Completed Event: Women's Basketball versus San Diego State on February 4, 2026 , Win , 57, to, 44
W Basketball
vs San Diego State
W 57-44
Grand Canyon University Athletics
San Antonio, Brown headline top pick Lopes
10/16/2024 7:35:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Coaches pick San Antonio for WAC Preseason Player of the Year
After a 2023-24 season that saw the Lopes tie for the second-most wins in program history and match the Division I program record for home victories, the 2024-25 season sees key components return to action with high praise from WAC coaches.
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GCU senior guard Trinity San Antonio and graduate guard/forward Tiarra Brown were named to the five-member Preseason All-WAC Team, with San Antonio also earning the conference's highest preseason honor as WAC Preseason Player of the Year.
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The Lopes, who finished 16-4 in conference play and reached the WAC Tournament semifinal for the fourth consecutive time a season ago, were tabbed first in the WAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, garnering four first-place votes and 59 voting points.
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San Antonio enters her fourth collegiate season after earning All-WAC Defensive Team honors last March. She led GCU in steals (63) and points per game (11.5) last season and was fourth in defensive rebounds (85) and second in assists (99). She is 33 points shy of the 1,000-point mark for her career.
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San Antonio's offseason consisted of national team experience with Puerto Rico, for whom she started in two games and played in all three group stage games at this summer's Paris Olympics.
At 5 feet 10 and as Puerto Rico's youngest player, she averaged 7.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 3.0 steals per game in 17.2 minutes per contest for the Puerto Rico women's basketball program's second-ever Olympic appearance.
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Brown enters the 2024-25 campaign off her second career All-WAC First Team nod in 2023-24 and is the only Lope in program history to earn three all-conference accolades for her career.
The 5-foot-9 Spanaway, Washington, native finished with averages of 10.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game last season and shot a career-best 51.3% from the floor.
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Thy dynamic duo of San Antonio/Brown combined for 21.8 points and 9.0 rebounds per contest while shooting 48.2% from the field. Their scoring output was 27% of the team's scoring last season, with each player tallying more than 40 steals for a team that finished 36th in the nation in steals per contest.
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This marks the second straight season that the Lopes were picked to finish first in the WAC. GCU is 85-35 since head coach Molly Miller took over the program before the 2020-21 season with a 50-18 showing in the WAC in that span.
The WAC Women's Basketball Preview Show schedule (Phoenix times):Â
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GCU senior guard Trinity San Antonio and graduate guard/forward Tiarra Brown were named to the five-member Preseason All-WAC Team, with San Antonio also earning the conference's highest preseason honor as WAC Preseason Player of the Year.
Â
The Lopes, who finished 16-4 in conference play and reached the WAC Tournament semifinal for the fourth consecutive time a season ago, were tabbed first in the WAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, garnering four first-place votes and 59 voting points.
Â
San Antonio enters her fourth collegiate season after earning All-WAC Defensive Team honors last March. She led GCU in steals (63) and points per game (11.5) last season and was fourth in defensive rebounds (85) and second in assists (99). She is 33 points shy of the 1,000-point mark for her career.Â
San Antonio's offseason consisted of national team experience with Puerto Rico, for whom she started in two games and played in all three group stage games at this summer's Paris Olympics.
At 5 feet 10 and as Puerto Rico's youngest player, she averaged 7.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 3.0 steals per game in 17.2 minutes per contest for the Puerto Rico women's basketball program's second-ever Olympic appearance.
Â
Brown enters the 2024-25 campaign off her second career All-WAC First Team nod in 2023-24 and is the only Lope in program history to earn three all-conference accolades for her career.The 5-foot-9 Spanaway, Washington, native finished with averages of 10.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game last season and shot a career-best 51.3% from the floor.
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Thy dynamic duo of San Antonio/Brown combined for 21.8 points and 9.0 rebounds per contest while shooting 48.2% from the field. Their scoring output was 27% of the team's scoring last season, with each player tallying more than 40 steals for a team that finished 36th in the nation in steals per contest.
Â
This marks the second straight season that the Lopes were picked to finish first in the WAC. GCU is 85-35 since head coach Molly Miller took over the program before the 2020-21 season with a 50-18 showing in the WAC in that span.
The WAC Women's Basketball Preview Show schedule (Phoenix times):Â
- 8 a.m.: WAC Preseason Coaches' Poll reveal
- 8:15 a.m.: WAC Interim Commissioner Rebekah Ray
- 8:30 a.m.: Utah Tech
- 8:45 a.m.: Tarleton State
- 9 a.m.: UT Arlington
- 9:15 a.m.: Seattle U
- 9:30 a.m.: Utah Valley
- 9:45 a.m.: Abilene Christian
- 10 a.m.: GCU
- 10:15 a.m.: Southern Utah
- 10:30 a.m.: California Baptist
- 10:45 a.m.: ESPN and CBS Sports analyst Kelly Burke
WAC Preseason Player of the Year |
|
| Player | School |
| Trinity San Antonio, senior guard | GCU |
Preseason All-WAC Team |
|
| Player | School |
| Trinity San Antonio, senior guard | GCU |
| Tiarra Brown, senior guard/forward | GCU |
| Payton Hull, sophomore guard | Abilene Christian |
| Daylani Ballena, graduate guard | Southern Utah |
| Avery Brittingham, senior forward | UT Arlington |
Preseason Coaches Poll |
|||
| Rank | Team (first-place votes) | Points | |
| 1 |
 |
GCU (4) | 59 |
| 2 |
 |
California Baptist (4) | 58 |
| 3 |
 |
UT Arlington (1) | 53 |
| 4 |
 |
Abilene Christian | 37 |
| 5 |
 |
Southern Utah | 33 |
| 6 |
 |
Tarleton State | 28 |
| 7 |
 |
Utah Tech | 24 |
| 8 |
 |
Utah Valley | 17 |
| 9. |
 |
Seattle U | 15 |
Players Mentioned
G/F
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