GCU set to host Talking Stick Resort Thanksgiving Classic

Friday, November 29

Phoenix, Ariz.

2:30 p.m.

Grand Canyon

UC Santa Barbara

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Photo by: Jayden Todd/GCU

GCU set to host Talking Stick Resort Thanksgiving Classic

11/28/2024 10:27:00 AM | Women's Basketball

2 games in 2 days as Lopes play UC Santa Barbara, East Texas A&M

By: Nick Macdonald


Grand Canyon Lopes (3-2)	vs.	UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (4-2)	East Texas A&M Lions (3-3)
		Friday, Nov. 29 2:30 p.m.	Saturday, Nov. 30 2:30 p.m.
Game Notes		Watch Live Stats	Watch Live Stats

THIS GAME

GCU stays home for the holidays and hosts its annual two day Thanksgiving Classic, sponsored by Talking Stick Resorts.
The Lopes face UC Santa Barbara from the Big West for the third time in program history, while finishing the weekend with East Texas A&M from the Southland in the first ever meeting.
GCU has hosted teams over the Thanksgiving Holiday five times since 2016-17, including each of the last three seasons. The Lopes are 9-1 all time in the two day tournament.

STORYLINES

The Lopes are 52-12 at Global Credit Union Arena since Molly 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 record for most home wins in a season (13) Feb. 24, 2024 during the 2023-24 campaign.
Senior guard Trinity San Antonio is coming off a record breaking day vs. Liberty, dishing out 17 assists to set a new program single game record. The 17 dimes tied a WAC single game record set back during the 2001-02 season, and is the most assists of any NCAA D-I player this season.
GCU enters 8th in the nation in three point percentage defense (20.5%. Opponents have made 18 threes in five games against the Lopes, with three opponents (CSU Bakersfield, Middle Tenn., Liberty) going a combined 4 of 44.
Senior Alyssa Durazo-Frescas is 9th in the nation and first in the WAC in three pointers with 3.6 per game. The shooting guard has made 18 threes on the season and has four games with three or more made threes this season. Durazo-Frescas holds a 41.8% mark from three for her career, eighth best among active players at the Division I level.
The 1-2 combo of Trinity San Antonio and Tiarra Brown have combined to steal 53% of the team's total steals. San Antonio is 23rd in the nation (1st in WAC) with 3.2 steals per game, while Brown is fifth in the conference with 2.6.
GCU is third in the WAC with a 57.6 scoring defense, totaling 54 steals (10.8 spg) and forcing 102 turnovers (20.4 otpg). The Lopes defense recorded a season-high 27 forced turnovers vs. Liberty, most in a game since Dec. 27, 2023 vs. Arizona Christian
Head Coach Molly Miller ranks fifth among active coaches in winning % (.834) with 9+ seasons of coaching. She trails only Geno Auriemma (UConn), Kim Caldwell (Tennessee), Kim Mulkey (LSU), and Jeff Hans (Northern Kentucky).

DISHING OUT DIMES

Senior guard Trinity San Antonio made history in GCU's 79-50 victory Nov. 27, dishing out a GCU program record 17 assists. The assist mark also tied the WAC single game record set by Laura Ingham of Nevada during the 2001-02 season.
San Antonio's assist tally, as of November 27, is the most assists of any NCAA D-I player in a single game this season.
The Moreno Valley, California, native's 7.0 assists per game rank 5th in the nation, while her 35 steals are 30th.

LOCKDOWN DEFENSE FROM BEYOND THE ARC

GCU enters 8th in the nation in three point percentage defense, holding opponents to 20.5% from beyond the arc. CSU Bakersfield went 0-fo-17 from three, while Middle Tennessee shot 1-of-11. Arizona State went 1-of-8 in the second half, with teams combining to shoot 1-of-18 in the second half against the Lopes.
CSU Bakersfield's 0 threes made was the first time since Jan. 10, 2019 that an opponent did not make a three with at least 10 attempts.
Oregon shot 9-of-25 from three (36%), the first team to make more than five threes in a game versus GCU.

SCOUTING REPORT

UCSB enters 4-2 overall with a current three game winning streak.
The game is the first away from its home arena of The Thunderdome since Nov. 9.
The Gauchos come in as the third best free throw shooting team in the country, shooting 84.1% from the line. Its 17 free throws made per game rank 10th in the nation.
UCSB is first in the Big West in turnovers per game, averaging 14.2 given up. The Gauchos like to attempt multiple three pointers per contest, ranking 48th in the nation and second in the conference with just over 25 attempted per game.
Alyssa Marin leads the squad with 18.5 points per game and has five straight with double figure point totals. She notched back-to-back 31 point showings vs. Mountain West schools San Jose State and Nevada and is tied for first on the team in steals with nine.
UCSB is shooting 40.6% from the floor and has held its opponents to 36% from the floor.
East Texas A&M enters .500 at 3-3 for the season.
The school recently changed its school's name from Texas A&M Commerce to East Texas A&M.
The school is in a Division I transition period and will be fully eligible come 2026-27.
Cora Horvath and Jordyn Newsome each lead the team with 14.2 points per game. Horvath is second on the team in assits (12) and is tied for first with eight steals.
The team is shooting 36.1% from three and has made at least seven threes in every contest it has played in. It opened the season with 12 threes against North Texas-Dallas and notched 10 vs. LeTourneau.

WHAT'S NEXT?

GCU takes a short trip down south to Tucson Thursday, Dec. 5 to face Arizona at the McKale Center at 6 p.m.
The game is the second against Arizona D-I opponents, previously facing Arizona State Nov. 14 at Footprint Center. GCU will host Northern Arizona Dec. 29, the first time in program history to play all three state D-I teams in the same season.