play

By: Sierra Smith

The Grand Canyon women's basketball team took down New Mexico State 61-59 in an exciting finish with graduate guard Amara Graham making a game-winning, last-second shot Saturday at GCU Arena.

The Lopes and Aggies battled back and forth for 40 minutes with 14 lead changes all the way down to the last second, literally. But GCU has thrived in these situations this season, moving to 4-0 in games decided by points or fewer.

"It's going to be a physical battle," Lopes head coach Molly Miller said. "It's always a fun one, little bit of a rivalry, next-to-state rivalry. We're just going to come every game and we've got to prepare our best no matter who we're playing. Every game has to mean a lot to us because there's a lot of implications through this regular season for the postseason."

GCU (13-5, 6-1 WAC) moved into sole possession of second place in the conference with two players scoring in double figures, including Graham's 13 and a team-high 19 by graduate power forward Jay McChristine, who also grabbed seven rebounds and blocked two shots off the bench.

"We thought it was a mismatch in Jay's favor," Miller said about McChristine's post presence. "She did a really good job of taking advantage of that and just kind of playing with a chip on her shoulder. She was tough down there."

Lopes sophomore guard Tiarra Brown added nine points, seven rebounds and a game-high five steals.

The Lopes forced 22 New Mexico State turnovers, turning those takeaways into 19 points.

After jumping out to a 7-5 advantage, the Lopes went on a 6-0 run with 4:54 left in the first quarter to increase their lead to 13-5. New Mexico State responded to tie it at 13-13 heading into the second quarter. GCU capitalized on nine New Mexico State turnovers in the period, turning them into seven points on the other end of the floor.

New Mexico State took its first lead at 15-14 at the start of the second quarter before the Lopes responded by going on another 6-0 run, highlighted by a bucket from Graham for a 20-15 lead. The Aggies battled back to even it again at 29-29 heading into halftime.

The Lopes broke the tie in the third quarter, outscoring New Mexico State 19-18 in the period to seize a 48-47 lead entering the fourth.

The Aggies fought their way to a 59-56 lead with 1:36 to go before guard Tianna Brown set up Graham, who hit a huge 3-pointer to tie the game with 1:18 remaining. After a Tiarra Brown steal and an Aggie missed 3, GCU drained the clock to the final seconds and gave the ball to Graham, who dribbled right for a pull-up 16-foot jumper.

Graham hit a game-winning shot just two weeks ago against Abilene Christian. And just like that, she did it again.

The buzzer went off, but a review showed 0.3 seconds remaining, which was not enough time for the Aggies to make a play.

"We're getting some 'March' experience here early," Miller said. "I don't know if my ticker or my hair can take it. I'm probably gray underneath there, but this is fun. It's fun to come out on top in these close games."

Up next, GCU plays its rescheduled game against Stephen F. Austin, which leads the WAC with a 7-0 conference record, at 6 p.m. Monday in GCU Arena.

"It's going to be a great challenge," Miller said. "They're good 1 through 5. Any given person on their team that's on the court can score double digits. We really have to take care of business defensively because they're that skilled offensively."

GCU and Stephen F. Austin rank in the top five nationally for multiple defensive stat categories.

The Lopes rank second in the nation in steals per game (2.0), fourth in total steals (242) and turnovers forced per game (24.5) and rank seventh in turnover margin (plus-7.53).

The Ladyjacks lead the country in turnover margin (plus-9.89), rank second in turnovers forced per game (25.06) and fifth in steals per game (13.4) and total steals (241).

"They throw a lot at you defensively, so zone, man, press," Miller said. "That's two teams that are forcing a lot of turnovers so it's going to be a defensive battle for sure."