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
Friday, March 14
Las Vegas, Nev.
12 p.m.
Grand Canyon
31-2,16-0WAC
84
vs
55
(5) Utah Valley
18-12,9-7WAC
1
2
3
4
F
Utah Valley
10
18
9
18
55
Grand Canyon
19
15
30
20
84
Photo by: David Kadlubowski
29th consecutive win puts Lopes in WAC title game
3/14/2025 3:53:00 PM | Women's Basketball, Paul Coro
GCU plays UT Arlington at 12:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPNU for NCAA tournament berth
LAS VEGAS – When a team has a longer winning streak and a better winning percentage than any other team in college women's basketball this season, it could be difficult to find another gear.
But Grand Canyon can go to gears that most teams never use.
The Lopes matched a 22-year-old WAC winning streak record with their 29th consecutive victory Friday, using senior guard Alyssa Durazo-Frescas' career-high 28 points to race by Utah Valley 84-55 in a WAC Tournament semifinal. That puts GCU back at the Orleans Arena starting line at 0-0 to go for the program's first tourney title and NCAA Division I tournament berth on Saturday.
GCU (31-2) has stuck to a theme of letting go of its historic accomplishments to reset at 0-0 before every game and every half. The lack of being content often sends the Lopes' leads to blowouts, as it did Friday in a 30-9 third quarter that also sent them to a championship game spot and a WAC record. Louisiana Tech was the last WAC team to have a 29-game winning streak in a season in 2002-03.
GCU will play UT Arlington (17-12) at 12:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPNU after the Lopes won each of the teams' meetings by 13 points in February.
The Lopes won by 20 or more points for the 17th time and have done so five games in a row (average margin of 27.6) for the first time this season. This time, it happened after only leading 34-28 at halftime.
"I think we just came out and we wanted to blow this thing open," GCU head coach Molly Miller said. "When they set their minds to something, watch out. They're going to do it. This is a team that really rallies around one another."
The Lopes' ball pressure, keyed by WAC All-Defense Team guard Callie Cooper, led to Utah Valley committing eight of its 24 turnovers in the third quarter.
"Because they give me the energy, that's why I'm able to go up and pressure so much," Cooper said of her teammates. "They hype me up a lot in practice. On the court, off the court, anywhere we are, we just are always with each other and our energy is just so contagious. I only get a spark because of how much they show me."
The Las Vegas storyline of Durazo-Frescas' return grew Friday. After breaking Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammons' 27-year-old WAC record for 3s in a season Wednesday, Durazo-Frescas tacked on seven more 3s to give her 122 this season.
With 7-for-11 accuracy on 3s, the former three-year UNLV player became the national 3-point percentage leader at 47.9%.
"It's just a team effort, and I can't be more happy than to be with this team right now," Durazo-Frescas said.
"It (Las Vegas) is a home away from home. I feel comfortable here. It was good to see all my friends and old teammates. It's good to be home and win another championship with a better team."
Lopes foul trouble and Utah Valley's zone defense rallied the Wolverines within three points in the second quarter and put GCU's halftime edge at a manageable 34-28 score.
"Continue to be us," Miller told the team, and attack mode ensued.
Utah Valley committed four consecutive turnovers early in the third quarter, and GCU was scoring at the rim on drives and follows. Senior guard Anna Ostlie and Durazo-Frescas hit back-to-back 3s as part of the Lopes' second 8-0 run of the quarter.
Durazo-Frescas' hot hand from all spots and all distances prompted Utah Valley to overplay defensively, which she turned into drawing a foul on a 3 and hitting a step-thru leaner to beat the shot clock.
GCU midseason addition Kristyna Jeskeova, out two years for knee surgeries, ended the quarter with a steal and and-one fastbreak finish that stretched the Lopes lead to 64-37. Jeskeova tallied five rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks in 21 minutes.
"We wanted to impose our will," Miller said. "We kept on talking about our brand. We had confidence and trust in our brand in this game. From the get-go, setting the defensive tone and also getting out on offense."
UT Arlington, Saturday's opponent, was the last GCU opponent to not have as lopsided of an outcome as this Lopes run of wins by 30, 32, 23, 24 and 29 points since that Feb. 27 game in Texas. The Mavericks led after one quarter and were within four at halftime before suffering a similar third-quarter fate to what the Lopes gave Utah Valley on Friday.
"We're always 0-0," Miller said. "We don't feel that pressure because of the standard we've set every day. Pressure doesn't affect your standard. Pressure doesn't affect your effort. Pressure doesn't affect your prep, your buy-in. That looks the same every single day for us. We're just going to try to win another ball game."
After Miller celebrated with the Havocs section and started a "We're going to the 'ship!" chant, she joined her team in the postgame locker room and immediately told them that the semifinal win did not matter any longer and that their focus should be on Saturday's title game.
