Riverside brings fight for 2nd in WAC

Saturday, February 5

Riverside, Calif.

2 p.m. (Phoenix time)

Grand Canyon

California Baptist

2/4/2022 1:19:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Both Lopes, Lancers are 7-2 in conference play

By: Sierra Smith

Saturday, Feb. 5 \| 2 p.m. MST \| Riverside, California

	CALIFORNIA BAPTIST LANCERS (16-4, 7-2 WAC)	vs.	GRAND CANYON LOPES (14-6, 7-2 WAC)

WATCH: ESPN+ \| STATS: View

The Grand Canyon women's basketball team is headed to Riverside to take on California Baptist, the reigning WAC champions. The Lopes are coming off of a road win at Seattle U.

THREE THINGS TO KNOW

TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP REMATCH: After a five-game winning streak, the Lopes fell to first-place Stephen F. Austin at GCU Arena on Monday. The Lopes are looking to bounce back against the Redhawks.
TOP-10 STAT UPDATE: The Lopes continue to lead the nation for steals per game (14.1), second in total steals (282) and fifth in turnovers forced per game (24.10). GCU also has the seventh-best turnover margin (plus-6.85).
COMPETING FOR 2ND IN WAC: The Lopes and Lancers are competing for the 2nd place spot in the conference standings as both teams sit at 7-2 in WAC play.

SCOUTING CALIFORNIA BAPTIST

Three Lancers are averaging double figures led by Caitlyn Harper, who is averaging a WAC leading 18.7 points per game. Ane Olaeta follows Harper with 15.5 points per game and Britney Thomas is averaging 10.6 points.
The Lancers return 12 players from the 2020-21 WAC regular season and tournament championship team.
After missing almost a month, Thomas returned to the floor on Thursday against New Mexico State and posted 11 points in just eight minutes.
The Lancers rank first in the WAC in rebounds per game (40.2), assists per game (19.6), offensive rebounds per game (32.9) and assist/turnover ratio (1.4).
Individually, Harper leads the WAC in scoring (18.7) and Olaeta leads in assists per game (7.3).
Head coach Jarrod Olson has been at California Baptist since 2012. He has posted a 211-71 (74.8%) record in his nine seasons and has a WAC Coach of the Year (2018-19) award under his belt.

LAST TIME OUT

GCU vs. Seattle U

The Grand Canyon women's basketball bench delivered 34 points in a 64-59, bounce-back win at Seattle U on Thursday night
The Lopes (14-6, 7-2 WAC) had four players score in double figures, led by senior guard Tianna Brown, who had 14 points off a career-tying four 3-pointers. She added five rebounds and two assists off the bench to help GCU remain in a second-place tie in the conference.
Graduate guard Amara Graham posted 14 points, five rebounds and four assists while junior forward Dominique Phillips added 13 points, four rebounds and two steals off the bench. The fourth Lopes double-digit scorer was graduate forward Jay McChristine, who tallied 10 points, six rebounds and three steals.
GCU's defense forced 19 Seattle U turnovers while committing 14. Those Lopes takeaways turned into 19 points, thanks in part to McChristine's team-high three steals.
After playing to a 12-12 tie, GCU went on a 6-0 run with 2:37 left in the first quarter after a bucket from senior forward Kennedi Shorts. The Redhawks answered with a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to three, but two Graham free throws gave the Lopes a 20-15 advantage at the end of the first quarter. The Lopes capitalized on seven Seattle U turnovers in the period, turning them into 12 points.
The second quarter was the lowest scoring quarter, but GCU maintained its lead and entered halftime with a 29-26 edge. The Lopes were strong from deep in the period, knocking down three 3-point shots to account for all of their points.
GCU outscored Seattle U 21-12 in the third quarter, led by Phillips' 3-for-3 shooting to help the Lopes take a 50-38 lead heading into the fourth. Brown posted six points in the third on a pair of 3s.
The Redhawks rallied withing a point with 41 seconds to go remaining in the game. Brown hit a mid-range jumper to put the Lopes ahead by three at the 29-second mark, setting up GCU to hold on for the victory.