Lopes close 2024 with marquee matchup vs. Lumberjacks

Sunday, December 29

Phoenix, Ariz.

2 p.m.

Grand Canyon

Northern Arizona

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Photo by: Slate Mitchell

12/28/2024 11:24:00 AM | Women's Basketball

GCU aims for history with 3 wins over fellow Arizona D-I programs

By: Nick Macdonald

Sunday, Dec. 29 \| 2 p.m. \| Global Credit Union Arena \| Phoenix, Ariz.

	NORTHERN ARIZONA LUMBERJACKS (9-3)	at	GRAND CANYON LOPES (12-2)

WATCH: ESPN+ \| STATS: LINK \| TICKETS: LINK

THIS GAME

Grand Canyon rounds out the 2024 calendar year with an in-state showdown against Northern Arizona at 2 p.m. Sunday in Global Credit Union Arena.
GCU is perfect in December and riding a 10-game winning streak dating back to Nov. 27.
The Lopes look to do what no other team has done in one season: defeat the three other in-state Division I programs. GCU defeated Arizona State 70-59 in early November and won 69-66 at Arizona earlier this month.
Superlative watch: GCU senior guard Alyssa Durazo-Frescas is 11 points shy of 1,000 for her career.

STORYLINES

The quest for a perfect December is coming to a close Sunday vs. Northern Arizona. GCU is 20-5 in the month of December since the 2022-23 season and 14-1 over the last two years. It is 7-0 this season with six of the wins at Global Credit Union Arena.
The Lopes are 59-12 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 last three seasons in Phoenix. Last season, the Lopes tied the program's Division I-era record for most home wins in a season (13) on Feb. 24.
GCU senior guard Alyssa Durazo-Frescas made history Friday night with nine made 3-pointers vs. Park Gilbert, setting a GCU single-game record for made 3s and 3-point attempts (16). She leads the country in made 3s (57) and is second in 3-pointers per game (4.1).
GCU is 10th in the nation with a 49.1 field goal percentage. It has eclipsed 50% or better in each of the last six games and has shot under 40% only three times this season.
The Lopes held Park Gilbert to 16% from 3-point distance Friday, the sixth time this season holding an opponent to less than 30% from beyond the arc. Four of those games have come in the last five, with Wright State the last team to eclipse over 30% on Dec. 18.
GCU has dished out 20-plus assists on nine occasions this season, including each of the last six games. The squad is 9-0 in games it has 20 or more assists in and is 11th in the country with 19.4 per game. Lopes guard Trinity San Antonio is 12th in the country with 76 on the season, with Callie Cooper at 49 and Tiarra Brown at 39.
Graduate forward Laura Erikstrup leads the WAC and is 21st in the country in field goal percentage, shooting 58.7% from the floor. She has tallied double-digit point totals in 10 straight games with three double-doubles over her last four games. In that four-game stretch, she is averaging 18.8 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.
GCU head coach Molly Miller ranks fifth among active coaches in winning percentage (.837) with nine or more seasons of coaching. She trails only Geno Auriemma (UConn), Kim Caldwell (Tennessee), Kim Mulkey (LSU) and Jeff Hans (Northern Kentucky).

LAST TIME THEY MET

GCU and NAU meet for the first time since December 9, 2021, and for the first time in Phoenix since December 9, 2020.
NAU holds a 6-4 advantage in the series, with GCU winning four of the last five.
Only twice have the two teams met outside the month of December, back on November 28, 1989 and February 3, 1990.
The Lumberjacks scored 23+ points in each quarter played last time these two teams met, winning for the first time in Flagstaff and overall since December 1, 1992. Tiarra Brown scored 10 points and added 3 rebounds as a sophomore.

SCOUTING THE LUMBERJACKS

Northern Arizona enters 9-3 overall with a 3-3 record on the road. After starting 8-1, the Lumberjacks are 1-2 over their last three games.
NAU hasn't played since Dec. 19, a road contest at Fresno State.
NAU is 1-0 against common opponents, defeating Arizona 92-75 Nov. 20 in Flagstaff.
The Lumberjacks are one of the top rebounding teams in the nation, averaging 44 a game and ranking 11th in the nation in that category. Their 32.5 defensive boards per contest are 4th best in the country.
Due in part to the rebounding is Sophie Glancey, who is averaging 18.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game, her rebounding numbers ranking second in the Big Sky. Glancey has eight double-doubles on the season, sixth most in all of college basketball. Her 20 blocks also lead the Big Sky conference.
Four players are averaging double figures, compared to GCU's five. Taylor Feldman (15.2) and Nyah Moran (15.0) are each averaging over 15 points per game.

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Lopes begin the 16-game slate that is the Western Athletic Conference schedule, opening with a road contest at Southern Utah Jan. 4.
Three of the next four games are out of state, with the lone home contest being Thursday night showdown versus Utah Valley Januar 9 at 6 p.m.
The contest against the Wolverines is Havocs Sports Appreciation Night, with live coverage on Fox10 Xtra and ESPN+.