Brown's double-double helps GCU get past Utah Valley

Thursday, February 23

Phoenix, Ariz.

6 p.m.

Grand Canyon

19-7,11-4WAC

Utah Valley

6-20,3-12WAC

Utah Valley

Grand Canyon

Photo by: Jayden Todd

2/23/2023 9:21:00 PM | Women's Basketball, Paul Coro

Box Score

Lopes defense allows lowest 2-game scoring total since 2019

By: Paul Coro

In March, seasons can survive on ugly wins and die on pretty losses.

So what may have seemed rough around the edges Thursday night for Grand Canyon women's basketball was beauty in the eye of the beholder when the Lopes avenged an earlier loss to Utah Valley by downing the Wolverines 63-53.

GCU leading scorer Olivia Lane, a junior power forward, came off the bench because of a weeklong battle with bronchitis and still put Utah Valley away with eight consecutive fourth-quarter points after junior forward Tiarra Brown handled much of the heavy lifting with a 14-point, 10-rebound, five-assist game, her seventh career double-double

The Lopes (19-7, 11-4 WAC) put successive signature defensive games together, allowing their lowest two-game scoring total (96 points) since 2019 while creating 50 turnovers in two games for the first time sinc Olivia Lane

e December.

"We tried to get them out of offense and out of rhythm," GCU head coach Molly Miller said. "For the most part, we did a good job of that. For us, it takes all five on the court. If one is lackadaisical, then we'll get exposed, so I was proud of the kids who came in and got defensive stops."

The Lopes used their 10th starting lineup of the season with Lane being a game-time decision to even play and fell into a 10-3 hole in the first three minutes to Utah Valley, which beat GCU 65-63 in double overtime on Dec. 29.

After a Miller time out, the Lopes shut out the Wolverines for the next five minutes and the gut check continued by holding Utah Valley to a GCU opponent season-low scoring quarter – three points in the second quarter.

After a 4-for-4 shooting start, the Wolverines went 3 for 17 from the field with 13 turnovers in the next 17 minutes.

"We knew it was going to be physical and we know they play really hard, so we wanted to do the opposite of what we did," Miller said. "We wanted to come out quick. If something doesn't go how you expect, you can crumble and not face adversity with a new mentality. But second quarter, it was like night and day. To hold them to three points in the second quarter tells me this team is maturing a bit. We can use that going forward because it's going to be close games from here on out."

GCU sophomore guards Aaliyah Collins and Naudia Evans pressured the backcourt for 10 steals, with each player matching a season high (six for Collins, four for Evans).

After a 26-18 halftime lead, Brown bust it up open in the third quarter when she scored a 3-point play off a transition jump stop, fed graduate power forward Evan Zars for a layup and made a 3-pointer to take a 36-22 lead that forced a Utah Valley timeout.

Brown also has turned around her free-throw shooting recently, going from 43% to making 15 of 20 in the past three games.

"Tiarra knows our success is driven a lot by how she is going to present herself on the court," Miller said. "When she's tough, tenacious, taking charges and making and-ones and 3s, we're going to be pretty good. Everyone feeds off that Tiarra energy."

And the team could follow Lane's toughness. With difficulty breathing, Lane took a shoulder to the throat during the game and had to exit. When she returned in the fourth quarter, she went to work in the paint with a post-up and two 3-point plays, the first coming off Brown's touch pass and the second on Lane's swerving move.

Lane scored 12 points in 15 minutes of action.

"Talk about a tough kid," Miller said. "She's hurting."

GCU has won five of its past six games entering its 2 p.m. Saturday home finale against UT Arlington.