(Phoenix, AZ) Grand Canyon senior guard Tianna Brown knocked down a record-breaking eight 3-point shots as part of a career-high 26 points that helped the Lopes take down Dixie State 66-50 at home Saturday.
Brown’s eight 3s broke the GCU Division I era record, which was previously seven, and tied the all-time program record set by Maylinn Smith in 2012. Brown became the only player in the nation to make eight 3s in a game this season in fewer than 26 minutes. Playing off the bench, Brown connected on 8 of 12 shots from 3-point range.
Only 19 players in the nation have made eight 3s in a game this season and only four did so in fewer attempts. Brown’s previous scoring high was 15.
“What a game for her,” GCU head coach Molly Miller said about Brown. “She was the hot hand and I got a tug from one of my assistants that she’s tied the 3-point record and I said ‘Welp, let’s get her back in there so she can hold it.’ So happy for her to be able to come out and be a big spark for us. That’s why she started the second half. She was a threat out there. She’s a two-way player. She can hit the 3. She can definitely guard. Really great performance by Tianna.”
The Lopes (16-7, 9-3 WAC) had two players score in double figures with Brown and junior forward Dominique Phillips, who also came off the bench to add 11 points and six rebounds.
GCU dished out 15 assists on 24 made field goals with Brown’s younger sister, sophomore guard Tiarra Brown, delivering three.
The Lopes forced 18 Dixie State turnovers and turned them into 22 points. GCU freshman point guard Ja’mya Powell-Smith led the way with three steals.
“We talked about our pressure defense and how we wanted to be relentless for 40 minutes,” Miller said. “I thought it was a lot better today from the start and that’s going to give us momentum and that carries us into an offensive flow. I thought we moved the basketball pretty good today, found good shots and open shots and Tianna hit the open shot.”
GCU started hot by going on a 12-0 run, highlighted by two 3s from Brown. The Lopes allowed only four Dixie State points the rest of the quarter and added six points to that lead by the end of the period for an 18-4 advantage. The Lopes outrebounded the Trailblazers 19-4 in the first quarter and went on to finish with a season-high 48 rebounds.
“That’s something you can control,” Miller said about GCU’s rebounds. “It actually started with Chloe (Akin-Otiko), getting the start and having five offensive rebounds in the first half. We needed possessions, and that’s going to happen off our defense and offensive rebounds.”
The Lopes maintained their lead in the second frame and entered halftime with a 34-23 edge.
Following the break, GCU continued to expand its lead, pushing it to 46-31 before going on a 5-0 run that was punctuated by a basket from Tianna Brown for a 51-31 lead with 1:51 to go in the third. The Lopes knocked down four 3-pointers in the 20-point quarter.
The Lopes held on for the victory in the fourth quarter, with the bench finishing with 50 of GCU’s 66 points.
Up next, GCU plays California Baptist for the second time this season.
The Lopes and Lancers meet Thursday night at GCU Arena.
“They’re just a team that really could get hot and they can rattle off points in a hurry,” Miller said about the Lancers. “We’ve got to do a good job of defenses being our focus and continue the flow offensively but doing those little things, like rebounding and diving on the floor for the loose balls, making the extra pass. Those things beat good teams, so we’ll just continue to emphasize that and then prepare, scout, focus and come back for another battle.”
Press Release courtesy of Grand Canyon University Athletics – Sierra Smith
