1st road trip tests GCU on Friday at Nicholls

Friday, November 18

Thibodaux, La.

5 p.m.

Grand Canyon

Nicholls

11/17/2022 1:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Lopes look to start season with 3-0 record for 2nd time under Miller

By: Nick Macdonald

Friday, Nov. 18 \| 5 p.m. (Phoenix time) \| David R. Stopher Gymnasium \| Thibodaux, La.

	NICHOLLS STATE COLONELS (2-1)	vs.	GRAND CANYON LOPES (2-0)

WATCH: N/A \| STATS: View

The Lopes head on the road for the first time this season as they take on Nicholls State on Friday evening.
It is the second time in as many years that GCU will face the Colonels. On Nov. 26, 2021, the Lopes prevail 103-55 in the GCU Thanksgiving Classic.
GCU is looking to start 3-0 for the second time under third-year head coach Molly Miller.

One week in, one weekly award from the conference. Freshman forward Alaina Harper was named WAC Freshman of the Week for her play against Arizona Christian and Grambling State.
GCU is second in the country in steals per game (21.5), third in assists per game (23.0) and seventh in turnovers forced per game (29.5).
Sophomore guard Naudia Evans ranks sixth in the nation in 3-point percentage (83.3%), making five of six attempts so far this year.
The Lopes are outscoring their competition 50-24 in third quarters and 172-109 for the season.
GCU is shooting 45.2% from the floor, with graduate forward Evan Zars leading the team at 73.3% (11 of 15).

The Lopes began Year 35 overall and Year 10 in Division I play on Nov. 7 vs. Arizona Christian.
Miller is in her third season at GCU and ninth overall as a collegiate head coach. She owns a 42-17 record as Lopes head coach and 222-34 overall mark with her previous time at Drury.
Four players tallied five or more steals, helping the Lopes tie for 13th in the country in steals with 43. Sophomore guard Aaliyah Collins leads the squad with eight.
GCU's 43 assists through two games are the most in that span to begin the season since beginning Division I play in 2013-14. The Lopes broke the program record for most assists in a game with 30 vs. Arizona Christian on Nov. 7.
GCU was predicted to finish third in the WAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, garnering 124 points and being one of three teams to receive first-place votes (two).
The conference selected Collins (first team) and junior guard Tiarra Brown (second team) on Preseason All-WAC. Both finished in the top 10 in the conference last year for steals per game, with Collins recording 2.5 per game (third) and Brown tallying 1.9 per contest (seventh).

Freshman forward Alaina Harper was named WAC Freshman of the Week after her combined 14-point, 13-rebound stat line aided GCU to wins vs. Arizona Christian and Grambling State.
Harper scored six points and grabbed six rebounds, including four offensive, in the 109-53 victory over the Firestorm. She provided a spark off the bench against the Tigers, totaling eight points and seven rebounds in 10 minutes while shooting 3 of 5 from the floor. Harper totaled seven offensive rebounds for the week and is tied for secondnd on the squad with 6.5 rebounds per game.

The Colonels enter Friday with a 2-1 record, winning both games at home.
Through three games, Nicholls ranks third in the Southland in rebounds per game (44.3) and second in free throw attempts per game (22.7).
Lexi Alexander is averaging a double-double to start the season, posting 14.7 points and 12.0 rebounds per game. She scored 26 in the home opener and gathered 20 rebounds against Alabama A&M.
The home game in Thibodaux is the Colonels' last one until Nov. 29, as they head to Mississippi Valley State to participate in the Lady Eagle Thanksgiving Tournament at Southern Miss.

GCU met Nicholls for the first time in program history last November in the GCU Thanksgiving Classic.
The Lopes won 103-55 on Nov. 26, 2021.
Tiarra Brown had seven points, three steals and a block while Dominique Phillips totaled five points, four rebounds and four steals in the win.

GCU returns home and hosts the GCU Thanksgiving Classic on Friday, Nov. 25, and Saturday, Nov. 26.
The Lopes host Manhattan, Lindenwood and North Dakota for a two-day, four-game event.
GCU's first Thanksgiving Classic game wil be Friday vs. North Dakota at 2:30 p.m., followed by the tournament's final contest Saturday at 2:30 p.m. vs. Lindenwood.
All of GCU's contests will be broadcast on ESPN+.