Regular season begins Monday afternoon at home

Monday, November 4

Phoenix, Ariz.

4 p.m.

Grand Canyon

Cal State Bakersfield

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Phoenix, AZ Oct.. 29, 2024 : GCU women’s basketball dominates Benedictine Mesa 94-40 in an exhibition victory at Global Credit Union Arena.

11/3/2024 12:10:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Lopes start 2024-25 campaign versus CSU Bakersfield

By: Nick Macdonald

Monday, Nov. 4 \| 4 p.m. \| Global Credit Union Arena \| Phoenix, Ariz.

	CSU BAKERSFIELD ROADRUNNERS (0-0)	at	GRAND CANYON LOPES (0-0)

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THIS GAME

Grand Canyon begins the 2024-25 campaign at home versus CSU Bakersfield, the first of two games in a double header at Global Credit Union Arena Monday night.
The Lopes are 6-0 since the 2018-19 season in home openers.
Of the 15 players on GCU's roster, seven will look to make their GCU regular-season debuts.

STORYLINES

The Lopes' returners are headlined by senior guard Trinity San Antonio, the WAC Preseason Player of the Year who averaged 11.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.3 steals last season. Her 63 steals led the squad, earning her WAC All-Defensive Team honors.
Graduate Tiarra Brown enters her fifth and final year of eligibility, all of which have come at GCU under head coach Molly Miller. Brown was Miller's first recruit at GCU and will look to only improve her outstanding legacy that she has built as one of the best to ever do it at GCU.
A team that ranked 40th in the nation and first in the WAC in field goal percentage last season, leading shooter Laura Erikstrup returns for her final year after leading the team with a 60% clip. 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.
The 2024-25 Lopes have seven new players, including six transfers and a true freshman in Naomi White. The transfers include Alyssa Durazo-Frescas and Nneka Obiazor (UNLV), Kaitlyn Elsholz (CSUN), Bridget Mullings (Utah State), Lucy Ghaifan (Omaha) and Ale'Jah Douglas (Oklahoma State).
GCU was picked to finish first in the WAC Preseason Coaches Poll, earning four first-place votes and 59 voting points. The Lopes were the only team to have two players listed on the Preseason All-WAC Team as Tiarra Brown and Trinity San Antonio received the accolade.
San Antonio is nearing a major milestone, entering Monday's matchup 33 points shy of 1,000 for her career. Brown and Obiazor achieved the feat last season, with San Antonio soon to be the third player on the roster with 1,000-plus career points.
Senior guard Alyssa Durazo-Frescas was one of the best 3-point shooters in the nation last season, ranking seventh in 3-point percentage (44.4%) and third in the Mountain West in 3-pointers made (72) and 3-pointers per game (2.2). Durazo-Frescas has scored at least 245 points in each of her three seasons.
Head coach Molly Miller ranks fifth among active coaches in winning percentage (.836) 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 50-12 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 record for most home wins in a season (13) on Feb. 24, 2024.

LAST TIME THEY MET

Former WAC foes GCU and CSU Bakersfield meet for the first time since the 2019-20 season. It is the first time under Lopes head coach Molly Miller.
CSU Bakersfield has won 89% of the series' contests, last losing March 3, 2018, at home.
Both teams have combined for 1,598 points in the series.
Monday's game will be the 29th meeting in the series, tied for most games played against an opponent in program history. Cal Poly Pomona is the only other school to have reached 29 games played against the Lopes.

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Lopes head on the road for the first time in 2024-25 to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and take on Middle Tennessee, which is receiving top-25 votes, on Friday, Nov. 8, at 5:30 p.m. (Phoenix time).
It is the first of two C-USA/WAC initiative games, with the second coming Nov. 27 at home versus Liberty.
The game against the Blue Raiders is a rematch of last year's showdown at home, in which GCU won 68-59. The loss for Middle Tennessee was one of only four on the season.