"Everyone is just bought in to how we're going to be able to take on the next challenge," Cooper said. "This one's let go. It's time to move on."
But Grand Canyon can go to gears that most teams never use.
The Lopes matched a 22-year-old WAC winning streak record with their 29th consecutive victory Friday, using senior guard Alyssa Durazo-Frescas' career-high 28 points to race by Utah Valley 84-55 in a WAC Tournament semifinal. That puts GCU back at the Orleans Arena starting line at 0-0 to go for the program's first tourney title and NCAA Division I tournament berth on Saturday.
GCU (31-2) has stuck to a theme of letting go of its historic accomplishments to reset at 0-0 before every game and every half. The lack of being content often sends the Lopes' leads to blowouts, as it did Friday in a 30-9 third quarter that also sent them to a championship game spot and a WAC record. Louisiana Tech was the last WAC team to have a 29-game winning streak in a season in 2002-03.
GCU will play UT Arlington (17-12) at 12:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPNU after the Lopes won each of the teams' meetings by 13 points in February.
The Lopes won by 20 or more points for the 17th time and have done so five games in a row (average margin of 27.6) for the first time this season. This time, it happened after only leading 34-28 at halftime.
"I think we just came out and we wanted to blow this thing open," GCU head coach Molly Miller said. "When they set their minds to something, watch out. They're going to do it. This is a team that really rallies around one another."The Lopes' ball pressure, keyed by WAC All-Defense Team guard Callie Cooper, led to Utah Valley committing eight of its 24 turnovers in the third quarter.
"Because they give me the energy, that's why I'm able to go up and pressure so much," Cooper said of her teammates. "They hype me up a lot in practice. On the court, off the court, anywhere we are, we just are always with each other and our energy is just so contagious. I only get a spark because of how much they show me."
The Las Vegas storyline of Durazo-Frescas' return grew Friday. After breaking Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammons' 27-year-old WAC record for 3s in a season Wednesday, Durazo-Frescas tacked on seven more 3s to give her 122 this season.
With 7-for-11 accuracy on 3s, the former three-year UNLV player became the national 3-point percentage leader at 47.9%."It's just a team effort, and I can't be more happy than to be with this team right now," Durazo-Frescas said.
"It (Las Vegas) is a home away from home. I feel comfortable here. It was good to see all my friends and old teammates. It's good to be home and win another championship with a better team."
Lopes foul trouble and Utah Valley's zone defense rallied the Wolverines within three points in the second quarter and put GCU's halftime edge at a manageable 34-28 score.
"Continue to be us," Miller told the team, and attack mode ensued.
Utah Valley committed four consecutive turnovers early in the third quarter, and GCU was scoring at the rim on drives and follows. Senior guard Anna Ostlie and Durazo-Frescas hit back-to-back 3s as part of the Lopes' second 8-0 run of the quarter.
Durazo-Frescas' hot hand from all spots and all distances prompted Utah Valley to overplay defensively, which she turned into drawing a foul on a 3 and hitting a step-thru leaner to beat the shot clock.
GCU midseason addition Kristyna Jeskeova, out two years for knee surgeries, ended the quarter with a steal and and-one fastbreak finish that stretched the Lopes lead to 64-37. Jeskeova tallied five rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks in 21 minutes."We wanted to impose our will," Miller said. "We kept on talking about our brand. We had confidence and trust in our brand in this game. From the get-go, setting the defensive tone and also getting out on offense."
UT Arlington, Saturday's opponent, was the last GCU opponent to not have as lopsided of an outcome as this Lopes run of wins by 30, 32, 23, 24 and 29 points since that Feb. 27 game in Texas. The Mavericks led after one quarter and were within four at halftime before suffering a similar third-quarter fate to what the Lopes gave Utah Valley on Friday.
"We're always 0-0," Miller said. "We don't feel that pressure because of the standard we've set every day. Pressure doesn't affect your standard. Pressure doesn't affect your effort. Pressure doesn't affect your prep, your buy-in. That looks the same every single day for us. We're just going to try to win another ball game."
After Miller celebrated with the Havocs section and started a "We're going to the 'ship!" chant, she joined her team in the postgame locker room and immediately told them that the semifinal win did not matter any longer and that their focus should be on Saturday's title game.
"Everyone is just bought in to how we're going to be able to take on the next challenge," Cooper said. "This one's let go. It's time to move on."
Team Stats
UVU
GCU
FG%
.370
.618
3FG%
.222
.533
FT%
.739
.667
RB
26
27
TO
24
19
STL
7
12
Game Leaders
Pts
28
FGM
9
3FGM
7
FTM
3
Pts
12
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
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