(Photo via Marina Williams/WCSN)
Following a shortened Briann January Classic last weekend, Arizona State women’s basketball is set to host crosstown rivals GCU in a Friday afternoon matchup.
Last weekend’s classic saw the Sun Devils match up with Pacific, and through the first two quarters, the Tigers showed that they weren’t slouches.
With the game being tied at half 28-28, ASU head coach Natasha Adair needed to go into the locker room and fire up the Sun Devils to come out strong in the second half, and that is what they did exactly.
Led by senior guard Jaddan Simmons, ASU had an offensive explosion in the third quarter, shooting a staggering 60% from the field and outscoring the Tigers 27-13. Simmons went 3-for-3 from the field in that stretch and had seven points while at the wheel for the Sun Devil offense.
Grand Canyon (6-2) will be taking the short trip down to Tempe for Friday’s meeting against ASU (7-2). Last year, in front of GCU’s largest home crowd ever for a women’s basketball game, the Sun Devils won the back-and-forth affair with the Lopes 80-72. The Sun Devils will face a similar challenge Friday in this year’s matchup.
GCU is led by junior guard Trinity San Antonio, who averages just over 13 points, five rebounds, and five assists a game. San Antonio has been the offensive engine for GCU, not just by scoring the ball, but by getting her teammates involved as well. Through San Antonio’s first eight contests, she has led the team in assists in seven of them.
San Antonio also does it on the defensive end with just under two steals a game, contributing to a gritty Lopes defense.
Senior guard Tiarra Brown and junior guard Naudia Evans round out the top scorers at 10.5 and 8.8 points per game, respectively, and all three players have played major parts in a solid start for GCU.
Not only are the top three scorers shooting well, but the team, as a whole, has been consistent to start the season. The Lopes lead the Western Athletic Conference in field goal percentage at 44.7% while also leading in three-point percentage at 39%, a mark that ranks among the top 20 in the nation.
An Evans game-winner sealed the deal in GCU’s home opener against Saint Mary’s, and the Lopes carried that momentum into their next win at North Dakota. After a 2-0 start, GCU took two losses at home to Oregon and Montana, and since then, the lopes have found a rhythm, bringing a four-game win streak into Desert Financial Arena.
Friday’s matchup will be a fast-paced, defensively-focused game. GCU’s heavy ball movement and use of the pick-and-roll will be a tough combination to slow down, but ASU’s aggressive defensive game plan and its overall versatility on both ends of the floor may just be enough to stop the Lopes in their tracks.
ASU and GCU will clash at 1 p.m. MST on Friday.
