Lopes travel to Utah Valley, return Saturday for Seattle U

Thursday, January 18

Orem, Utah

6 p.m. MST

Grand Canyon

Utah Valley

Lopes travel to Utah Valley, return Saturday for Seattle U

1/17/2024 1:05:00 PM | Women's Basketball

GCU looks to expand WAC lead, D-I program-best start of 14-3

By: Nick Macdonald


Grand Canyon Lopes (14-3, 6-0 WAC)	at	Utah Valley Wolverines (6-9, 1-5 WAC)	Seattle U Redhawks (1-14, 1-5 WAC)
		Thursday, Jan. 18 6 p.m.	Saturday, Jan. 20 2 p.m.
Game Notes		Watch Live Stats	Watch Live Stats

THIS WEEK

Grand Canyon has a split setup this week, rounding out its three-game road stretch at Utah Valley on Thursday night before facing Seattle U in its first home game since Jan. 6.
The Lopes tied their season-high winning streak at six games with a victory at Tarleton State on Saturday. One more win will set a new win streak record under head coach Molly Miller, dating back to the 2020-21 season.
For the first time this season, GCU holds sole possession of first place in conference standings and WAC Resume Seeding System. Utah Valley is seventh in the seeding system, followed by Seattle U in 11th.

STORYLINES

GCU graduate guard Sydney Erikstrup was named WAC Newcomer of the Week after scoring 37 points (18.5 ppg), making six 3-pointers and shooting 66% from the field in wins at Abilene Christian and Tarleton State. In her last four games, Erikstrup has scored 64 points, including 12 made 3s, and pulled down 11 boards.
The Lopes' NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) ranking of No. 88 is the highest in program history, surpassing last week's high of 93. It is 1-1 against teams ranked Nos. 51-100 in the NET and 12-2 against No. 101 or lower.
GCU junior guard Naudia Evans continues to shine from outside the 3-point arc, ranking 28th in the country in 3-point percentage (43.2%). She is second in the WAC in made 3s (35) and has made multiple 3s in a game nine times this season.
The Lopes have made it hard for opposing offenses to score, ranking 18th in the nation in scoring defense (54.4). They have held opponents to 60 points or fewer during their six-game winning streak, with only two teams scoring 65 or more points all season.
Head coach Molly Miller ranks fourth among active coaches in winning percentage (.844) with eight or more seasons of coaching. She trails only Geno Auriemma (UConn), Kim Mulkey (LSU) and Kim Caldwell (Marshall)
The Lopes are 45-10 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 first three seasons in Phoenix, including a high of 13 last season. The Lopes are 8-2 at home with seven games remaining at Global Credit Union Arena.

TOP-20 SCORING DEFENSE

The Lopes have held opposing offenses in check for most of the season, allowing 54.4 points per game to rank 18th in the country and first in the WAC.
GCU has held opponents to 50 points or fewer seven times this season. During its six-game winning streak from Nov. 24 to Dec. 17, the Lopes defense allowed an average of 49.3 points per contest. In its current six-game winning streak, it has kept opponents to 51.7 points per game and 21.5% from 3-point range (27 of 122).
It has allowed only 65 or more points twice this season, the last coming Dec. 20 at Liberty. Since Dec. 27, no team has scored more than 60 points.

S. ERIKSTRUP NAMED WAC NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK

Graduate guard Sydney Erikstrup earned WAC Newcomer of the Week accolades for her performances at Abilene Christian (last Thursday) and Tarleton State (Saturday). She scored 37 points (18.5 points per game), made six 3s and shot 66% from the floor. She went 7 of 7 from the free throw line against the Texans and scored a career-best 21 points in that game.

SCOUTING REPORT

Utah Valley enters 6-9 overall and 1-5 in WAC play. It holds a 5-2 mark when playing at the UCCU Center, where it beat UT Rio Grande Valley 75-62 on Saturday.
The Wolverines see major production from their bench, ranking 10th in the country at just over 29 points per game from their reserves. Utah Valley also boasts one of the best defenses in the conference, ranking second behind GCU in scoring defense (62.1 opponent points per game) and 15th in the nation in steals per game (12.1).
Kylee Mabry is fourth in the conference with 35 steals and also ranks fourth in steals per contest (2.33).
Mabry leads the squad with 7.5 points per game. Tessa Chaney is the team's leading rebounder at 6.2 per game, while also tallying a team-high 14 blocks this season.
The Redhawks are 1-14 overall and 1-5 in WAC play.
Seattle U ranks 67th in the country and second in the conference in offensive rebounds per game (13.7). Mya Moore is eight in the conference with 7.3 boards per contest.
Moore is second in the WAC in blocks (21) and ranks sixth in steals per game (2.0). She is the team's leading scorer (12.9 points per game) and is shooting 48% from the floor.
The Redhawks have pulled down 205 offensive rebounds for 38% of its rebounding total.

WHAT'S NEXT?

GCU stays home next week to host Stephen F. Austin on Thursday, Jan. 25, and UT Arlington on Saturday, Jan. 27.
Both teams enter this week among the top four in the WAC standings. The meeting with the Lady Jacks is the first of the season, while the contest against the Mavericks is the second, with GCU prevailing 77-48 in a Dec. 2 road game.