Completed Event: Women's Basketball at #2 South Carolina on November 3, 2025 , Loss , 54, to, 94
W Basketball
at #2 South Carolina
L 54-94
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Thursday, December 5
Tucson, Ariz.
6 p.m.
Grand Canyon
6-2,0-0WAC
69
at
66
Arizona
7-4,0-0Big 12
1
2
3
4
F
Grand Canyon
12
19
20
18
69
Arizona
17
19
14
16
66
Photo by: Jayden Todd
GCU wins at Arizona for 2nd Big 12 victory
12/5/2024 8:45:00 PM | Women's Basketball, Paul Coro
San Antonio's monster game, Lopes' experience come up clutch in front of 6,292 fans
TUCSON, Ariz. — The Grand Canyon women's basketball team is taking over The Grand Canyon State.
Three weeks after beating Arizona State, the Lopes gave Arizona its first home loss of the season when they knocked out the Wildcats 69-66 with an 8-0 crunch-time run that silenced a crowd of 6,292 fans at McKale Center.
In the programs' first meeting, GCU landed a landmark win by lightening the load for the I-10 bus ride home with emptied energy tanks. Points, rebounds, steals and assists leader Trinity San Antonio played every second. Second-leading scorer Laura Erikstrup grinded through illness. The scrambling defense did not allow a made field goal for four vital fourth-quarter minutes.
"In a game like that, your girls could crumble but we stepped up and I think it's because we've been battle-tested," Lopes head coach Molly Miller said. "There's a lot of confidence and buy-in.
"They came in here and showed the grit, determination, and poise with a lot of factors in this environment against a very good basketball team. Our theme was to compete for 40 minutes with everything they've got, and they did just that."
Being the more experienced team translated to GCU (6-2) being the more poised team down the stretch for a series of pivotal plays, most of which were made in an unprecedented performance by San Antonio.
The senior is the first player in the nation this season with a regulation-time statistical line of 26 points, a career-high 12 rebounds, four steals and four assists. It was her career's second-highest scoring total and the first time she played all 40 minutes for GCU.
"She's turned the corner," Miller said. "She's elite out there. She's a special player. When she can control her speed, that's her gift. When she can use it in spurts, she's really special."
But the 8-0 run took clutch plays from teammates, including the go-ahead 3-pointer by senior guard Alyssa Durazo-Frescas with 2:05 remaining after she previously had been 1 for 7 on 3s.
GCU senior guard Callie Cooper's sideline backcourt pressure forced a turnover that led to San Antonio's best assist, when she passed out of a baseline double team to diving for the last of her 14 points.
It was Cooper who told her teammates in a fourth-quarter timeout huddle, "This is preparing us for March."
With the Lopes leading 66-63, Erikstrup followed her layup score by stealing a post entry pass that led to two San Antonio free throws with 24.5 seconds remaining. Erikstrup's evening in Tucson started on a nebulizer to be able to breathe and ended with a joyous exhale.
The 6-foot-2 forward delivered 14 points and seven rebounds with a steal and a blocked shot in 37 minutes.
"By the grace of God, I got through that game," Erikstrup said. "I pride myself on being a competitor, and I wanted to give everything I had to this team. We know how much this means for our program and Miller. I could not be more happy for Miller.
"I wonder what it would've felt like if I was healthy."
Missing three of four ensuing free throws allowed Arizona (7-4) a shot to tie at the end, but Wildcats standing Jada Williams ended her 2-for-11 shooting game with a missed 3-pointer at the buzzer.
"The summer prepared me for that atmosphere," said San Antonio, who played a WNBA exhibition game for Puerto Rico's national team when A'ja Wilson returned to a sold-out South Carolina arena. "My teammates helped me and reminded me it was about pace and control. Kate (teammate Kaitlyn Elsholz) told me I was 80-20 on my decision-making and then I was 95-5 after the game."
It did not always look like it would play out for a monumental win. GCU made 10 first-quarter turnovers, six of which were by San Antonio. But when San Antonio hit a buzzer-beating jumper, the Lopes had managed to escape it only trailing 17-12.
