Upcoming Event: Women's Basketball at South Carolina on November 3, 2025 at TBA
W Basketball
TBA
at South Carolina
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Monday, November 6
Phoenix, Ariz.
4 p.m.
Grand Canyon
1-0,0-0WAC
55
vs
52
Saint Mary's
0-1,0-0WCC
1
2
3
4
F
Saint Mary's (CA)
9
14
24
5
52
Grand Canyon
4
12
15
24
55
Evans’ heroic 3 seals 4th-quarter comeback win
11/6/2023 8:34:00 PM | Women's Basketball
GCU scores 22 straight points in final 8 minutes for 55-52 victory
Down 19 points to Saint Mary's with 7:32 left to play, Grand Canyon needed a historic comeback to pull out a victory in front of its home crowd Monday night.
Then havoc ensued.
In front of 1,500-plus fans, the Lopes rallied with 22 unanswered points and capped off the season opener with junior guard Naudia Evans' game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer to win, 55-52 at GCU Arena.
"I can't lie, I knew that ball was going as soon as it left my hands," Evans said. "When Trinity (San Antonio) was driving, she pitched it to me and with the number of 3s I had prior and the confidence I had, that ball was going in."
GCU's fourth-quarter comeback was a dramatic shift from its previous three, when they combined for 31 points and shot just over 30% from the floor. The Lopes totaled 24 fourth-quarter points on 10-of-19 shooting from the field including four 3s, while the defense allowed only five points and kept the Gaels from converting a field goal over the course of the entire quarter.
"I feel elated, I just need to catch my breath after that," GCU head coach Molly Miller said. "They had it in them the whole time, we just saw it in the fourth quarter. That team in the huddle never faltered and everyone believed this game was still doable and winnable. They showed a lot of maturity, experience, and a lot of teamwork tonight."
While Evans' shined with nine points and three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, the team pulled together with clutch rebounds and much-needed baskets. Graduate forward Shay Fano had six points and four rebounds, San Antonio dished out four assists along with three points and senior forward Tiarra Brown showed her patented lockdown defense with four points and a steal to secure one of the wildest wins in program history.
While GCU scored the first basket of the game, it never led again until the final buzzer. Saint Mary's took a 9-4 lead into the second quarter and led 23-16 at the break. The Gaels nearly doubled their second-quarter production with 24 third-quarter points and led 47-31 into the final 10 minutes.
Under Miller, GCU's defense has consistently ranked in the top 10 nationally for turnovers forced and steals per game. With six fourth-quarter forced turnovers by Saint Mary's, including multiple shot clock violations, the Lopes' defense fueled their offense by outscoring the Gaels 24-5 in the final quarter.
Evans led the Lopes with 15 points, while San Antonio had 13 points, seven rebounds, eight assists and two steals in her first game as a Lope. Senior guard Anna Ostlie and Fano also made their GCU debuts, and each scored eight points, with Fano accounting for six rebounds,m including three on the offensive glass.
When asked if it was her favorite shot of her career, Evans responded "Oh yeah, without a doubt."
GCU heads out for its first road game of the season on Saturday at North Dakota. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. (Phoenix time).
Then havoc ensued.
In front of 1,500-plus fans, the Lopes rallied with 22 unanswered points and capped off the season opener with junior guard Naudia Evans' game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer to win, 55-52 at GCU Arena.
LOPES WIIIINNN!!!! NAUDIA EVANS AT THE BUZZER!! pic.twitter.com/UsAlJiwiTl
— GCU Women's Basketball (@GCU_WBB) November 7, 2023
"I can't lie, I knew that ball was going as soon as it left my hands," Evans said. "When Trinity (San Antonio) was driving, she pitched it to me and with the number of 3s I had prior and the confidence I had, that ball was going in."
GCU's fourth-quarter comeback was a dramatic shift from its previous three, when they combined for 31 points and shot just over 30% from the floor. The Lopes totaled 24 fourth-quarter points on 10-of-19 shooting from the field including four 3s, while the defense allowed only five points and kept the Gaels from converting a field goal over the course of the entire quarter.
"I feel elated, I just need to catch my breath after that," GCU head coach Molly Miller said. "They had it in them the whole time, we just saw it in the fourth quarter. That team in the huddle never faltered and everyone believed this game was still doable and winnable. They showed a lot of maturity, experience, and a lot of teamwork tonight."
While Evans' shined with nine points and three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, the team pulled together with clutch rebounds and much-needed baskets. Graduate forward Shay Fano had six points and four rebounds, San Antonio dished out four assists along with three points and senior forward Tiarra Brown showed her patented lockdown defense with four points and a steal to secure one of the wildest wins in program history.
While GCU scored the first basket of the game, it never led again until the final buzzer. Saint Mary's took a 9-4 lead into the second quarter and led 23-16 at the break. The Gaels nearly doubled their second-quarter production with 24 third-quarter points and led 47-31 into the final 10 minutes.
Under Miller, GCU's defense has consistently ranked in the top 10 nationally for turnovers forced and steals per game. With six fourth-quarter forced turnovers by Saint Mary's, including multiple shot clock violations, the Lopes' defense fueled their offense by outscoring the Gaels 24-5 in the final quarter.
Evans led the Lopes with 15 points, while San Antonio had 13 points, seven rebounds, eight assists and two steals in her first game as a Lope. Senior guard Anna Ostlie and Fano also made their GCU debuts, and each scored eight points, with Fano accounting for six rebounds,m including three on the offensive glass.
When asked if it was her favorite shot of her career, Evans responded "Oh yeah, without a doubt."
GCU heads out for its first road game of the season on Saturday at North Dakota. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. (Phoenix time).
Team Stats
SMC
GCU
FG%
.477
.382
3FG%
.400
.333
FT%
.500
.714
RB
27
29
TO
23
20
STL
14
8
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
5
FTM
0
Pts
13
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G/F
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballNon-Conference Schedule Release | GCU Women's Basketball
Monday, August 18
Mic'd Up: Sidney Anderson & Karley Johnson | Women's Hoops
Monday, August 11
Mic'd Up: Kaitlyn Elsholz | Women's Hoops
Monday, August 11
Chats with Jules | Women’s Basketball
Sunday, August 10