First loss comes at Middle Tennessee

Friday, November 8

Murfreesboro, Tenn.

5:30 p.m. (MST)

Grand Canyon

1-1,0-0WAC

Middle Tennessee

2-0,0-0CUSA

Grand Canyon

Middle Tenn.

11/8/2024 9:46:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

Road opener becomes tale of 2 halves as GCU goes silent in 2nd half from 3

By: Nick Macdonald

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – In its first road contest of the season, Grand Canyon picked up where it left off from its season opener in the first half Friday night before fading with a string of missed 3-pointers and foul trouble in the second half of a 57-47 loss at Middle Tennessee.

Notes

Middle Tennessee was GCU's first opponent to receive AP Top 25 votes since a Nov. 12, 2017, contest versus No. 12 Duke in Phoenix. Middle Tennessee received three points in the preseason poll after not losing a regular-season game since Dec. 30, 2023, at GCU.
GCU scored 47 points, the first time since Feb. 19, 2022, it has scored fewer than 50 points in a contest.
The Lopes have made 21 3-pointers in the past two games, the most in a two-game span since making 25 on Nov. 26-27, 2021.
GCU graduate Laura Erikstrup led all scorers with 20 points, shooting 50% from the floor and 3-point range.

"I really thought we competed and played hard against an extremely talented Middle Tennessee team," Lopes head coach Molly Miller said. "That was an early-season battle that felt like a game in March and that's exactly why it will make us better prepared for the future. There are some good takeaways and lots to learn from as we regroup and get ready for the next nonconference matchup."

GCU (1-1) pulled out to an early 10-7 lead, with Erikstrup scoring five of the first 10 points and senior guard Alyssa Durazo-Frescas converting three free throws off a foul on a 3-point shot. The Lopes, who made 14 3s in the season opener, attempted 15 in the first half and made six. Erikstrup and Durazo-Frescas combined for five of the 3s. Durazo-Frescas made a one-handed 3 at the top of the key as the shot clock expired to end a 13-2 Middle Tennessee run late in the second quarter.

The Lopes went into halftime leading 27-26, registering a 33% clip from the field and 39% mark from 3-point range.

After a jumper from Erikstrup and a 3-pointer via graduate guard Anna Ostlie gave GCU a 32-29 lead to start the second half, the Lopes struggled to find a rhythm for the remaining eight minutes of third-quarter play, going 0 for8 from behind the arc and 2 of 13 from the floor. GCU's foul trouble also spilled into the third quarter, with GCU having 11 fouls to Middle Tennessee's three in the first half and 15 fouls to three after the third quarter.

Foul trouble kept Preseason All-WAC guard Trinity San Antonio to 15 minutes of action, two points, three rebounds and four assists. The senior guard is 20 points away from the 1,000th point for her career.

The Blue Raiders opened the fourth quarter on an 8-0 scoring run while the Lopes could not score on back-to-back possessions, falling by 10 points for only their second double-digit loss since the start of 2023-24.

Despite a 6-foot-7 starting center and a 6-2 starting forward on the Middle Tennessee side, GCU won the rebounding battle 39-32, including 14-6 on the offensive end. However, the Lopes recorded 24 turnovers, their most since Jan. 7, 2023.

Middle Tennessee also committed 18 turnovers.

"We didn't play well, but they can cause you not to play well based on how they play defense," Blue Raiders head coach Rick Insell said in his postgame press conference. "They are aggressive and have great foot speed."

GCU is back in action Thursday at Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix for the Hall of Fame Classic versus Arizona State. The Lopes face the Sun Devils (1-1) on the men's and women's sides, with the women beginning at 4:30 p.m. on ESPN+.