That was somewhat of a positive, given the Lopes had weathered the storm against a Wildcats team that typically starts strong. Even after six turnovers, Miller allowed San Antonio grace by keeping her on the court with the ball in her hand.
"We're better with her on the court," Miller said. "Her maturity showed tonight. She was a steady head and stayed the course."
The deficit remained the same by halftime (Arizona 36-31), but GCU began to clean up its play. Only Arizona's eight second-chance points in the second quarter kept the Lopes from erasing the hole.
After the Wildcats opened the second half with a pair of post-up baskets on 6-foot-4 sophomore Breya Cunningham's career night (20 points), GCU held Arizona scoreless for 6:38 with improved rebounding and the help of an aggressive 3-2 zone.
San Antonio sped by the Wildcats for transition scores or assists, but it was a wily play by GCU senior forward Tiarra Brown that gave the Lopes a lead and momentum for the fourth quarter. Brown tipped a Lopes miss to Erikstrup, who laid it in for a 51-50 lead at the buzzer.
"With all those runs, you're not going to come back on a good team that's all graduates and seniors," Arizona head coach Adia Barnes said. "A little bit more toughness down the stretch and handling their pressure, we win the game. But we weren't able to. They did a great job of not allowing us to, so credit to them for sure. They played a great game."
Arizona led for five minutes of the fourth quarter until the 8-0 stretch that started with the Durazo-Frescas 3 off a dribble handoff from Brown.
When San Antonio made her first shot of the fourth quarter, she was 9 of 9 from the field at that point. Her unguardable night included drawing 11 fouls, going 2 for 3 on 3-pointers and 6 for 9 on free throws and continually driving in transition or half-court isolation.
"We couldn't find an answer for Trinity at all," Barnes said. "She was killing us. I mean she was destroying us."
Both teams came into the game in the nation's highest quadrant with Wednesday top-80 rankings in NCAA Ratings Percentage Index (RPI). The Lopes take a four-game winning streak into a 1 p.m. Sunday home game against Utah State at Global Credit Union Arena. GCU also can go for an in-state sweep of Division I programs when Northern Arizona (8-1) visits on Nov. 29.
"A huge credit to our coaching staff," Miller said. "It took every single coach, manager, trainer and support staff to bring this whole thing together. I'm appreciative of everyone in our inner circle that believed and bought in every single day to make this program successful."
Three weeks after beating Arizona State, the Lopes gave Arizona its first home loss of the season when they knocked out the Wildcats 69-66 with an 8-0 crunch-time run that silenced a crowd of 6,292 fans at McKale Center.
In the programs' first meeting, GCU landed a landmark win by lightening the load for the I-10 bus ride home with emptied energy tanks. Points, rebounds, steals and assists leader Trinity San Antonio played every second. Second-leading scorer Laura Erikstrup grinded through illness. The scrambling defense did not allow a made field goal for four vital fourth-quarter minutes.
"In a game like that, your girls could crumble but we stepped up and I think it's because we've been battle-tested," Lopes head coach Molly Miller said. "There's a lot of confidence and buy-in.
"They came in here and showed the grit, determination, and poise with a lot of factors in this environment against a very good basketball team. Our theme was to compete for 40 minutes with everything they've got, and they did just that."Being the more experienced team translated to GCU (6-2) being the more poised team down the stretch for a series of pivotal plays, most of which were made in an unprecedented performance by San Antonio.
The senior is the first player in the nation this season with a regulation-time statistical line of 26 points, a career-high 12 rebounds, four steals and four assists. It was her career's second-highest scoring total and the first time she played all 40 minutes for GCU.
"She's turned the corner," Miller said. "She's elite out there. She's a special player. When she can control her speed, that's her gift. When she can use it in spurts, she's really special."
But the 8-0 run took clutch plays from teammates, including the go-ahead 3-pointer by senior guard Alyssa Durazo-Frescas with 2:05 remaining after she previously had been 1 for 7 on 3s.
GCU senior guard Callie Cooper's sideline backcourt pressure forced a turnover that led to San Antonio's best assist, when she passed out of a baseline double team to diving for the last of her 14 points.It was Cooper who told her teammates in a fourth-quarter timeout huddle, "This is preparing us for March."
