Dominant 1st half paves way to 11th win of season

Thursday, January 4

Phoenix, Ariz.

6 p.m.

Grand Canyon

11-3,3-0WAC

Southern Utah

3-9,1-2WAC

Southern Utah

Grand Canyon

Photo by: Sebastian Molinar

1/4/2024 9:13:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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Lopes led 47-19 at halftime with 10 Lopes scoring; Erikstrup twins combine for 40

By: Nick Macdonald

The new year could not have rung in any better for Grand Canyon on Thursday evening, as the Lopes welcomed back the Havocs from Christmas break with a 78-60 victory over WAC defending champion Southern Utah at Global Credit Union Arena.

The win was the Lopes' third straight and their ninth victory in the last 10 games. GCU improved to 11-3 overall and 3-0 in conference play. With a 20-5 home WAC record under fourth-year head coach Molly Miller, the Lopes improved to 7-2 this season at home with five consecutive home wins.

As impressive as the Lopes' performance was Thursday, the wealth of scoring was shared throughout the 10-player rotation with Preseason All-WAC selections Tiarra Brown and Trinity San Antonio sidelined by injuries. Ten players continbuted to the 78 points, GCU's second-highest total of the season.

Lopes graduate forward Laura Erikstrup tallied a career-high 24 points – also a season high for any Lope this season – and went 10 of 15 from the field with seven rebounds. Her twin, Sydney, was right behind her with 16 points, three rebounds and two assists as the duo came off the bench to combine for 51% of the team's scoring.

"It's special being a twin, you want nothing more than for your teammates and your twin sister to succeed," Laura said. "Tonight, seeing her hit those 3s, she was on fire, and I am her biggest supporter and she is mine, so moments like these are super special and we cherish them."

GCU senior forward Olivia Lane embraced the No. 11 on her jersey with an 11-point, 11-rebound game that was her 18th career double-double. Eight of Lane's 11 boards came on the offensive glass as 17 of the Lopes' 40 rebounds came on the offensive end. GCU junior guard Naudia Evans had 11 points with two made 3-pointers, four rebounds and six assists.

"It's nice to have that depth where you can rely on the next person and that next person is confident to go in there and perform well," Miller said. "We have gone deep into our bench, and that's paying off right now knowing we didn't have Tiarra or Trinity in there. It's a game where we have to get comfortable too, playing some who have different roles and different minutes that some are used to."

GCU sprinted out of the gates with 25 first-quarter points on 10-of-13 shooting and ended the first half with a 28-point cushion (47-19). The Lopes shot 60% in the first half with only one made 3 as 38 of their 47 points came in the paint.

Southern Utah (3-9, 1-2 WAC) outscored GCU 21-18 in the third quarter and 20-13 in the fourth, but GCU's early lead was too much of a climb for the Thunderbirds. The Lopes held the opposition to 4-of-20 shooting from beyond the arc. Southern Utah shot 39% from the floor and also had a key player sidelined in Megan Smith, who entered the night as the WAC's leading scorer at just over 16 points per game.

It was the 23rd straight game that the GCU defense forced double-digit turnovers and sixth time this season that the Lopes made 10 or more steals.

GCU remains home for a Saturday 2 p.m. game against Utah Tech, an 81-65 winner against Seattle U. Live coverage can be found on ESPN+.