Putting its offensive balance on full display over eight quarters Saturday morning at the
Canyon Activity Center on the GCU campus,
Grand Canyon University Women's Club Basketball Team 1 ran away from both Ottawa University JV and Arizona Christian University Development in the first half of double-digit wins. The Lopes began the morning with an 82-64 win over OUAZ before building a 26-point halftime lead in a 77-62 victory over the Firestorm. The wins extended the unbeaten Lopes' lead over 2
nd-place Arizona State University Team 1 to 1 ½ games atop the Arizona Women's Basketball League standings with four games left to play.
GCU 82, Ottawa 64
Defense wasn't at a premium on either side throughout the first quarter as the Spirit and Lopes traded the lead four times in the first six minutes. Then the Lopes used a 12-0 run early in the 2
nd quarter to build a 36-19 edge and weren't really threatened after that. The Spirit even put together a 41-point 2
nd half but were still outscored by the Lopes as GCU's
Livi Wood's 16 points led a balanced effort, with
Maggie Hobson adding 13 points (with three three-pointers) and
Briza Flores finishing with 11 points. Lopes' point guard
Presley Blommers also added 10 points, and her relentless full-court pressure defense inspired a stretch of five steals in three minutes that helped the Lopes pull away in the 2
nd quarter.
GCU 77, Arizona Christian 62
Showing little fatigue with just 15 minutes in between games, the Lopes aggressively worked the ball inside, getting to the free throw line to convert 14 of 16 attempts in the first quarter alone, and built a 31-12 lead. Once the Firestorm tried to adjust their defense to sag inside, the Lopes stayed outside, with Hobson and Lopes' sophomore guard
Mia Brown draining a pair of 2
nd-quarter three-pointers each as the Lopes went into halftime with a 49-23 lead and never looked back. Hobson and Lopes' newcomer
Bailey Andersen led another balanced effort with 17 points each, while Wood added her second straight 16-point effort.
The Firestorm will have a chance to exact their revenge this weekend as the Lopes (7-4 overall, 6-0 AWBL) host ACU in a 10:30AM tipoff this Saturday at the CAC. Admission is FREE.