With the Lopes leading 66-63, Erikstrup followed her layup score by stealing a post entry pass that led to two San Antonio free throws with 24.5 seconds remaining. Erikstrup's evening in Tucson started on a nebulizer to be able to breathe and ended with a joyous exhale.
The 6-foot-2 forward delivered 14 points and seven rebounds with a steal and a blocked shot in 37 minutes.
"By the grace of God, I got through that game," Erikstrup said. "I pride myself on being a competitor, and I wanted to give everything I had to this team. We know how much this means for our program and Miller. I could not be more happy for Miller."I wonder what it would've felt like if I was healthy."
Missing three of four ensuing free throws allowed Arizona (7-4) a shot to tie at the end, but Wildcats standing Jada Williams ended her 2-for-11 shooting game with a missed 3-pointer at the buzzer.
"The summer prepared me for that atmosphere," said San Antonio, who played a WNBA exhibition game for Puerto Rico's national team when A'ja Wilson returned to a sold-out South Carolina arena. "My teammates helped me and reminded me it was about pace and control. Kate (teammate Kaitlyn Elsholz) told me I was 80-20 on my decision-making and then I was 95-5 after the game."
It did not always look like it would play out for a monumental win. GCU made 10 first-quarter turnovers, six of which were by San Antonio. But when San Antonio hit a buzzer-beating jumper, the Lopes had managed to escape it only trailing 17-12.
That was somewhat of a positive, given the Lopes had weathered the storm against a Wildcats team that typically starts strong. Even after six turnovers, Miller allowed San Antonio grace by keeping her on the court with the ball in her hand.
"We're better with her on the court," Miller said. "Her maturity showed tonight. She was a steady head and stayed the course."The deficit remained the same by halftime (Arizona 36-31), but GCU began to clean up its play. Only Arizona's eight second-chance points in the second quarter kept the Lopes from erasing the hole.
After the Wildcats opened the second half with a pair of post-up baskets on 6-foot-4 sophomore Breya Cunningham's career night (20 points), GCU held Arizona scoreless for 6:38 with improved rebounding and the help of an aggressive 3-2 zone.
San Antonio sped by the Wildcats for transition scores or assists, but it was a wily play by GCU senior forward Tiarra Brown that gave the Lopes a lead and momentum for the fourth quarter. Brown tipped a Lopes miss to Erikstrup, who laid it in for a 51-50 lead at the buzzer.
"With all those runs, you're not going to come back on a good team that's all graduates and seniors," Arizona head coach Adia Barnes said. "A little bit more toughness down the stretch and handling their pressure, we win the game. But we weren't able to. They did a great job of not allowing us to, so credit to them for sure. They played a great game."
Arizona led for five minutes of the fourth quarter until the 8-0 stretch that started with the Durazo-Frescas 3 off a dribble handoff from Brown.When San Antonio made her first shot of the fourth quarter, she was 9 of 9 from the field at that point. Her unguardable night included drawing 11 fouls, going 2 for 3 on 3-pointers and 6 for 9 on free throws and continually driving in transition or half-court isolation.
"We couldn't find an answer for Trinity at all," Barnes said. "She was killing us. I mean she was destroying us."
Both teams came into the game in the nation's highest quadrant with Wednesday top-80 rankings in NCAA Ratings Percentage Index (RPI). The Lopes take a four-game winning streak into a 1 p.m. Sunday home game against Utah State at Global Credit Union Arena. GCU also can go for an in-state sweep of Division I programs when Northern Arizona (8-1) visits on Nov. 29.
"A huge credit to our coaching staff," Miller said. "It took every single coach, manager, trainer and support staff to bring this whole thing together. I'm appreciative of everyone in our inner circle that believed and bought in every single day to make this program successful."
Team Stats
GCU
UA
FG%
.436
.441
3FG%
.263
.250
FT%
.667
.526
RB
37
34
TO
19
17
STL
10
12
Game Leaders
Pts
26
FGM
9
3FGM
2
FTM
6
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
13
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
5
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G/F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG
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