Completed Event: Women's Basketball versus San Diego State on February 4, 2026 , Win , 57, to, 44
W Basketball
vs San Diego State
W 57-44
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Photo by: Rachel Sollazzo
Tight vote puts GCU 1st, 2 Lopes on All-WAC
10/15/2023 5:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball, Paul Coro
Brown, San Antonio make Lopes only team with multiple presesaon honorees
Grand Canyon women's basketball head coach Molly Miller and her staff assembled a roster that they feel is capable of winning the Lopes' first WAC championship.
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Come to find out, most conference coaches think the same.
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GCU was picked first in the WAC Preseason Coaches Poll, garnering six of the other 10 conference coaches' first-place nods to edge Southern Utah in voting. WAC coaches could not choose their own teams.
"It's an exciting time for our program," GCU fourth-year head coach Molly Miller said. "We have added a lot more talent to our already strong core of returners. It's a nice nod of recognition, but we still have work to do. I am motivated by this team's buy-in and relentless mentality in pursuit of our goal for a WAC championship. They are extremely connected and have been really fun to coach."
The forecasted conference edge came because of the talent on the Lopes, who are the only conference team to boast two players on the five-member Preseason All-WAC Team.
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GCU senior guard/forward Tiarra Brown and junior guard Trinity San Antonio were selected to the Preseason All-WAC Team. Brown, San Antonio and Preseason Player of the Year Breaunna Gillen of Utah Tech return from being on last season's postseason All-WAC first team.
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Brown averaged 11.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.0 steals in 26.4 minutes per game for last season's 21-10 Lopes. The 5-foot-9 Spanaway, Washington, native also made the WAC's All-Defensive Team, recorded two double-doubles and hit career-high shooting percentages from the field (47.2%) and 3-point range (32.5%).
With 870 career points, Brown is on pace to become the program's second Division I-era player to reach the 1,000-point milestone.
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San Antonio, a transfer from California Baptist, led the Lancers last season with 14.1 points per game while also averaging 5.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.3 steals per game. The 5-foot-10 Moreno Valley, California, native recorded the CBU program's first NCAA-era triple-double against Utah Tech and played for the Puerto Rico national team this summer.
"Trin and T are proven players with past success in the conference but also a very bright future," Miller said. "Having those two on the court together, with so much talent around them, will be a real treat for fans to watch. They can take the game to another level by themselves, but together, they will be extra dangerous in the system. It's a well-deserved honor for not only two skilled players but two elite people as well."
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San Antonio is among eight newcomers who are joining Brown and three other full-time or part-time starters from last season – junior guard Naudia Evans, senior power forward Olivia Lane and graduate guard Sydney Palma.
GCU's other transfer additions feature junior guard Callie Cooper (UC Santa Barbara), graduate twins Laura and Sydney Erikstrup, graduate Shay Fano (Utah Valley), senior forward Kristyna Jeskeova (Long Beach State), senior guard Jada Holland (San Jose State) and senior guard Anna Ostlie (Boise State). The Lopes play an Oct. 30 exhibition home game before a Nov. 6 regular-season opener against Saint Mary's at 4 p.m. in GCU Arena.
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Come to find out, most conference coaches think the same.
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GCU was picked first in the WAC Preseason Coaches Poll, garnering six of the other 10 conference coaches' first-place nods to edge Southern Utah in voting. WAC coaches could not choose their own teams.
"It's an exciting time for our program," GCU fourth-year head coach Molly Miller said. "We have added a lot more talent to our already strong core of returners. It's a nice nod of recognition, but we still have work to do. I am motivated by this team's buy-in and relentless mentality in pursuit of our goal for a WAC championship. They are extremely connected and have been really fun to coach."The forecasted conference edge came because of the talent on the Lopes, who are the only conference team to boast two players on the five-member Preseason All-WAC Team.
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GCU senior guard/forward Tiarra Brown and junior guard Trinity San Antonio were selected to the Preseason All-WAC Team. Brown, San Antonio and Preseason Player of the Year Breaunna Gillen of Utah Tech return from being on last season's postseason All-WAC first team.
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Brown averaged 11.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.0 steals in 26.4 minutes per game for last season's 21-10 Lopes. The 5-foot-9 Spanaway, Washington, native also made the WAC's All-Defensive Team, recorded two double-doubles and hit career-high shooting percentages from the field (47.2%) and 3-point range (32.5%).With 870 career points, Brown is on pace to become the program's second Division I-era player to reach the 1,000-point milestone.
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San Antonio, a transfer from California Baptist, led the Lancers last season with 14.1 points per game while also averaging 5.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.3 steals per game. The 5-foot-10 Moreno Valley, California, native recorded the CBU program's first NCAA-era triple-double against Utah Tech and played for the Puerto Rico national team this summer."Trin and T are proven players with past success in the conference but also a very bright future," Miller said. "Having those two on the court together, with so much talent around them, will be a real treat for fans to watch. They can take the game to another level by themselves, but together, they will be extra dangerous in the system. It's a well-deserved honor for not only two skilled players but two elite people as well."
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San Antonio is among eight newcomers who are joining Brown and three other full-time or part-time starters from last season – junior guard Naudia Evans, senior power forward Olivia Lane and graduate guard Sydney Palma.
GCU's other transfer additions feature junior guard Callie Cooper (UC Santa Barbara), graduate twins Laura and Sydney Erikstrup, graduate Shay Fano (Utah Valley), senior forward Kristyna Jeskeova (Long Beach State), senior guard Jada Holland (San Jose State) and senior guard Anna Ostlie (Boise State). The Lopes play an Oct. 30 exhibition home game before a Nov. 6 regular-season opener against Saint Mary's at 4 p.m. in GCU Arena.
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Coaches' WAC Preseason Player of the Year |
|
| Player | School |
| Breaunna Gillen, senior guard | Utah Tech |
Coaches' Preseason All-WAC Team |
|
| Player | School |
| Tiarra Brown, senior guard/forward | GCU |
| Trinity San Antonio, junior guard | GCU |
| Breaunna Gillen, senior guard | Utah Tech |
| Grace Schmidt, sophomore forward | California Baptist |
| Tomekia Whitman, graduate guard | Southern Utah |
Preseason Coaches Poll |
|||
| Rank | Team (first-place votes) | Points | |
| 1 |
 |
GCU (6) | 93 |
| 2 |
 |
Southern Utah (5) | 87 |
| 3 |
 |
California Baptist | 83 |
| 4 |
 |
Utah Tech | 71 |
| 5 |
 |
Stephen F. Austin | 61 |
| 6 |
 |
Abilene Christian | 54 |
| 7 |
 |
UT Arlington | 53 |
| 8 |
 |
UT Rio Grande Valley | 42 |
| 9t. |
 |
Tarleton State | 22 |
| 9t. |
 |
Utah Valley | 22 |
| 11 |
 |
Seattle U | 17 |
Players Mentioned
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