7-game homestand begins Sunday vs. Utah State

Sunday, December 8

Phoenix, Ariz.

1 p.m.

Grand Canyon

Utah State

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Phoenix, AZ Nov. 29 2024 : The Lopes dominate East Texas A&M with a 110-71 win during the Talking Stick Resort Thanksgiving Classic at Global Credit Union Arena. David Kadlubowski/GCU

Photo by: David Kadlubowski

12/7/2024 1:54:00 PM | Women's Basketball

GCU looks to build off Arizona win, owns 4-0 home record

By: Nick Macdonald

Sunday, Dec. 8 \| 1 p.m. \| Global Credit Union Arena \| Phoenix, Ariz.

	UTAH STATE AGGIES (7-3)	at	GRAND CANYON LOPES (5-2)

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

THIS GAME

Coming off a thrilling victory at Arizona on Thursday evening, GCU returns home for seven straight games and begins the homestand with the Mountain West's Utah State on Sunday afternoon.
The Lopes have won four straight games dating back to a home win over Liberty on Nov. 27. GCU is 4-0 at home and has outscored its opposition 351-231 at Global Credit Union Arena.
GCU is 1-1 under head coach Molly Miller against current Mountain West teams. It defeated Fresno State last November and fell to New Mexico in the WNIT in March of 2022.

STORYLINES

GCU enters Sunday at 6-2 with a four-game winning streak. It is coming off a 69-66 thrilling victory over Arizona in Tucson on Thursday in the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
Senior guard Trinity San Antonio has been one of the most electrifying players in the nation over the past two weeks, averaging 20.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 3.8 steals during the Lopes' four-game winning streak. San Antonio scored a season-high 26 points and added a career-high 12 boards with four steals and four assists at Arizona.
Senior guard Alyssa Durazo-Frescas is one of the best sharpshooters in the country, ranking 15th in the nation in 3-pointers per game (3.1) and 20th in 3-pointers made (25). She made five 3-pointers vs. East Texas A&M to be one shy of her season-high six, which she did vs. Arizona State. Durazo-Frescas is eighth among active Division I players for career 3-point percentage (42%).
The Lopes defense has held a lockdown position from beyond the 3-point arc, ranking 33rd in the country and first in the WAC with 24.8% opponent 3-point shooting. GCU has held teams to 27% or less five times (with 10 or more attempts), going 4-1 in such games.
San Antonio has dished out 47 assists this season, second best in the WAC. Her assist count is 27th in the nation while her 5.9 assists per game are 22nd in the country. She has totaled 29 assists in the past four games.
GCU leads the WAC with 44.8% shooting from the field. The team has shot 43% or better in each of the past four games with a program-record 63.2% clip vs. East Texas A&M on Nov. 29. GCU has shot 43% or better in five of its six wins, while it has recorded 35% or lower in its two losses.
The Lopes are 54-12 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 program's Division I-era record for most home wins in a season (13) on Feb. 24, 2024.
Head coach Molly Miller ranks fifth among active coaches in winning percentage (.834) with at least nine seasons of coaching. She trails only Geno Auriemma (UConn), Kim Caldwell (Tennessee), Kim Mulkey (LSU) and Jeff Hans (Northern Kentucky).

FIRST-EVER MEETING

The meeting between the Lopes and Aggies is the first in program history.

SCOUTING THE AGGIES

Utah State is 1-8 with an 0-4 record on the road.
The Aggies defense pressures the ball, forcing teams to turn the ball over with 12.3 steals per game, ranking 29th in the nation.
Utah State attempts many 3-pointers, ranking seventh in the nation in 3-point attempts at 31.2. While GCU allows an average of 4.6 3s per game, the Aggies make 8.3 per game to rank 36th in the country.
Mia Tarver is third in the Mountain West with 22 steals and fourth in the league in steals per game (2.44).
Jamisyn Heaton is averaging 10.9 points and a team-high 6.4 boards per game to lead the squad. Cheyenne Stubbs leads the team with 12.6 points per game, but has missed each of the past two contests for the Aggies.

WHAT'S NEXT?

GCU will take a five-day break before returning to Global Credit Union Arena to host Westcliff on Saturday, Dec. 14, at 6 p.m.
The Lopes' next six opponents are all at home, including Westcliff, Wright State, Florida Atlantic, Georgia Southern, Park (Arizona) and Northern Arizona.