(Las Vegas, NV) This was the rubber match between these two fierce rivals and there was no love loss for either.
The Wolverines clinched the WAC by way of Cal Baptist ineligibility to go to the NCAA’s because of the transition rule.
Grand Canyon must win the Hercules Tire Basketball Tournament in order to get into The Dance.
Both teams split this season with each team winning on their home floor.
Lopes scored first off a Tiara Brown turnaround, but then UVU came back with five points and led 5-3 at the first media timeout.
GCU was only 1-7 and was allowing the Wolverines to get the ball down into the paint with ease.
Canyon’s next basket came with 3:12 left in the quarter by Katie Scott and was followed up with a Laura Piera jumper off a turnover to pull within one at 8-7.
Just before the first quarter ended, Scott committed her second foul but Piera got them even with a shot two steps behind the men’s three point line at the buzzer at 12-12.
Utah Valley’s five turnovers allowed the Lopes to come back in the latter part of the quarter. Another surprise was the Wolverines didn’t attempt a three point shot in the first quarter.
The Antelopes and Wolverines went back and forth for the majority of the second quarter until the 1:52 when with GCU lead, Tiarra Brown hit a three just to the right of the top of the key to give the Lopes a 23-19 into the halftime locker room.
Neither team shot well as GCU went 10-32 (31%) and the Wolverines just 7-23 (30%).
The big stat was the 11 UVU turnovers but Canyon only getting 6 points off the TO’s.
UVU tied the score at 23-23 with lest than two minutes gone in the third quarter as the Lopes missed their first four shots.
Back and forth they went again trading baskets but the Wolverines gained some daylight with a 30-27 lead at the media timeout
Tiarra Brown hit both free throws out of the time out and the vaunted Antelope press forced an immediate turnover into a shake and bake hoop by sister Tianna Brown for a brief 31-20 lead.
Both teams weren’t able to get an offensive flow and it’s wasn’t particularly because of stellar defense by either.
The Wolverines tied it back up at 34-34 after on Maria Carvalho in the paint was reviewed and with both teams scoring on subsequent possessions we were tied again 36-36 to end the third stanza.
So this all important game came down to the last ten minutes for a berth in the championship game against CBU.
Scott asserted herself with a follow up hoop and a strong move down low to get back the lead.
The Lopes and Wolverines traded three’s on the next two possessions, 43-41 GCU.
Canyon stepped up the press and scored when Carvalho tried to dribble through a triple team turning the ball over and their biggest lead of the game at 48-43 with 5:26 left.
Out of the final media timeout Tiarra Brown scored on a put back to reach the fifty point mark with only 4:48 left.
The final dagger to the heart of UVU was post move by Scott being fouled and converting the three point play to go up double figures 55-45 with the clock now the ally of the Lopes.
UVU failed to score in the last 3:26 of the game as Canyon came out with 57-54 victory.
So even with the Antelopes shooting poorly at 37% they advance to the Hercules Tire WAC Championship Game against top seeded California Baptist at 2 pm on Sunday.
