GCU women’s basketball advances to first ever NCAA tournament
Lopes erase a 10 point second half deficit against UT-Arlington to claim program's first ever WAC tournament title and NCAA berth.
LAS VEGAS (KYMA, KECY) - For the first time in program history, Grand Canyon will play in the NCAA Tournament, earning a 13 seed and will face No. 4 seeded Baylor at Foster Pavillion on the campus of Baylor University in Waco.
HOW THEY GOT THERE
The very start of the Western Athletic Conference championship game on Saturday started much like Grand Canyon's semi-final game. The Lopes hit their first two shots and jumped out to a five point lead. That's where the similarities ended.
While Grand Canyon led wire-to-wire versus Utah Valley en route to a blow out win on Friday afternoon, that wasn't the case on Saturday afternoon against UT-Arlington.
The lopes started the game 3 for 15 and trailed by a point at halftime. The three seeded Mavericks extended that lead to as many as 10 in the third quarter before Grand Canyon staged their comeback.
"Of course I was a little nervous there, not going to lie, it was a little hit and miss, but, I just felt confident," GCU head coach Molly Miller said. "I just felt confident with this team on the court."
Down 10 with five minutes to play in the third quarter, the lopes chipped away and trailed by four points heading into the fourth quarter.
A day after scoring a career high 28 points, the WAC's all-time leading three point shooter, Alyssa Durazo-Frescas struggled, finishing 3 of 11 from the field including 3 of 8 from three point range, finishing with nine points.
"Our shots weren't falling but we've learned to stick together and persevere through whatever," Senior guard Tiarra Brown said. "Just knowing that even when it may not be going our way, just listening to the coaches and sticking together as family, it's going to turn out good for us."
Senior Trinity San Antonio led the Lopes down the stretch hitting timely shots and using her vision to find open teammates, most notably Laura Erikstrup down the stretch. San Antonio nearly notched a triple double, finishing with 19 points, six rebounds and nine assists. Erikstrup was second on the team in scoring 17 points and added seven rebounds.
Perhaps the play that signifies the Lopes grit and determination came in the final seconds, leading by one with under 20 seconds to play, senior guard drove down the lane and missed the layup, it was rebounded by UT-Arlington then stolen away by Cooper. The heads up playh all but cemented Grand Canyon's first trip to the NCAA national tournament.
"She will do whatever the team needs her to do," Miller said of Cooper. "In that moment, she came through for us. She is a lock down defender, she deserves the credit. Her heart and buy-in has always been there but she doesn't get a lot of the print."
It's been a season of first's for Grand Canyon, the win in the WAC Championship Final is the first WAC Tournament Championship for the Lopes in program history. GCU also claimed its first WAC Regular Season title earlier in the season to now go along with the Lopes first trip to the NCAA tournament. The Lopes also will carry the nation's longest winning streak of 30 games into the tournament, another program record along with a program best 32 wins.
"We're going to keep the status quo," Miller said. "Whatever we've been doing we're going to do it and we're going to knock off a few teams in the tournament and this team out of anyone can do it. I'm so excited to go to the big dance and even put some more eyes on GCU basketball."
The team with the country's best record and the nation's longest active winning streak at 30 games, GCU will face Baylor for the first time in program history with a time to be announced. The Big 12 opponent will be the third this season for the Lopes, previously facing and defeating Arizona and Arizona State.
