Slow start ails Lopes at No. 23 Oregon

Monday, November 18

Eugene, Ore.

7 p.m. (MST)

Grand Canyon

2-2,0-0WAC

Oregon

5-0,0-0Big Ten

Grand Canyon

Oregon

11/18/2024 9:52:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

GCU's San Antonio scores 18, surpasses 1,000 points for career

By: Nick Macdonald

EUGENE, Ore. – Going up against its first nationally ranked opponent since 2017 and first Big Ten foe in program history, Grand Canyon's Monday night assignment was at No. 23 Oregon, which has won 38 home games since the 2021-22 campaign.

Though GCU's offense found sparks throughout the second half, first-half troubles put the Lopes behind early in a 70-54 loss at Matthew Knight Arena.

Notes

GCU senior guard Trinity San Antonio scored a game-high 18 points and added six rebounds, five assists and four steals while shooting 50% from the floor. San Antonio needed seven points to achieve 1,000 for her career and did so after an and-one free throw at the 3:43 mark of the second half. She is the third current Lope to surpass 1,000 points for a career, joining Tiarra Brown and Nneka Obiazor.
Oregon made nine 3-pointers, the most of any GCU opponent this season. The Lopes entered the game first in the nation in opponent 3-point percentage (12.8%).
GCU moves to 2-2 while Oregon goes to 5-0, all of which have come at home. Ten of the Lopes' next 11 games will be at Global Credit Union Arena, with its one road contest vs. Arizona in Tucson.

GCU began with a 4-2 lead through the first two minutes, holding Oregon to 1-for-7 from the field in the first three minutes of action. The ensuing seven minutes favored the Ducks on both sides of the floor as Oregon outscored GCU 18-6 and limited the Lopes to 0-of-7 shooting over five minutes.

The Lopes ended the quarter on a 6-0 run but trailed 22-10 with an 0-for-4 mark from 3-point range.

An 8-0 Ducks run put GCU behind 32-10, and the offensive dry spell lasted five minutes and 50 seconds into second quarter. The Lopes trailed 36-18 at the break.

GCU found an offensive spark to begin the second half, scoring eight straight points with a pair of back-to-back 3s from Brown and Oregon native Laura Erikstrup. But the Ducks countered with two 3s and a 14-6 run to close out the third quarter leading 50-32.

Oregon made two 3s in each of the third and fourth quarters to cut any notion of a run by the Lopes.

The Lopes take nine days off before they return to Global Credit Union Arena to face Liberty in the second of two WAC/CUSA scheduling initiative games. Tipoff is at 11:30 a.m. (Phoenix time) on Wednesday, Nov. 27.