Lopes maintain 1st-quarter momentum, defeat UTRGV

Wednesday, November 29

Phoenix, Ariz.

7 p.m.

Grand Canyon

5-2,1-0WAC

UT Rio Grande Valley

0-6,0-1WAC

UTRGV

Grand Canyon

Olivia Lane, Trinity San Antonio, Tiarra Brown

Photo by: Jayden Todd

11/29/2023 10:59:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

WAC opener features 4 Lopes notching double-figure points

By: Nick Macdonald

For Grand Canyon, it's been the defense that has highlighted its most recent wins by holding opponents to a combined 76 points in two games in the GCU Classic. Wednesday night's WAC opener saw GCU's well-known lockdown defense turn into an efficient offense as it jumped out to a double-digit lead in the first quarter and never looked back to defeat UT Rio Grande Valley 63-50 victory at GCU Arena.

Four Lopes scored in double figures, led by junior guard Trinity San Antonio, who had 14 points, six assists and two rebounds. San Antonio entered as the WAC assists leader.

Senior guard Tiarra Brown and graduate forward Shay Fano each had 13 points, with Brown adding five rebounds, three assists and two blocks to her stat line. Fano went 5 of 6 from the field, including 3 of 4 on 3-pointers to dwindle the magic number down to 11 for 1,000 career points. Senior forward Olivia Lane had 12 points and four rebounds, with 10 points coming in the first half.

"(We're) 1-0 in conference play; that was the goal and that's what we came away with, but we have to take it one game at a time," GCU head coach Molly Miller said. "We have a tough one on the road at UT Arlington (on Saturday), and then we are back to nonconference, so whatever game comes next on the schedule we must come prepared and ready. But I am happy to have this one."

GCU shot 50% from the floor, 47% on 3s and made all eight free throws it attempted. It also outrebounded the Vaqueros 34-26 and forced 18 turnovers. It was the third straight win for the Lopes, all of which have come at home. GCU (5-2, 1-0 WAC) has one more conference matchup Saturday before nonconference play resumes.

UTRGV (0-6, 0-1 WAC) entered the contest with Iyana Dorsey ranking second in the WAC for points per game at just over 19 points per contest, but GCU limited her to nine points on 5-of-14 shooting and forced nine turnovers when she had the ball.

GCU scored the game's first 10 points and held the Vaqueros without a basket for 3:26 to open the game. The Lopes led by as many as 18 points (22-4) before closing out the quarter with a 22-9 lead.

UTRGV eventually found a rhythm and cut the Lopes' lead to 26-20 with 4:11 to play in the second quarter, but a corner 3 from senior guard Anna Ostlie and an and-one layup by Brown doubled that lead in a hurry as the Lopes were finding offensive production from all players on the court.

GCU led by double digits for the majority of the second half and went ahead by as many as 21 points midway through the fourth. The Lopes finished the night with 16 assists, one shy of its season high at North Dakota.

"For us, our defense fuels our offense," Miller said. "I am really happy our players have that mentality. It's not really who is in the scoring column. We are trying to play with effort and energy from both ends, but it's definitely going to start on the defensive end for us."

WAC play continues through the weekend as GCU heads to UT Arlington on Saturday with tipoff at 1 p.m. (Phoenix time).