Lopes return to action at home vs. Idaho

Sunday, December 18

Phoenix, Ariz.

2 p.m.

Grand Canyon

Idaho

12/17/2022 9:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball

Sunday marks final nonconference home game of season

By: Nick Macdonald

Sunday, Dec. 18 \| 2 p.m. \| GCU Arena \| Phoenix, Ariz.

	IDAHO VANDALS (3-6)	at	GRAND CANYON LOPES (8-1)

WATCH: ESPN+ \| STATS: View

Grand Canyon hosts Idaho for the final nonconference home game of the season. It concludes nonconference play with a Wednesday game at UC Irvine.
Idaho is the second Big Sky opponent in the past three games for the Lopes, who defeated Montana on Dec. 8 in Missoula. GCU is 5-2 under head coach Molly Miller against the Big Sky since 2020-21.
The Lopes seek their ninth win in the opening 10 games of the season. A Sunday win would be the first time in GCU's Division I era that it has opened at 9-1. The previous best mark was 8-2 in Miller's first season (2020-21).

GCU's defense ranks among the best in the country, ranking first in in steals per game (17.0), third in turnover margin (plus 10.6), fourth in turnovers per game (26.0) and 28th in scoring defense (54.2).
The guard combo of sophomore Aaliyah Collins and junior Tiarra Brown have combined for 21.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 6.1 steals per game. Collins and Brown are No. 1 and 2, respectively, in the WAC for steals per game, with Collins at 3.2 per game and Brown at 2.9 per contest.
Graduate forward Evan Zars surpassed 1,000 career points in last Sunday's 97-39 victory over Columbia (Mo.). Zars, a fifth-year player who spent one season at Saint Louis before three seasons at Western Illinois, has 1,006 career points and 958 rebounds. She leads the squad with 7.2 rebounds per game.
Junior forward Olivia Lane has made an immediate impact for the Lopes, scoring 30 points with five rebounds while shooting 10 of 17 from the field in two games. Lane scored 19 points in 13 minutes in a road win over Montana and registered 11 points, four rebounds and a steal vs. Columbua (Mo.).
Head coach Molly Miller ranks second in the nation in winning percentage (.867), tallying a 228-35 record in six seasons at Drury and three-plus at GCU. She trails only UConn head coach Geno Auriemma (.884) among active head coaches who have competed in three or more seasons.

Junior forward Tiarra Brown and sophomore guard Aaliyah Collins have been a defensive presence this season, accounting for 36% of the team's steals this season.
Collins has six games with three or more steals and ranks 13th in the country and first in the WAC with 3.22 steals per contest.
Brown has had two games with six steals this year and ranks only behind Collins in the conference in steals per game with 2.89 per contest.
The Lopes have registered five games with 15-plus steals, including 30 vs. Arizona Christian and 22 vs. Columbia (Mo.).

Junior forward Olivia Lane played her first game in a GCU uniform on Dec. 8 at Montana, logging 13 minutes and scoring 19 points to aid GCU to a 71-63 victory. She followed that up with 11 points, four rebounds and a steal in the Lopes' 97-39 win over Columbia (Mo.) Dec. 11.
Lane, who missed the first seven games due to rehabilitating a knee injury, is 10 of 17 from the floor and 9 of 11 from the free throw line.

Idaho travels to Phoenix for its sixth road game of the season. Eight of its nine games have been on the road or at a neutral site, with Thursday's victory over Denver being the first in Moscow, Idaho.
The Vandals are one of the nation's best from 3-point range, ranking ninth in 3-pointers per game (9.7) and eighth in 3-pointers attempted per game (29.0). Idaho's assist-to-turnover ratio (1.1 to 1) is third in the Big Sky while its 72.6 points per game rank third in the conference.
Beyonce Bea leads the Vandals offensively, averaging a near double-double with 23.8 points and 9.1 rebounds per contest. She has scored in double figures in all but one game this season while scoring 30-plus points three times, most recently against Denver on Thursday with 33 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Bea is seventh in the country in points per game, 20th in field goals (75) and 14th in double-doubles (5) while being efficient from the free throw line, making 61 of 74 free throws (82.4%) from the charity stripe.
Idaho is 1-0 vs. the WAC this season, defeating New Mexico State 68-62 on Dec. 4 in San Diego.

Sunday is the fourth meeting between the Lopes and Vandals and first since the 2016-17 season.
Idaho leads the all-time series 2-1, with both wins coming in GCU's first season at the Division I level (2013-14).
GCU won the last meeting, 64-60, in Phoenix on Nov. 26, 2016.