GCU hosts 1st-place Southern Utah on Wednesday

Wednesday, January 25

Phoenix, Ariz.

6 p.m.

Grand Canyon

Southern Utah

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1/24/2023 12:04:00 PM | Women's Basketball

3rd-place Lopes look to give Thunderbirds their 1st WAC loss

By: Nick Macdonald

Wednesday, Jan. 25 \| 6 p.m. \| GCU Arena \| Phoenix, Ariz.

	SOUTHERN UTAH THUNDERBIRDS (10-7, 6-0 WAC)	at	GRAND CANYON LOPES (14-5, 6-2 WAC)

WATCH: ESPN+ \| STATS: View

THIS GAME

GCU returns home Wednesday night to face first-place Southern Utah after playing three of its past four games on the road .
The Thunderbirds lead the WAC at 10-7 overall and 6-0 in the conference. Southern Utah is on a six-game winning streak with its last loss coming Dec. 22 at Utah.
GCU enters Wednesday in third place in the conference standings at 6-2. The Lopes' six-game winning streak came to an end Saturday at California Baptist.

5 NOTES ABOUT THE LOPES

GCU ranks fourth in the nation in steals per game (13.3), sixth in turnovers forced per game (22.5) and 31st in 3-point percentage defense (26.9). The Lopes have forced 15-plus turnovers in 16 of 19 games this season.
Sophomore guard Naudia Evans leads GCU and ranks 22nd in the conference for points per game (11.2). She has scored in double figures in four of the past five games and has scored 15 or more points in four of eight WAC games this season. Evans' 2.2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio leads the conference.
Junior forward Olivia Lane was three rebounds shy of tying the Division I-era, single-game school record vs. New Mexico State. She grabbed 19 boards and added 16 points for her first double-double of the season. Lane was one of 25 players in the country to have at least 16 points and 19 rebounds in a game this season, but the only player to do so off the bench.
The Lopes rank second in the WAC in offensive rebounds per game (13.9) and fourth in rebounds per game (39.6). GCU is outrebounding its opposition 108-80 on the offensive glass, with its 108 offensive boards accounting for 33% of its rebound production in conference play. Graduate Evan Zars (20) and freshman Emma Krueger (19) lead the squad in that department.
Head coach Molly Miller ranks third in the nation in winning percentage (.857), tallying a 234-39 record in six seasons at Drury and four at GCU. She trails only UConn head coach Geno Auriemma (.884) and LSU head coach Kim Mulkey (.860) among active head coaches who have competed in four or more seasons.

IN HER OWN LANE

Since coming back Dec. 8 from on offseason injury, junior forward Olivia Lane has made an impact on the glass and in the scoring column for the Lopes. Thursday night's 69-62 overtime victory over New Mexico State added to that testament, as she pulled down 19 boards and added 16 points in the victory.
The 19 rebounds tied for second in the GCU Division I era for a game. She is one of 25 players this season to record 16 points and 19 rebounds in a game, but she is the only player to do so off the bench.
For the season, Lane is averaging 10.3 points and 5.2 rebounds while shooting 44.2% from the field and 80.9% from the free throw line. She has recorded double-digit points in five of six conference games and five or more rebounds in three of six contests.

COLLECTING OFFENSIVE BOARDS

GCU enters the week second in the conference and 50th in the country in offensive rebounds per game, averaging 13.9 per contest.
In conference play, the Lopes have gathered double-digit offensive boards in eight games, with six games of 13 or more. For the season, 17 of 19 games played resulted in a double-digit rebounding effort.
In WAC play, 33% of GCU's rebounds are offensive. Four players have double-digit offensive boards in conference action, including Evan Zars (20), Emma Krueger (19), Tiarra Brown (17) and Olivia Lane (14).

SCOUTING REPORT

Southern Utah enters Wednesday as the WAC's top team, having won six straight conference contests to open the season. It's 6-0 conference record is one game up on second-place Stephen F. Austin (6-1) and two games above GCU (6-2) in third place.
The Thunderbirds' last loss came against Pac-12 opponent Utah in Salt Lake City on Dec. 22. Since then, they have gone 3-0 at home and 3-0 on the road in league play.
Lizzy Williamson leads the conference in rebounds per game (10.6) and is the WAC leader in defensive rebounds per contest (7.6). Williamson's 37 blocks are also first in the WAC and 21st in the nation.
Williamson has seven double-doubles on the season, ranking first in the WAC and 46th in the nation. She is averaging 10.7 points and shooting 49.7% from the floor.
Cherita Daugherty leads the team and is third in the conference with 15.1 points per game. Daugherty is third in the WAC in assists (71), second in free throw percentage (82.9%) and fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.16 to 1).
Daugherty has scored 20-plus points in four of her past five games, including a 28-point, five-rebound, six-assist performance vs. Sam Houston on Jan. 14.
The Thunderbirds are competing in their first season in the WAC after previous seasons in the Big Sky.

LAST TIME THEY MET

Dec. 12, 2020, marked the last meeting between these schools. That season was Miller's first at the helm of GCU. The Lopes fell 84-83.
Junior forward Tiarra Brown is the only team member who played in that game. She scored a team-high 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting with eight rebounds and four steals in 21 minutes.