Lopes break DI-era record with 21st win

Saturday, March 5

St. George, Utah

3 p.m.

Grand Canyon

21-8,14-4WAC

Dixie State

10-19,6-12WAC

Grand Canyon

Dixie St.

Photo by: Sierra Smith

3/5/2022 10:14:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

GCU defeated Dixie State 65-59 to complete Utah sweep

By: Sierra Smith

ST. GEORGE, Utah — The Grand Canyon women's basketball team closed out the regular season with its 21st win, setting a new GCU Division I-era record for wins in a season as the Lopes took down Dixie State 65-59 on Saturday night at Burns Arena.

The Lopes (21-8, 14-4 WAC) had five players score in double figures, led by sophomore guard Tiarra Brown's 14 points. Senior guard Tianna Brown added 13 points and two steals off the bench and freshman point guard Kiyley Flowers chipped in with 11 points, seven rebounds and two steals off the bench.

GCU graduate forward Jay McChristine led the way on the boards with eight to help the Lopes outrebound Dixie State 38-31. The Lopes grabbed 16 offensive rebounds and scored 11 second-chance points.

The Lopes, who clinched the WAC Tournament No. 2 seed on Thursday, forced 20 Dixie State turnovers while committing 10. Those takeaways turned into 20 GCU points with McChristine leading the Lopes with four steals.

After falling behind 13-10, GCU went on an 8-0 run with 2:26 left in the first quarter to take an 18-13 lead. The Lopes then lost some of that lead but still entered the quarter break with a 20-16 advantage. GCU capitalized on six Dixie State turnovers in the period, turning them into nine points.

The Lopes surrendered their lead in the second quarter after scoring a game-low 11 points and entered halftime with the score tied 31-31. GCU scored eight of its 11 points in the paint.

After the break, GCU jumped out to a 41-39 lead before going on a 9-0 run to reach its only double-figure lead of the day at 50-39, a score it reached on a layup from junior forward Dominique Phillips with 59 seconds to go in the third. Before the conclusion of the third quarter, the Trailblazers cut into that lead, but the Lopes still entered the fourth quarter with a 50-42 lead.

The Trailblazers fought back in the fourth to a 50-50 tie before a 9-2 GCU run with all nine points coming from Tianna Brown. Her back-to-back-to-back 3s took a 59-52 lead with 4:52 to go. The Lopes held the lead for the rest of the game for the 65-59 victory.

Up next, GCU heads to Las Vegas for the WAC Tournament as the No. 2 seed, which has the Lopes playing in Game 8 on Friday at 3:30 p.m. (Phoenix time) against the winner of a Thursday quarterfinal between third-seeded California Baptist and an undetermined opponent. See the bracket below.

2022 Hercules Tires WAC Women's Basketball Tournament Bracket Announced #WACvegas #WAChoops https://t.co/shfjMwKDSZ pic.twitter.com/fkj2fKeBj5
— The Western Athletic Conference (@WACsports) March 6, 2022