GCU bounces back with 19-point win over Fresno State

Friday, November 24

Phoenix, Ariz.

2:30 p.m.

Grand Canyon

3-2,0-0WAC

Fresno State

4-2,0-0Mountain West

Fresno St.

Grand Canyon

Photo by: Wesley Kurz

11/24/2023 6:04:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

Lopes hold Bulldogs to 36 points; San Antonio leads way with 18 points

By: Nick Macdonald

Whether it was the time off for the Thanksgiving holiday or the fact that GCU has defeated its opponents by an average of 30 points over the past two seasons in the GCU Classic, the Lopes bounced back Friday with a 55-36 victory over Fresno State in their opener of the two-day classic at GCU Arena.

GCU held the Bulldogs (4-2) to 36 points, the second-lowest point total for a Division I opponent since the Lopes became a D-I program in 2013-14. Fresno State entered the matchup averaging 76.8 points per contest with a previous season low of 63 points against CSU Bakersfield.

"This was a good team we beat," GCU head coach Molly Miller said. "I was proud that we were able to get on them early and weather the storm in the second quarter and have a really good third and fourth quarter to end it."

Lopes junior guard Trinity San Antonio led all scorers with a season-high 18 points, her fifth straight double-digit scoring game. Senior guard Tiarra Brown added 10 points, six rebounds and two steals for GCU while senior forward Olivia Lane had a game-high seven rebounds to go along with eight points.

"The past two games, we kind of lacked on defense and we were offensive-minded, so getting back on defense was a priority," San Antonio said. "They can't win if they can't score, and that was our mindset."

GCU outrebounded Fresno State 36-29 for its best rebound margin of the season. The Lopes' 21 forced turnovers and 12 steals were also season highs. GCU shot 36.4% from 3-point range for its fourth game with a 30% or better mark from beyond the arc.

The Lopes (3-2) avoided losing their third straight home game with their patent high-pressure defense in the first quarter, forcing seven turnovers and tallying four steals. The defense turned into efficient offense, with 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the floor (54.5%) and 2-of-3 accuracy on 3s (66.7%) to lead 14-4.

The Bulldogs cut that lead to two points quickly in the second quarter with two 3-pointers and two free throws. Eventually, they took a 19-18 lead with 4:11 left to play in the first half. GCU ended the half with a 22-21 advantage.

The Lopes nearly mirrored their first-quarter production in the third, when they shot 57% for the entire quarter due in part to two 3-pointers from senior guard Anna Ostlie and six points from San Antonio. GCU outscored Fresno State 20-7 in the quarter and took a 42-28 lead into the final frame.

The defense swarmed the Bulldogs' offense throughout the entire game and really locked down in the fourth quarter, forcing six turnovers with four steals to hold Fresno State to eight points in the final 10 minutes and 15 for the entire second half.

"It was such a point of emphasis to stop them from getting to the basket down low," Miller said. "They do a really good job getting to the free throw line, and we took something out of the women's volleyball team's playbook. We're trying to go up like volleyball blockers, straight up and squeeze our ears. Since (GCU) volleyball is having so much success, we thought we pull from them a little bit."

While the Lopes' 55 points tied a season low on offense, they made the most of their possessions, scoring 85% of the time that they controlled the ball. GCU had 16 bench points with graduate forward Shay Fano accounting for five points, putting her 36 points away from 1,000 for her career.

"Chemistry is knowing all about your personnel, 'KYP' as coach talks about," San Antonio said. "Knowing who is on the floor with you, what their strengths are and their weaknesses, how to find them and how to exploit them, it only opens up the floor for everyone else."

The Lopes conclude the GCU Classic on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. against Nicholls. Nicholls (4-2) defeated Eastern Illinois 63-55 in the first game of the GCU Classic.