Lopes secure outright title with win at UT Arlington

Thursday, February 27

Arlington, Texas

5:30 p.m. (MST)

Grand Canyon

26-2,13-0WAC

UT Arlington

14-11,9-5WAC

Grand Canyon

UT Arlington

2/27/2025 8:07:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

GCU brings win streak total to 24 consecutive games

By: Nick Macdonald

ARLINGTON, Texas – Grand Canyon needed one win over its final four games to clinch the WAC regular-season title outright, and in one game since clinching a share of its first regular-season crown, defeated UT Arlington 72-59 to earn that title and extend the nation's longest winning streak to 24 games.

News and notes

Moving to 13-0 in WAC play, the Lopes secured the outright title by dropping second-place UT Arlington to 9-5, which makes it now tied for second place with Tarleton State. GCU has finished series sweeps of UT Arlington and Tarleton State.
GCU is 26-2 and extended the country's longest active winning streak to 24 straight wins. The Lopes have won nine straight by double digits during the streak.
Senior guard Alyssa Durazo-Frescas led all scorers with 19 points, draining five 3-pointers to increase her total to 101 on the season. Durazo-Frescas is now 13 shy of tying Becky Hammon's WAC record for most 3-pointers in a seaosn.
A game after being limited to single digits for only the fifth time this season, graduate forward Laura Erikstrup had a bounce-back night, scoring 15 points and adding 12 rebounds for her eighth double-double of the season. Her ninth point of the evening put her to 1,000 for her career.

The first quarter mirrored the first meeting between the Lopes and Mavericks, with back-and-forth baskets on consecutive possessions. GCU led by as many as five points before UT Arlington took a 14-13 advantage.

Then Durazo-Frescas started to heat up.

The senior from California knocked down a pair of free throws and used her shooting range to connect on a pair of 3-pointers to put GCU ahead by four t the break. Nationally, Durazo-Frescas ranks first in 3s made per game (4.04), second in total 3s made (101) and third for 3-point percentage (47.2%).

After a 32-point first half, GCU erupted for 34 third-quarter points, its second-most points in a quarter all season. Graduate forward Tiarra Brown and Durazo-Frescas each score nine in the third, and San Antonio added six points and four assists in GCU's 57% shooting quarter (83% on 3s).

After the 34-point barrage, GCU was limited to six points in the fourth quarter on 1-of-8 shooting, but the Lopes kept the lead in double-digits after being ahead by as much as 23.

The teams combined for 38 fouls and 46 free throw attempts.

GCU returns home Saturday to play Seattle U at 2 p.m. in Global Credit Union Arena, where its home finale will be March 8 versus Abilene Christian.