- Slug: GCU Women’s Basketball Streak, 880 words.
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By Ethan Holtzinger
Cronkite News
PHOENIX — The streak remains alive.
Grand Canyon University’s women’s basketball team continues to be one of the Valley’s hottest shows in sports. The Lopes are undefeated in the Western Athletic Conference, unbeatable at home and riding a 20-game winning streak as they barrel toward March Madness.
“It’s just a testament to this team, and this program, and every kid that’s come through here,” fifth-year Grand Canyon coach Molly Miller said of her squad, which upped its overall record to 22-2 following Saturday’s 84-55 victory over California Baptist. “They might not be on the team now, but even when I first started, they helped build this legacy, and I’m really proud of that.”
An 88-50 win against Seattle a few weeks ago already secured the record for longest winning streak in GCU women’s basketball history, which was previously 17. The team also holds the second-longest active win streak in NCAA Division I women’s basketball, trailing only UCLA (22).
GCU’s 20th win in a row Saturday was a fine start in the first battle of a three-game war – defending home court against Cal Baptist, Tarleton State and UT Arlington over a one-week span.
The Lopes are 15-0 on their home court of Global Credit Union Arena, another streak they hope to preserve over their last seven games in the regular season.
Next, the team looks ahead to its home matchup on Thursday against Tarleton State. GCU beat the Texans on the road last month 57-53, but it was one of the squad’s toughest challenges so far this season.
“You know, they’re a really good team, they had us down in the first half when we were at their place,” Miller said. “They’re scrappy, they can defend, they can rebound, they’ve got some pieces on the court offensively, so Tarleton’s definitely a huge test that lies ahead of us.”
Miller notched her 107th win with the Lopes Saturday, and one player has been with her since the very beginning: graduate student Tiarra Brown.
GCU is primarily a player-led group with experience, and Miller believes that the bond shared between herself and the veteran guard has been a major contributor to the team’s success thus far.
“Well her and I are lockstep in everything we think, everything we say, and everything we do,” Miller said. “I think that’s really special, to have a player that can finish your sentences, know what you’re thinking, and communicate with the locker room how I would communicate with the locker room. That kind of cohesiveness that Tiarra and I have has kind of brought us to this point.”
However, the Lopes don’t want to forget where they’re going by focusing too much on where they’ve been.
Coming off a disappointing end to their impressive season last year in WAC Tournament play, the squad does its best to ignore the win streak, and instead prioritizes the next game ahead.
“The streak is great, it feels like we accomplished a lot this year, but we still go into every game like we’re 0-0, so we just try to keep a level-headed mindset each game,” said Brown, who led her team in scoring with 22 points against the Lancers on Saturday.
Heading into that game, GCU had been taking most contests decidedly, with an average scoring margin of 20.7 points over the opposing team. The seasoned unit beat Cal Baptist by 29 earlier in the month, and graduate forward Laura Erikstrup, who leads the team in points, field goals and rebounds, says that it’s thanks to great defense.
“It’s an exciting brand of basketball, you know, in men’s basketball it’s the dunks, but for us it’s the defense,” Erikstrup said. “I think that’s what allows us to win. For us it’s the steals, being fast in transition, and playing composed as well. It’s all credit to Miller and her philosophies, and then us being able to execute them.”
Erikstrup transferred from San Diego to GCU ahead of the 2023-2024 season, but she didn’t have to stick around after last year. She was excited to see where Miller and the team could take things this season, and Erikstrup says she doesn’t regret the decision at all.
“Just what Miller has built with this program, and where she wants to take it to, I’m so bought in,” Erikstrup said. “To just be able to be a part of that and to have this opportunity, for sure that’s why I stayed. This environment, we have so many resources here and they really invest into us, so you want to be able to give back to them as much as possible.”
With the help of quality play and a historic season, GCU’s women’s basketball team has noticed an increase in fan support over the course of the season as well.
Miller hopes this season brings in new fans who stick around for the future.
“They say build it and they will come,” Miller said. “For us, we’ve had a really good core group of fans, but then everyone else is kind of curious about what our brand of basketball is like. I think with our defensive intensity, the way we share the ball – it’s a beautiful basketball game to watch – and I think that’ll grab fans and hopefully get them to come back.”
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