Lopes, Sun Devils clash in Hall of Fame Series

Thursday, November 14

Phoenix, Ariz.

4:30 p.m.

Grand Canyon

Arizona State

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GCU defeated CSU Bakersfield in a season-opening blowout at home.

11/13/2024 1:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Thursday's game opens women's-men's doubleheader between GCU, ASU at Footprint Center

By: Nick Macdonald

Thursday, Nov. 14 \| 4:30 p.m. \| Footprint Center \| Phoenix, Ariz.

	ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVILS (1-1)	vs.	GRAND CANYON LOPES (1-1)

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THIS GAME

Grand Canyon meets Arizona State for the third time in the past three seasons, this time at the Footprint Center in Phoenix for the Hall of Fame Series.
ASU leads the all-time series 3-1, but each team has won on its opposing team's home floor in each of the past two seasons. The latest in a trilogy is set for a neutral court where the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury plays.
The game is the first of two Thursday evening, with the GCU men taking on ASU at 7 p.m. following the women's contest.

STORYLINES

GCU enters Thursday night 1-1, coming off a 57-47 loss at Middle Tennessee on Friday evening. The Lopes will look to avoid taking two losses in the first three games of a season for the first time since 2018-19.
GCU is 25th in the nation in 3-pointers per game (10.5), making 21 through its first two games. It marks the most 3s combined over any two-game stretch since Nov. 26-27, 2021. Senior guard Alyssa Durazo-Frescas leads GCU with five 3s and ranks second in WAC in made 3s and 3-point attempts per game.
While the Lopes have made a significant amount of 3s, they also boast the top 3-point defense in the country, holding opponents to 3.6% from beyond the arc. CSU Bakersfield went 0 for 17 from deep while Middle Tennessee went 1 for 11, with the teams going a combined 0-10 in the second halves.
Headlining the Lopes' returners is senior guard Trinity San Antonio, who was named WAC Preseason Player of the Year last month. San Antonio is coming off a 2023-24 campaign in which she averaged 11.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.3 steals per game. Her 63 steals led the squad, earning her WAC Defensive Team honors.
For a team that ranked 40th in the nation and first in the WAC for field goal percentage last season, leading shooter Laura Erikstrup returns for her final year after hitting 60% from the field last season. Erikstrup averaged 6.1 points and 2.6 rebounds in 11.0 minutes per game off the bench and earned WAC Sixth Woman of the Year honors a season ago. Erikstrup notched a game-high 20 points at Middle Tennessee, which is receiving top-25 votes.
San Antonio is nearing a major milestone and enters Friday's matchup 20 points shy of 1,000 for her career. Teammate Tiarra Brown and Nneka Obiazor achieved the feat last season.
GCU is first in the WAC for scoring defense with 54.5 points allowed per game with 21 steals and 43 opponent turnovers in two games.
Brown, a graduate, is six points shy of moving into fifth place on GC'U's all-time scoring leaders. Brown as 1,179 points for her career and is 171 shy of tying Jessica Gajewski (2014-18) for the Division I-era scoring record.
Head coach Molly Miller ranks fifth among active coaches in winning percentage (.834) with at least nine seasons of coaching. She trails only Geno Auriemma (UConn), Kim Caldwell (Tennessee), Kim Mulkey (LSU) and Jeff Hans (Northern Kentucky).
The Lopes are 51-12 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 and tied the Division I-era record for most home wins in a season (13) during the 2023-24 campaign.

LAST TIME THEY MET

The series is tied 1-1 in the past two seasons, with ASU winning at Global Credit Union Arena on Nov. 30, 2022 and GCU prevailing in Tempe on Dec. 8, 2023.
Brown scored 12 points and added seven rebounds in the latest meeting, while San Antonio added 10 points, thre rebounds, four assists and three steals.
GCU shot 18-of-20 from the free throw line that game, while ASU shot 7-of-13 from three.

SCOUTING THE SUN DEVILS

Arizona State is 1-1 with a win over Jacksonville State and a 100-96 home loss to Arkansas State. Thursday is the first contest of the season outside of Tempe for the Sun Devils.
ASU ranks in the top 30 in free throw percentage (27th, 81.6%) and field goal percentage (30th, 50%).
Tyi Skinner has scored 46 points in two games, averaging 23.0 points per game with 4.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists per contest. ASU has made seven 3-pointers on the season, with Skinner making six of them.
Kennedy Basham is near a double double average through two games, posting 11.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game with a team-high six blocks.

WHAT'S NEXT?

GCU heads back on the road Monday night against nationally ranked Oregon.
It is the Lopes' second game against a team receiving votes in the AP Top 25 poll this season. Tipoff is set for Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. (Phoenix time).