4-game homestand begins Wednesday vs. Arizona Christian

Wednesday, December 27

Phoenix, Ariz.

6 p.m.

Grand Canyon

Arizona Christian

Photo by: Stephen Blue / Sideline Media

12/26/2023 3:01:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Lopes look to build another win streak in final week of nonconference play

By: Nick Macdonald

Wednesday, Dec. 27 \| 6 p.m. \| Global Credit Union Arena \| Phoenix, Ariz.

	ARIZONA CHRISTIAN FIRESTORM 9-4	at	GRAND CANYON LOPES 8-3

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

Grand Canyon returns home after four straight on the road and faces Arizona Christian on Wednesday evening.
The home game at Global Credit Union Arena is the first for the Lopes since a 63-50 victory over UT Rio Grande Valley on Nov. 29. The contest versus the Firestorm is the the first of four straight in Phoenix.
This is the fourth straight season the Lopes and Firestorm will meet and sixth in the overall series. GCU head coach Molly Miller is 3-0 against Arizona Christian, with the Lopes outscoring them by an average of 100.3-55.3 in those three games.
GCU-Arizona Christian is one of two games across the Division I landscape playing on Wednesday with Texas hosting Jackson State as the other game.

GCU has held opponents to 55.8 points per game this season, ranking 45th in the nation and first in the WAC.
The Lopes have forced double-digit turnovers in every game played this season and have tallied at least 15 forced turnovers in five straight games. In that span, GCU is averaging 17.2 opponent turnovers per game.
The 65 points given up at Liberty on Dec. 20 were the most by GCU since a 76-71 loss vs. Montana on Nov. 20. In the last seven games, GCU has held opponents to 50 points or less three times and 60 points or less five times.
GCU is outscoring its opposition 171-122 in the first quarter and 179-159 in the fourth.

Junior guard Trinity San Antonio has showcased her offensive abilities this season, including her ability to find open players. San Antonio is second in the WAC in assists per game (4.5) and in total assists with 49. She has had five games with five or more assists as GCU has gone 4-1 in those contests.
Junior guard Naudia Evans is second in the WAC in 3-point percentage (40.4%). Evans has made three or more 3s in four games, including seven in her last three games. The guard has also been a presence in the rebounding department, totaling 23 in her last four games with a career-high 10 at UT Arlington on Dec. 2.
GCU is first in the WAC in field goal defense (37.3%). It has held opponents to less than 40% from the floor six times and less than 30% three times.
Head coach Molly Miller ranks fourth among active coaches in winning percentage (.841) with at least eight seasons of coaching. She trails only Geno Auriemma (UConn), Kim Caldwell (Marshall) and Kim Mulkey (LSU).
The Lopes are 41-10 at Global Credit Union 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 season. The Lopes have 17 games at home this season, including six of the first seven regular-season contests.

Arizona Christian is 9-4 on the season with a 3-1 home record. Wednesday's contest will count as an exhibition for the Firestorm and a regular-season contest for GCU.
The Firestorm are 1-2 against nationally ranked NAIA teams. It defeated No. 5 Carroll College 77-74 at home Nov. 11.
The team is averaging 76.5 points per game and grabbing 43.1 rebounds per contest. It has three players averaging more than five rebounds per game, with Emily Till leading the squad with 131 on the season (10.1 rpg).
Arizona Christian has three players scoring in double figures. Lauren Gunn is averaging 20.5 points, followed by Alyssa Alvarez (16.6) and Halle Payne (13.8).

GCU defeated Arizona Christian 109-53 in its season opener last season at Global Credit Union Arena.
The Lopes scored 31 first-quarter points and had 19-plus points in each quarter played.
In 13 minutes, Naudia Evans had 10 points and four assists while Tiarra Brown had nine points, five rebounds, two blocks and two steals in 14 minutes.
The Lopes set D-I school records in forced turnovers (36) and assists (30).

The Lopes face Middle Tennessee on Saturday at home at 2 p.m.
As of Dec. 26, Middle Tennessee ranked 50th in the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) for the highest ranking of any GCU opponent this season.
It is the second and final game of the WAC/Conference USA scheduling initiative. The Lopes faced Liberty in Lynchburg, Virgininia, in the first contest on Dec. 20.