Lopes set for home set vs. Tarleton, SFA

Thursday, January 5

Phoenix, Ariz.

6 p.m.

Grand Canyon

Tarleton

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Phoenix, AZ. Dec. 29, 2022: GCU beats CBU 70-60 at GCU Arena.

1/4/2023 1:16:00 PM | Women's Basketball

GCU's top-ranked defense welcomes Texas, 1st-place Ladyjacks

By: Nick Macdonald


Grand Canyon Lopes (9-4, 1-1 WAC)	vs.	Tarleton Texans (6-7, 0-2 WAC)	Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks (11-2, 1-0 WAC)
		Thursday, Jan. 5 6 p.m.	Saturday, Jan. 7 2 p.m.
Game Notes		Watch Live Stats	Watch Live Stats

The Grand Canyon women's basketball team plays host this week to two WAC opponents, including Tarleton on Thursday at 6 p.m. and Stephen F. Austin on Saturday at 2 p.m. Thursday's game is themed "Sweet New Year" with sponsor Krispy Kreme while Saturday is Wildlife Day with sponsor Wildlife World Zoo.

5 NOTES ABOUT THE LOPES

GCU ranks first in the country in steals per game (15.1), fifth in turnovers forced per game (24.6) and seventh in turnover margin (8.0). The Lopes have forced 20-plus turnovers in nine games this season with three games of 30 or more.
Sophomore guard Aaliyah Collins is nearing the GCU Division I-era top 10 for single-season steals, as she has 41 steals for an average of 3.15 per game. She is 14th in the nation in steals and 15th in steals per game, both of which lead the WAC.
Graduate forward Evan Zars is nearing a milestone mark of 1,000 career rebounds. She has 989 for her career and leads the team with 7.4 boards per game, totaling 96 for the season with 40 on offense. Zars has gathered five or more rebounds in 11 of 13 games this season with seven games with nine or more.
Sophomore guard Naudia Evans scored a career-high 25 points on 7-of-12 shooting with five made 3-pointers in GCU's defeat of California Baptist on Saturday. The Waynesville, Missouri, native has six double-figure scoring games this season and is averaging 16.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists in her last three games played.
Head coach Molly Miller ranks third in the nation in winning percentage (.858), tallying a 229-38 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 (.859) among active head coaches who have competed in three or more seasons.

EVANS SETS CAREER MARK VS. CBU

Sophomore guard Naudia Evans provided a spark off the bench against California Baptist on Saturday, scoring a career-high 25 points on 7-of-12 shooting including 5 of 8 from 3-point range. It was her first game back after missing the WAC opener at Utah Valley on Dec. 29 because of concussion protocol.
Evans added three rebounds and a steal to her stat line in 24 minutes of play. She leads the team in points per game (10.3) and has recorded six double-figure scoring games, including two in her last three games.
The Waynesville, Missouri, native is thriving at home, where she is averaging 10.8 points, 1.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game. She is also shooting 44.7% on 3s at home.

WAC LEADER IN 3-POINT DEFENSE

The Lopes have stepped up their perimeter defense the past three games to own the WAC's lowest opponent 3-point shooting percentage at 26.5% this season.
GCU has held its opponents to 20% from beyond the arc in the past three games. Teams have gone 11 of 61 in that span. In WAC play, teams are 7 of 48 from deep for a combined percentage of 14%.

SCOUTING REPORT

Tarleton enters Phoenix 6-7 overall and 0-2 in WAC play. It has dropped its last four games, with its last win coming at home Dec. 14 vs. Northwestern State (67-46).
Teresa Da Silva leads the team in points per game (15.2), rebounds per game (4.5) and assists per game (3.6). Her points per game rank fifth in the WAC.
Da Silva has recorded 10 double-digit scoring games and opened the season with seven straight double-figure games. She notched a season-best 31 points with nine rebounds and six assists vs. Weber State on Dec. 6. She has 22 points, six rebounds, six assists and five steals in two WAC games.
The Texans are just shy of 70% from the free throw line, led by Tyler Jackson, who is shooting 84.2% from the charity stripe. She is second on the team in points per game (10.8) and has the second-most made 3s this season (23).
Stephen F. Austin enters Thursday at 11-2 overall and 1-0 in the WAC and on a six-game winning streak. Its last loss came at home Dec. 1 vs. No. 23 Gonzaga, 71-59.
The Ladyjacks host Utah Tech on Jan. 5 before heading to Phoenix.
SFA has solidified itself as one of the best shooting teams in the country, ranking ninth in 3-point percentage (38.6%) and 11th in field goal percentage (48.2%). It is also 13th in the country in assists per game (18.5) and 20th in steals per game (11.5).
Aiyana Johnson leads the team with 12.7 points per game. She has 10 double-figure scoring games and is averaging 6.2 boards and 1.4 blocks per contest.
Avery Brittingham is averaging a near double-double, posting averages of 9.4 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. She's third in the WAC in rebounds per game and has the most offensive rebounds with 42 on the season.

WHAT'S NEXT?

GCU heads to Texas for two games, starting Jan. 12 at UT Arlington with tipoff at 6 p.m. (Phoenix time).
The Lopes then travel to Edinburg, Texas, to take on UT Rio Grande Valley on Jan. 14 at 3 p.m. (Phoenix time).
Both games will be live on ESPN+.