Defense runs away from Seattle U with 22 steals

Saturday, February 18

Phoenix, Ariz.

2 p.m.

Grand Canyon

Seattle U

Photo by: Garrett Ohrenberg

2/18/2023 5:20:00 PM | Women's Basketball, Paul Coro

Box Score

Brown scores 15 points in 1st half; McLeod adds 14 in 35-point rout

By: Paul Coro

In case anyone forgot, Grand Canyon women's basketball can still turn over opponents like few in the nation.

GCU has been more selective with its menacing pressure defense in a conference of quick backcourts, but the Lopes turned the intensity dial up Saturday for a season-high 22 steals to methodically rout Seattle U 78-43 at GCU Arena.

Facing a team from their hometown area, GCU guards Aaliyah Collins and Tiarra Brown rattled the Redhawks with nine steals combined and set the tempo for the Lopes' highest-scoring conference game of the season.

The Lopes (18-7, 10-4 WAC) never trailed from the time Brown, a junior, gave them a 7-0 lead with relentless activity for a backdoor layup, transition 3-pointer and fastbreak finish off her sneak-attack steal. Brown scored 15 of her 16 points in the game's first 14 minutes as GCU took a 33-12 lead, part of a 46-24 first half that was the Lopes' highest-scoring first half since Dec. 11.

Tiarra Brown

"I just automatically knew to come out and set the tone, and I knew that it would bring the energy, not just for myself but the team as well," Brown said. "Setting that early set the tone for the rest of the game."

GCU ran out to a 21-7 lead after the first quarter, where Seattle U committed turnovers on 10 of its 18 possessions. Brown found a scoring partner in Lopes senior forward Dominique Phillips, who scored seven points during a Lopes' 10-0 close to the quarter in 2:06.

The defense only improved, as GCU allowed a season-low scoring quarter of five points in the third quarter. With eight Lopes players scoring in the quarter, GCU took its largest lead of the game at 65-28.

The Redhawks committed 28 turnovers in the game, a season high for a Lopes win against a Division I opponent and a season high for Seattle U. GCU ranked fourth nationally for steals per game at 12.6 but surpassed that average in the second half's first two minutes on the way to its game total of 22.

"The whole messaging really was defense, defense, defense," Lopes head coach Molly Miller said. "We wanted to have high pressure and make their offensive flow difficult.

"It's obviously nice to have Aaliyah back (after being out two games) because she can set the tempo on the defensive end. She had four points, but she scores so many more than just putting the ball in the basket. She creates turnovers and transition opportunities."

Laila McLeoad

No GCU player logged more than 22 minutes with freshman power forward Alaina Harper playing the team high. The Lopes bench nearly accounted for half of the team's scoring with Phillips scoring 10 and another freshman, 6-foot guard Laila McLeod, setting her season high for a game against a Division I opponent.

After not scoring in the previous four games, McLeod went 5 for 10 from the field and 3 for 5 on 3-pointers to tally 14 points, six rebounds and two steals in 15 minutes.

GCU is a solid third in the WAC Resume Seeding System, which uses metrics to decide WAC Tournament seeding and the top four teams that receive byes. Next week, the Lopes stay home to play a revenge game against Utah Valley at 6 p.m. Thursday and a 2 p.m. Saturday home finale against UT Arlington.

"There are two things we are feeling really good about – our defensive energy and effort and some of the carryover that we've been working on in practices with situational basketball," Miller said. "We tried to have a less-is-more mentality right now and focus on the things that are going to get us over the hump and have us peak at the right time."