Evans' 25 points power GCU past CBU

Saturday, December 31

Phoenix, Ariz.

2 p.m.

Grand Canyon

9-4,1-1WAC

California Baptist

5-8,1-1WAC

California Baptist

Grand Canyon

12/31/2022 5:43:00 PM | Women's Basketball, Paul Coro

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Lopes guard's career scoring high followed missing 2-OT loss, practices

By: Paul Coro

The mix of a winning program going 20 days between victories and a passionate player going 10 days between games was a toxic concoction for a team trying to beat Grand Canyon women's basketball.

GCU sent its three-game losing streak out with 2022 by reveling in Lopes sophomore guard Naudia Evans' career performance for a 70-60 Saturday victory against California Baptist at GCU Arena.

"We found joy in that game," Lopes head coach Molly Miller said of the early New Year's Eve celebration.

GCU suffered its second overtime loss in that 0-3 stretch with concussion symptoms sidelining Evans for Thursday's WAC-opening, double-overtime loss at Utah Valley. Cleared to play 30 minutes before Saturday's tipoff, Evans pivoted to a bench role without practice and responded with 25 points in 24 minutes.

Evans scored 15 of her 25 points, seven more than her career high, in the second half to help GCU (9-4, 1-1 WAC) pull away from CBU (5-8, 1-1 WAC).

"Apparently, I wasn't on their scout (scouting report)," said Evans, who made a career-best five 3-pointers on eight attempts and went 7 for 12 from the field. "When I was on the free throw line, one of their players said, 'It's always the people who aren't on scout.' I said, 'I'm not on y'all's scout?'

The Lopes were ready for adjustments, pulling back its full-court press after the Lancers' early fastbreak success and playing for the first time without junior starting guard and former Lancers player Sydney Palma.

With Palma out for a knee injury and Evans coming off the bench, freshman forward Laila McLeod (season-high, game-high nine rebounds) and junior forward Dominique Phillips (eight points) received their first starts of the season.

"If we need to play for somebody, play for Sydney," GCU sophomore guard Aaliyah Collins said of Palma. "If we're not just doing it for ourselves, do it for her."

The Lancers led 16-11 after the first quarter with 10 fastbreak points. The Lopes, the national leader for steals, focused on half-court pressure from there and still came up with 10 steals, half of which were by Collins.

CBU shot 32.7% over the final three quarters but remained within striking range down the stretch until Evans' sidestep 3-pointer put GCU ahead 63-55 with 1:33 remaining.

"At first, I was like, 'Goodness gracious,' " Evans said of playing without practices or games for 10 days. "Even going through workouts, I was like, 'I don't know y'all. Just know I'm going to be tired, but I'm going to give you what I have.' But after a while, I started to feel good."

The Lopes were devastatingly deep even without Palma. Junior forward Olivia Lane, GCU's second-leading scorer in the game, also came off the bench for 14 points and five rebounds in 20 minutes. Since returning from knee injury rehabilitation, Lane has scored in double figures in all four of her double-digit minute games.

On Saturday, the Lopes were plus-13 with Lane for half of the game and minus-three without her for the other half.

Also off the bench, freshman guard Emma Krueger grabbed a season-high eight rebounds in only seven minutes.

"This team can be so special and have so much potential because they truly are team wins," Miller said. "You can have one person step up one night and another person the next night. On any given day, anybody could step up."

The Lopes have opened conference play by holding their first two opponents to 18% combined 3-point shooting. Meanwhile, Evans made her first three 3-pointers in GCU's 26-point fourth quarter, which included three Collins fastbreak layups and a Lane three-point play.

"We really needed a momentum change," Collins said. "We had a lot of reflecting to do. We put our foot down: we're not having more than three losses in a row. We're not supposed to have more than two. We needed something in to reignite our energy."

Retreating from its usual incessant full-court pressure went against its embedded aggression but also preserved a shrinking lineup for its second-highest fourth-quarter scoring total of the season.
"Coach G (assistant coach Gregg Gottlieb) said, 'When there's no wind in your sail, row,' and that was our theme this past week," Miller said. "We have control of our destiny. Those losses weren't because we got outplayed. We made mental mistakes and beat ourselves, so they're good learning experiences. But, also, you have to have a bounce-back."

The Lopes will attempt to resume having winning streaks when they stay home for a Thursday night game against Tarleton at GCU Arena and another Saturday afternoon home tilt against WAC favorite Stephen F. Austin.