Lopes open conference play Wednesday night vs. Vaqueros

Wednesday, November 29

Phoenix, Ariz.

7 p.m.

Grand Canyon

UT Rio Grande Valley

Photo by: David Kadlubowski

11/28/2023 3:08:00 PM | Women's Basketball

GCU hosts First Responders Night for start of WAC action

By: Nick Macdonald

Wednesday, Nov. 29 \| 7 p.m. \| GCU Arena \| Phoenix, Ariz.

	UT RIO GRANDE VALLEY VAQUEROS 0-5	at	GRAND CANYON LOPES 4-2

WATCH: ESPN+ \| STATS: LINK \| TICKETS: LINK \| GAME NOTES: LINK

Grand Canyon wraps up a five-game homestand with its first conference matchup of the season vs. UT Rio Grande Valley on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
The Lopes look to right the ship in conference openers, having gone 0-3 in the past three seasons in the first WAC game of the season. It is the second time in the past three seasons that it has faced UTRGV in the conference opener.
After dropping two straight, GCU has won two consecutive games and looks to gain its longest winning streak of the season. The past two wins have come at home, with the Lopes averaging over 1,000 fans in attendance in their five home games thus far.

The Lopes enter Wednesday shooting 36.8% from beyond the arc, good for first in the WAC and 36th in the nation. Their 7.2 made 3-pointers per game rank third in the conference.
Junior guard Naudia Evans has been excellent at home from 3-point range, shooting 42.9% with 12 makes. Evans, graduate forward Shay Fano and senior guard Anna Ostlie have all knocked down six or more 3s at GCU Arena this season.
GCU has shot 33% or better in five of six games with two games over 40% from 3-point range. It made a combined 12 3s during the two-game GCU Classic last weekend.
Since last season, Lopes head coach Molly Miller's team is 10-1 when making eight or more 3-pointers in a game.

Junior guard Trinity San Antonio has showcased her offensive abilities early this season, including her ability to find open players. San Antonio is 33rd in the country (first in WAC) in assists per game (5.3) and leads the WAC in total assists with 50. She has had four games with five or more assists as GCU has gone 3-1 in those contests.
The Lopes' defense had one of its best two-game runs under head coach Molly Miller in the GCU Classic, allowing 76 points in two games and holding opponents to 26.5% from the field in that stretch. GCU's 36 points allowed against Fresno State, which came into the game averaging 76-plus points per contest, was the second-lowest total against a Division I opponent since 2013-14.
Graduate forward Shay Fano is 24 points away from 1,000 for her career. Fano is averaging 5.8 points and 3.3 rebounds per game this season.
Miller ranks fourth among active coaches in winning percentage (.842) with eight or more seasons of coaching. She trails only Kim Caldwell (Marshall), Geno Auriemma (UConn) and Kim Mulkey (LSU).
The Lopes are 40-10 at GCU Arena since Miller took the helm in 2020. GCU has won at least 12 games at home in each of her three seasons in Phoenix, including a season-high 13 last year. The Lopes have 17 games at home this season, including six of the first seven regular-season contests.

UT Rio Grande Valley enters Wednesday 0-5 with a 0-3 road record.
The Vaqueros lead the conference in free throw percentage (75%) and average 20.8 free throws per contest. Iyana Dorsey is 16th in the country in free throw attempts (44) and free throw percentage (94.4%).
It also leads the conference in blocks per game at 4.4 per contest. That number is 60th in the nation. Charlotte O'Keefe has a WAC-leading eight blocks this season
Dorsey is 43rd in the nation and second in the WAC in points per game (19.4). She leads the conference in field goals attempts (83) and is fourth in 3-pointers per game (2.2).

GCU came back from being eight points down at halftime and six points at the end of the third quarter to defeat UTRGV 61-52 in Edinburg on Jan. 14, 2023.
Lopes forward Olivia Lane had a team-high 13 points with five rebounds, one block and went 7 of 8 from the free throw line.
GCU guard Naudia Evans had eight points, three assists and two steals as the Lopes shot 53.9% from the field in the final quarter of play.
Lopes guard Tiarra Brown did not play in the contest, the only game she has missed since the 2022-23 season.

GCU heads back on the road for the second time this season as it travels to UT Arlington on Saturday.
It is the second of two early conference games before returning to Phoenix to continue nonconference play.
Tipoff against the Mavericks is scheduled for 1 p.m. (Phoenix time).