Nationally ranked contest awaits at No. 25 Oregon

Monday, November 18

Eugene, Ore.

7 p.m. (MST)

Grand Canyon

Oregon

11/17/2024 8:53:00 AM | Women's Basketball

GCU travels for 1st meeting vs. Big Ten team in program history

By: Nick Macdonald

Monday, Nov. 18 \| 7 p.m. MST \| Matthew Knight Arena \| Eugene, Ore.

	#25 OREGON DUCKS (4-0)	vs.	GRAND CANYON LOPES (2-1)

WATCH: ESPN+ \| STATS: LINK

THIS GAME

GCU heads back on the road for its second road game of the season at No. 25 Oregon on Monday night. It is the first GCU opponent that is nationally ranked since facing No. 12 Duke in 2017 and is the second team ranked or receiving votes in the AP poll this season.
The home-and-home series sends GCU to Eugene for the first time in program history. The meeting is the second ever between the two schools after Oregon won in Phoenix last season.
Oregon enters with a 4-0 record, while GCU is coming off a 70-59 win over Arizona State to move to a 2-1 mark on the season.

STORYLINES

The Lopes head to the Pacific Northwest and face No. 25 Oregon at Matthew Knight Arena on Monday evening. It is the first matchup against a Big Ten opponent in program history (Oregon was a member of the Pac-12 last season).
GCU was lockdown on the defensive end in the second half against Arizona State, holding the Sun Devils to 17 points after halftime and five in the fourth quarter. It tied for GCU's fewest points allowed in the fourth quarter since Feb.15, 2023, at Utah Tech.
GCU is 20th in the nation in 3-pointers per game (10.0), making 30 through its first three games. Senior guard Alyssa Durazo-Frescas leads the squad with 11 made 3s, pouring in six versus Arizona State on Thursday to finish two shy of the program record.
GCU's defense has been outstanding against the 3-point shot early this season, holding opponents to 13% accuracy beyond the arc, ranking No. 1 in the nation in that category. Opposing teams are 1 of 18 from 3-point range in the second half through three games.
The Lopes' returners are headlined by senior guard Trinity San Antonio, who was named WAC Preseason Player of the Year. San Antonio is coming off 2023-24 campaign in wihch 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 All-WAC Defensive Team honors.
Graduate forward Tiarra Brown has 10 steals in three games, ranking 30th in the country in steals per game (3.3). Brown has 211 for her career, ranking 24th among active Division I players.
San Antonio is nearing a major milestone and enters Friday's matchup seven points shy of 1,000 for her career. A pair of teammates, Brown and Nneka Obiazor, achieved the feat last season.
GCU is first in the WAC for scoring defense at 54.5 points allowed per game, averaging 11.0 steals and 21.5 opponent turnovers per game.
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 home games in each of her three seasons in Phoenix and tied the Division I-era record for most home wins in a season (13) on Feb. 24, 2024.

LAST TIME THEY MET

GCU faced Oregon for the first time in program history 367 days ago in Phoenix.
The contest was in front of 2,136 fans, the fourth-largest crowd at Global Credit Union Arena for a women's basketball game.
Lopes guard Trinity San Antonio had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds while forward Tiarra Brown had 13 points and six boards.
GCU limited Oregon to 21% from 3-point range, but the Ducks won the rebounding battle 50-39. The 50 boards were the most by an opponent against the Lopes in 2023-24 and the most for a GCU opponent since Nov. 8, 2019, vs. North Dakota (51).

SCOUTING THE DUCKS

Oregon enters Monday 4-0 with all four games at home.
The Ducks defeated WAC opponent California Baptist in their season opener, followed by wins over Nevada, No. 12 Baylor and North Texas. The win over Baylor propelled the Ducks into the AP Top 25 rankings at the 25th spot.
Dea Kelly is Oregon's leading scorer, posting 14.5 points per game with a team-high 5.8 rebounds and 18 assists. Kelly has two 20-plus point games this season, including a 20-point, nine-rebound outing vs. Baylor.
The Ducks are 36th in the country for fewest turnovers per game, averaging 13.0 per contest. GCU enters Monday causing 20.7 opponent turnovers per game.

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Lopes take a nine-day break before hosting Liberty on Wednesday, Nov. 27, at 11:30 a.m. at Global Credit Union Arena.
The contest is the second of two WAC/CUSA scheduling initiative games. The first was GCU's loss at Middle Tennessee.