GCU returns home, hosts Columbia (Mo.)

Sunday, December 11

Phoenix, Ariz.

2 p.m.

Grand Canyon

Columbia (Mo.)

12/10/2022 5:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Lopes host Cougars for 2 p.m. Sunday tipoff at GCU Arena

By: Nick Macdonald

Sunday, Dec. 11 \| 2 p.m. \| GCU Arena \| Phoenix, Ariz.

	COLUMBIA (Mo.) COUGARS (7-3)	at	GRAND CANYON LOPES (7-1)

WATCH: ESPN+ \| STATS: View

Grand Canyon returns home and hosts NAIA school Columbia (Mo.) for a Sunday matinee game at 2 p.m.
It is the second-to-last nonconference home game of the season for the Lopes, who host Idaho on Dec. 18 to close out nonconference play.
Columbia (Mo.) is a member of the American Midwest Conference of the NAIA. It is the first-ever meeting between the two schools.

GCU's defense ranks among the best in the country eight games into the season. It is third in steals per game (16.4), fifth in turnovers forced per game (25.6) and sixth in turnover margin (10.5).
The guard combo of sophomore Aaliyah Collins and junior Tiarra Brown has combined for 21.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.2 steals per game. Both enter Sunday ranked in the top 25 nationally for steals per game, joining Georgia Southern as the only teams with a duo in the top 25.
Junior forward Olivia Lane made her GCU debut at Montana on Thursday and helped the Lopes to a 71-63 victory with 19 points in 13 minutes. Lane, who spent the offseason and first seven games rehabilitating a knee injury, scored nine fourth-quarter points and went 6 of 7 from the free-throw line to push the Lopes past the Lady Griz.
Junior guard Sydney Palma finished one point shy of her career high with 22 points at Montana, going 5 of 7 from 3-point land. GCU ranks second in the WAC in 3-pointers per game with 7.6 per contest.
Head coach Molly Miller ranks second in the nation in winning percentage (.866), tallying a 227-35 record in six seasons at Drury and three-plus at GCU. She trails only UConn head coach Geno Auriemma (.885) among active head coaches.

Concluding the 2021-22 season, seven players in the WAC finished with 200-plus rebounds for the year. GCU graduate transfer Evan Zars and junior transfer Olivia Lane grabbed 256 and 233 rebounds, respectively, and form the only WAC duo to each have 200-plus rebounds last season.

GCU has shot the ball well through the early portion of the season, ranking 29th in the nation and second in the WAC in field goal percentage (46.4%). The starting five of Brown Collins, Palma, Zars and sophomore guard Naudia Evans are shooting 50.2%.
The Lopes have shot 40% or higher in every game played this season, including a season-best 60.9% mark vs. Lindenwood on Nov. 26. The team has shot 30% or better on 3-pointers five times this season with four games of seven or more makes.

Columbia (Mo.) is coming off an American Midwest Conference championship last season and has started this season at 7-3 overall and 3-1 in the conference.
Columbia garnered votes in the opening NAIA rankings.
The Cougars are led by a pair of double-digit scorers in Mallory Shetley (10.2) and Abby Backes (10.1). Shetley is second on the squad in rebounds per game (6.5) and also leads the team in blocks with 15.
Columbia has 44 blocks to its opposition's 23 this season while they are outrebounding opponents by nearly 100 (471-372).
The Cougars average 76.4 points per game and are shooting 42.8% from the field for the season.

The Lopes take a week off until they are back in action on Sunday, Dec. 18, at home for the final home nonconference game versus Idaho.
Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. with live coverage on ESPN+.