Perfect WAC regular season closes on Senior Day win

Saturday, March 8

Phoenix, Ariz.

2 p.m.

Grand Canyon

29-2,16-0WAC

Abilene Christian

20-11,9-7WAC

Abilene Christian

Grand Canyon

Photo by: Chris Baumgardner

3/8/2025 6:06:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score WAC Tournament bracket

Lopes enter WAC Vegas at 28-2 with 27-game winning streak

By: Nick Macdonald

It was Senior Day at Global Credit Union Arena in the last regular-season home game of the season Saturday. It was the seniors who fueled Grand Canyon past Abilene Christian 70-57 in front of 1,400 fans to complete a 16-0 conference season.

News and notes

GCU's quest for a perfect WAC season is complete, becoming the third team over the last nine years to go undefeated in regular-season conference play. California Baptist last did it in 2020-21, and New Mexico State did it in 2016-17.
The win extended the nation's longest active winning streak to 27 games. GCU has not lost since a Nov. 18 matchup at then-ranked Oregon. In that span, the Lopes have won 24 of 27 games by double digits, including each of the last 12.
Five Lopes scored in double figures Saturday, led by graduate forward Laura Erikstrup with 16. She finished two rebounds shy of a double-double, while senior guard Trinity San Antonio notched her fourth double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 assists.
Graduate guard Alyssa Durazo-Frescas recorded 15 points with five 3-pointers, moving her one 3-pointer shy of Becky Hammon's single-season WAC record. Durazo-Frescas has made 113 this season and needs two more 3s to break Hammon's record from when she played at Colorado State in 1998-99.

GCU's offense shined from the get-go, converting the opening tipoff into two points via San Antonio. The Lopes shot 68% in the first quarter with two made 3s and kept its fouls to a minimum with just two through 10 minutes.

Erikstrup, who entered 19th in the nation in field goal percentage, went 5 of 5 in the first quarter while San Antonio dished four assists. Abilene Christian (20-11, 9-7 WAC) scored 12 of its 17 first-quarter points beyond the arc and trailed 26-17.

GCU's offense was dialed back in the second, shooting 37% from the floor and making only 1 of 8 from 3-point range, but only lost the scoring battle by one for the quarter as it went into the locker room with a 40-32 advantage.

Erikstrup and classmate Tiarra Brown combined for 20 of the 40 points, with the duo also tallying nine of the team's 17 rebounds at the break.

GCU's patented lockdown defense held the Wildcats to 11% shooting and 10 points in the third quarter, bringing the lead to 20 at the end of three quarters. Seven Lopes scored in the second half, led by senior guard Anna Ostlie with 10 points that included 2-for-2 shooting from 3-point range. The Lopes shot 53% from the floor for the game, marking their 19th time this season with a 50% or better clip.

GCU honored its senior managers and its nine senior players – Erikstrup, Brown, San Antonio, Ostlie, Durazo-Frescas, Bridget Mullings, Sydney Erikstrup, Callie Cooper and Kristyna Jeskeova.

The Lopes next head to Las Vegas to partake in the WAC Tournament at Orleans Arena. GCU secured the No.1 seed and will play the winner of No. 8 seed Utah Tech vs. No. 9 seed Seattle U, a Monday play-in game, on Wednesday at noon.