GCU looks to extend winning streak vs. NMSU, at CBU

Thursday, January 19

Phoenix, Ariz.

6 p.m.

Grand Canyon

New Mexico State

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Photo by: Mario Terrana

1/18/2023 11:22:00 AM | Women's Basketball

Lopes host Aggies on Thursday, travel to Lancers for Saturday afternoon contest

By: Nick Macdonald


Grand Canyon Lopes (13-4, 5-1 WAC)	vs.	New Mexico State Aggies (9-9, 4-2 WAC)	California Baptist Lancers (7-9, 3-2 WAC)
		Thursday, Jan. 19 6 p.m.	Saturday, Jan. 21 2 p.m. (Phoenix time)
Game Notes		Watch Live Stats	Watch Live Stats

Grand Canyon returns home for a Thursday night contest against New Mexico State, seeking to extend its five-game winning streak. It then heads back on the road for a Saturday afternoon contest at California Baptist. Both games will be shown live on ESPN+.

5 NOTES ABOUT THE LOPES

GCU ranks second in the nation in steals per game (13.9), sixth in turnovers forced per game (23.2) and 20th in 3-point percentage defense (25.9%). The Lopes have forced 15-plus turnovers in 15 of 17 games this season.
Freshman guard Emma Krueger grabbed a career-best 14 rebounds at UT Rio Grande Valley on Saturday, her fifth game with five or more rebounds. The 14 boards were the most by a WAC freshman this season and she enters the week second among all freshmen in WAC play with 6.3 rebounds per game.
Three Lopes are averaging double-figure scoring for the season, led by junior forward Olivia Lane with 10.5. Lane has scored in double figures in five straight games and eight times this season. In conference play, Lane is averaging 10.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per contest while shooting 83.3% from the free throw line.
GCU has held opponents to 30% shooting or less from 3-point range in all six conference games and 25% or less in five contests. In its last meeting with CBU on Dec. 31, the Lancers shot 16.1% on 3s (5 of 31), including 2 of 17 in the second and third quarters combined.
Head coach Molly Miller is tied for second in the nation in career winning percentage (.860), tallying a 233-38 record in six seasons at Drury and four at GCU. She trails UConn head coach Geno Auriemma (.884) and is tied with LSU head coach Kim Mulkey (.860) among active head coaches who have competed in three or more seasons.

LOPES SWEEP IN TEXAS, WIN 5 IN A ROW

GCU swept its competition in the state of Texas last week, defeating UT Arlington 77-75 on Thursday and UTRGV 61-52 in come-from-behind fashion on Saturday.
Sophomore guard Naudia Evans scored a game-high 24 points with four made 3s and six assists at UT Arlington. Freshman forward Laila McLeod was clutch at the line with two seconds left, knocking down a pair of free throws to give the Lopes the lead and eventual win.
GCU trailed by eight at halftime, its biggest deficit at the break this season, and six at the end of the third quarter but managed to rally to a win at UTRGV with Lane's 13 points, eight of which came in the fourth quarter. Krueger grabbed a career-best 14 rebounds while graduate power forward Evan Zars registered her third double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
The Lopes' five-game winning streak is its second longest this season after starting the season 6-0.

KRUEGER STEPPING UP IN WAC PLAY

Krueger has showcased her rebounding and defensive abilities as the season has progressed, and since WAC play started Dec. 29, the Topeka, Kansas, native is second among all conference freshmen with 6.3 rebounds per game.
Krueger had a career day Jan. 14 at UTRGV, grabbing a game-high 14 rebounds while adding six points, four assists and two steals in the 61-52 win. The 14 rebounds vs. the Vaqueros marked a season high for a WAC freshman. She is one of 20 freshmen nationally to have a 14-rebound game this season.
All of Krueger's game averages have doubled in conference play alone, with her 10 steals being second on the team and 11 assists ranking third on the squad. She is also shooting 36.4% from 3-point range.

SCOUTING REPORT

New Mexico State enters Phoenix at 9-9 overall and 4-2 in conference play. It holds a 4-4 road record and is 3-2 in its last five games. The game at GCU Arena is its first road contest since Jan. 4 at Utah Valley.
The Aggies rank first in the conference in scoring defense, holding opponents to 58.8 points per game. It is also second in turnover margin (plus-4.1 per game) and third in turnovers forced per game (19.5). Like GCU, it has forced double-digit turnovers in every contest, with nine games of 20 or more.
NMSU is led offensively by Molly Kaiser, who averages 11.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Kaiser is shooting a team-best 79.1% from the free throw line and has scored in double figures in four of six conference games.
The Aggies are 40th in steals per game (third in WAC) and have registered double-digit steals nine times including three times in the past four games.
California Baptist rounds out its three-game homestand with the Lopes on Saturday afternoon. It faces Seattle U on Thursday night.
The Lancers are 7-9 overall and 3-2 in the WAC with a 5-3 record in Riverside.
CBU attempts 29.3 3-pointers per game, fourth most in the country and first in the WAC. It's 29.9% 3-point shooting ranks third in the conference.
Dorcas Wu is 32nd in the nation in 3-pointers attempted (2.8 per game), 57th in 3-point percentage (40.7%) and 63rd in blocks per game (1.6). Both 3-point stats are at the top of the WAC.
Four Lancers are averaging double figures, with Trinity San Antonio leading the way with 14.0 per game. San Antonio missed over a month of game action and returned vs. the Lopes on Dec. 31 in two minutes of action. In her three games since the last meeting with the Lopes, she has scored 30 points, recorded 11 rebounds, nine assists and seven steals.
Wu is the team's leading rebounder with 7.8 per contest. She also lead's the squad with 19 blocks.

WHAT'S NEXT?

GCU heads home and hosts Southern Utah on Wednesday, Jan.25, and Abilene Christian on Saturday, Jan. 28.
Southern Utah is in first place in the WAC with a 5-0 conference record. Wednesday's theme is '80s night while Saturday is Future Havocs Day.