Texas trip sends Lopes to Abilene Christian, Tarleton State

Thursday, January 11

Abilene, Texas

5 p.m. MST

Grand Canyon

Abilene Christian

Photo by: Sebastian Molinar

1/9/2024 2:42:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Streak of 4 WAC wins records GCU's best conference start since joining in 2013-14

By: Nick Macdonald


Grand Canyon Lopes (12-3, 4-0 WAC)	at	Abilene Christian Wildcats (6-6, 2-1 WAC)	Tarleton State Texans (4-8, 1-2 WAC)
		Thursday, Jan. 11 5 p.m.	Saturday, Jan. 13 1 p.m.
Game Notes		Watch Live Stats	Watch Live Stats

Coming off back-to-back conference victories to extend its win streak to four games, Grand Canyon heads on the road to take on Abilene Christian and Tarleton State on Thursday and Saturday.
The Lopes are tied for first with California Baptist in the WAC standings and only trail the Lancers in the WAC Resume Seeding System rankings.
This week's road trip will be the first time since the 2021-22 season that GCU has played both teams on the road. Abilene Christian and Tarleton State visited Phoenix last season.
GCU has won six or more road games in one season three times since joining Division I in 2013-14. The Lopes are 4-1 on the road this season. They have won as many as eight games on the road twice, last doing so in 2021-22.

Junior guard Naudia Evans ranks as one of the best 3-point shooters in the country, ranking 32nd in 3-point percentage (43.4%). She is first in the WAC in that category, along with first in 3s made (33) and third in 3-pointers made per game (2.2).
The Lopes held opponents in check over the course of the last month, allowing 54.8 points per game (28th in nation). They lead the conference in field goal percentage defense (37%) and have forced double-digit turnovers in each game, including 81 during this four-game winning streak.
The Lopes have scored 68 or more points in each of their last four games with the help of bench production. GCU ranks 47th in the nation and first in the WAC for bench points per contest (25.1). It had 59 points off the bench vs. Southern Utah and Utah Tech, including 46 against the Thunderbirds.
Head coach Molly Miller ranks fourth among active coaches in winning percentage (.843) with eight or more seasons of coaching. She trails only Geno Auriemma (UConn), Kim Caldwell (Marshall), and Kim Mulkey (LSU).
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 three seasons in Phoenix, including a season-high 13 last year. The Lopes have 17 games at home this season.

The Lopes have held opposing offenses in check for most of the season, allowing 54.8 points per game to rank 28th in the country and first in the WAC.
GCU has held opponents to 50 points or fewer six times this season. During their six-game winning streak from Nov. 24 to Dec. 17, the Lopes allowed 49.3 points per contest. In its current four-game winning streak, GCU has kept opponents to 52 points per game and 20% shooting from 3-point range (16 of 77).

The Erikstrup twins registered a career week vs. Southern Utah and Utah Tech last week, combining for 57 points, 13 rebounds, six 3-pointers and 21 made field goals.
Laura Erikstrup tallied a career-best 24 points vs. the Thunderbirds and finished with 30 points for the week, leading all Lopes in points per game (15.0). She added eight rebounds, including six on the offensive end, and shot 12 of 19 from the floor (63.2%).
Sydney Erikstrup recorded 27 points for the week (13.5 ppg) with back-to-back games with three 3-pointers made. She added five rebounds, six assists and three steals while shooting 75% (9 of 12) from the floor.

The Wildcats are 6-6 overall with a 2-1 WAC record and a 4-2 record at Moody Coliseum.
Abilene Christian is seventh in the nation in 3-point attempts per game (28.8). Its 9.2 made 3s per game ranks 17th in the country, while its 31.9% 3-point shooting is third in the WAC.
Payton Hull ranks first in the WAC in 3-pointers made (33), 3-pointers per game (2.8), 3-point attempts (87) and second in 3-point percentage (37.9%), trailing only GCU's Naudia Evans.
The Wildcats are first in the conference with a rebound margin of plus-7.4 per game. Bella Earle is third in the league with 8.1 rebounds per game.
Tarleton State is 4-8 overall with a 1-2 WAC mark. Two of its four wins have come in the last four games, with victories over McNeese and Texas Southern.
Faith Acker leads the team in points per game (11.8) and rebounds per game (7.6). She is also second on the team in blocks with nine.
The Texans are shooting 41% from the field and 31% from 3-point range. Their top three scorers are shooting 37% or better from the floor, with Teresa Da Silva leading the squad with 16 made 3s.
Tarleton State is holding opponents to 26% from 3-point range for the season with only one team eclipsing 40% (Stephen F. Austin). Teams are 11 of 51 (21.6%) on 3s in the last three games.

The Lopes have a split road-home slate next week. They stay on the road to face Utah Valley on Thursday, Jan. 18 before heading back to Phoenix to host Seattle U on Saturday, Jan. 20.
The game vs. Seattle U is the first of three straight at Global Credit Union Arena.