Home record stays perfect at home; win streak hits 25

Saturday, March 1

Phoenix, Ariz.

2 p.m.

Grand Canyon

27-2,14-0WAC

Seattle U

3-24,0-14WAC

Seattle U

Grand Canyon

Photo by: Jayden Todd

3/1/2025 6:11:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

GCU celebrates 1st WAC regular-season title after game

By: Nick Macdonald

Grand Canyon clinched its first WAC regular-season title on the road Thursday and then celebrated the historic achievement Saturday after moving to 27-2.

In front of more than 1,100 fans, the Lopes moved to 27-2 with an 82-52 victory that is their nation-best 25th consecutive victory.

News and notes

GCU improved to 18-0 at home this season, accounting for 17 of its nation-leading streak of 25 consecutive wins.
Lopes senior guard Trinity San Antonio scored a game-high 21 points, her fourth game of 20 or more points over her last five games. She added five rebounds, seven steals and two assists.
GCU shooting guards Alyssa Durazo-Frescas and Anna Ostlie each knocked down four 3-pointers. Durazo-Frescas pushed her season total to 105, second most in the nation and just nine back of Becky Hammon's all-time WAC single season record for 3s set in 1998-99 at Colorado State.
GCU held Seattle U to 18 first-half points and, after only scoring 11 first quarter points, scored 71 points over the next three quarters.

"I'm so happy for our team, the coaching staff that pours into this program, and all of Lope Nation who got to witness that historic moment of cutting down our first conference championship net," Lopes head coach Molly Miller said. "I can't tell you how much joy it brought me to also watch (senior guard) Tiarra Brown climb that ladder after five years being side by side. I thank God for her and this whole team for trusting in me, like I believe in them. I can't wait to continue this journey together, because we have more work to do."

Brown, who joined GCU during the summer of 2020 as Miller's first recruit as head coach of the Lopes, is the program's all-time rebounding and steal leader and first in the D-1 era for points scored in a career. The captain scored 10 points with five rebounds and four assists in what was her and Miller's 112th win in a GCU uniform.

It took a quarter to get the rhythm going, as GCU (27-2, 14-0 WAC) missed its first seven shots and trailed 5-0 at the media timeout. It took one to fall for the offense to settle in, as San Antonio converted a jumper followed by a Durazo-Frecas 3 and two Kristyna Jeskeova layups.

Leading 11-8 at the end of one quarter, GCU outscored Seattle U (3-24, 0-14) 22-10 in the second quarter and went into halftime ahead by 15.

The scoring came from all over the court, with Durazo-Frescas and graduate guard Anna Ostlie knocking down 3 after 3. Eight of Brown's 10 points came in the second half, with San Antonio going 4 of 6 with 12 points in the second half to help lead the charge.

The Lopes scored 27 fourth-quarter points, one shy of its fourth-quarter season high. The defense limited the Redhawks to 35% shooting from the floor and 20% from 3, causing 25 turnovers that turned into 27 points.

It was the 10th game this season forcing 25 or more turnovers, with eight of those coming at home. Five Lopes scorers reached double figures as the team knocked down 10 3-pointers for its ninth game of 10 or more 3s made.

"I told the team at the media timeout, after a slower start, that we were going be fine and keep shooting," Miller said "We are one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the country and they will fall.. It was good to see some of our resilience after a slow start. I was very proud of the defensive energy today, especially since we had to rely on it that first quarter."

The Lopes close out the regular season next week, beginning Thursday at Utah Tech before closing out at home Saturday, March 8, vs. Abilene Christian at 2 p.m. The home finale will honor nine seniors after the game.

GCU clinched the No. 1 seed for the WAC Tournament and will play a March 12 quarterfinal against the winner of the play-in-game between the Nos. 8 and 9 seeds.