Rebounding from a pool-play loss on the tournament's first day, the Grand Canyon University Women's Club Basketball team forged its way to the edge of a national title, ultimately losing to the University of South Carolina, 54-45, in the championship game of the 2024 National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association National Basketball Championships Sunday afternoon in Madison, Wisconsin. The upstart Lopes won six of their eight tournament games – including a stunning upset of the tournament's top seed, the University of Oregon, in their second elimination-round game on Saturday - to advance to the title matchup for the first time in program history. Before Sunday, the Lopes had never advanced beyond the quarterfinal round, which they reached in both 2018 and 2021. In addition, GCU's Taylor Hibicke, Daniela Lopez and Olivia Wood were named to the NIRSA All-Tournament team at the conclusion of the event.
 
The Lopes had mixed expectations heading to Wisconsin, since they finished 3^rd during the regular season of the Arizona Women's Basketball League but rallied to reach the championship game in the AWBL Playoffs. Once in Madison, the Lopes were dealt a pair of blows during the tournament's first day. After outlasting Northwestern University in their initial pool-play matchup, 49-44, they lost their second game to Boston College, 46-29, and lost starting center Taylor Vandenburg to a season-ending knee injury in the process. Undeterred, the Lopes inserted Wood into the starting lineup and caught fire on the tournament's second day, breezing to a 48-21 win Saturday morning against the University of Wisconsin before pulling off the 45-40 upset of Oregon in the second game.
 
"We knew after pool play that it was either play or go to the airport earlier, and we were 'here on business'," said Lopes' Assistant Coach Micah Williams. "The girls took the Oregon win as such a blessing, since no one outside of the team and our families thought we would win that game. We played some of the best basketball I've seen us play in the last three years to come out on top, and from there, we used that same determination and grit to capitalize on our other opponents."
 
The win gave the Lopes another quarterfinal berth, and this time, they took advantage of it, taking down James Madison University, 46-38, to advance to the tournament's final day. In the semifinals Sunday morning, the Lopes gradually built and held the lead throughout their 40-32 win over the University of Virginia. It was a similar flow in the title game, gradually extending their lead over the Gamecocks to a 38-30 cushion after three quarters, but the Gamecocks' combination of transition and hot three-point shooting helped them outscore GCU, 24-7, in the final period to win the title.
 

 
Hibicke and Lopez led the way in scoring for GCU, both averaging over 14 points (as well as two steals) per contest. Hibicke nearly posted a double-double for the tournament with just under 10 rebounds per game, while Lopez dished out a total of 21 assists. Meanwhile, Wood – who didn't even join the program until January - came into her own in Wisconsin, averaging 11 points and seven rebounds per game.
 
The Lopes finished the 2023-24 season with an overall record of 17 wins and eight losses – easily shattering their previous high for wins in a single season of 14, set in 2019.