Holland, Lane guide Lopes to 22nd win

Thursday, February 22

Phoenix, Ariz.

6 p.m.

Grand Canyon

22-5,14-2WAC

Tarleton State

7-17,4-11WAC

Tarleton St.

Grand Canyon

2/22/2024 10:10:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

Lane notches 13 points, 11 rebounds to help GCU stay atop WAC

By: Nick Macdonald

As impressive as this season has been, it is the response after a loss that has defined Grand Canyon's grit and composure.

Since beginning the season at 2-2 on Nov. 20, GCU has dropped only three games in 22 contests. In the games following a loss since late November, the Lopes have gone 3-0 and outscored its opposition by an average of 33.3 points after Thursday night's 63-42 home victory over Tarleton State.

Coming off a loss Saturday at California Baptist, the Lopes regrouped at Global Credit Union Arena and gave a testament to its bounce-back ability in front of its home fans for the first time since Feb. 3. GCU (22-5, 14-2 WAC) used a dominant fourth-quarter stretch, when it outscored the Texans 21-9 to move within a win of setting a Division-I era record for most wins in a season.

Ten Lopes found the scoring column, with flashes from multiple players that aided scoring runs down the stretch. A Naudia Evans 3-pointer in the third quarter put the Lopes up by eight and six Trinity San Antonio points in a four-minute stretch paced GCU to a double-digit advantage at the start of the fourth quarter.

While the offense wound up shooting 38% after a 28% first half, fifth-year point guard Jada Holland helped maintain a Lopes lead with seven first-half points and eight second-half points to lead all scorers with 15. Holland's three made field goals in the first quarter all came after a Tarleton State made basket, stopping any potential Texans run.

"I thought we played really good defense in the first half, but we had to, as we weren't hitting many shots in the first half," GCU head coach Molly Miller said. "I thought Jada did a good job giving us some sparks. Liv (graduate forward Olivia Lane) is always on the boards and our inside presence so we needed some of those players to step up and give us a spark. Trinity made some defensive stops down the stretch and Naudia has been so steady out there. It's a collective effort as we played just about the whole bench in the first half, so it was the next-player-up mentality."

Lane's strength inside the paint was key to GCU's 14 second-chance points and 40-29 rebounding margin. Lane caught an elbow to the nose two minutes into the contest, and after being assessed on the sideline by athletic trainer Cody Jefferson, still recorded five points and four boards in the first half.

It was Lane's second half that fueled the Lopes, registering eight points and seven rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season (13 points, 11 rebounds). Lane went 9 of 10 from the free throw line and pulled down five offensive boards, moving her total to 93 on the season to tied for 20th in the nation as of Thursday.

"As the elbow connected, I thought, 'Oh my gosh', but I have just a little bump so I will be fine," Lane said with a laugh. "But after halftime, we knew we had to keep pushing through, and that is our identity, keep pushing and focusing on our defense. We had the shots in the first half, but they just weren't falling. But as a team, we came together and had each other's backs and brought the energy for the second half."

GCU led 15-8 at the end of the first quarter, but Tarleton State was able to match the Lopes' offensive production in the second quarter. The Texans once again went point for point with GCU in the third as both teams scored 17 in the quarter, making it a seven-point game with 10 minutes to play.

The Lopes pieced together a 10-2 run to open the final frame, forcing a Texans timeout 2 1/2 minutes into the quarter. GCU allowed only seven points for the remainder of the game, as its top-15 scoring defense held its opposition to 50 points or fewer for the 11th time this season.

GCU stays home and hosts Abilene Christian on Saturday at 2 p.m. in one of two remaining GCU home games this season.