WBB: Battles for WAC tournament positioning intensify as regular season title contenders meet
GCU survives a game effort from UT Arlington while Southern Utah and CBU also sweep the week to improve their tournament seeds with three weeks left...
Four of the eight games on this Valentine’s Week in WAC women’s basketball were decided by 10 points or less.
GCU survived strong efforts from Tarleton State and UT Arlington to keep the streak at 22 straight wins.
Southern Utah swept their in-state rivals to give themselves a bit of cushion in the race to avoid an opening round game at Burns Arena on March 11.
And CBU also swept the week, throwing a big wrench into the regular season title race.
Let’s take a look at the week that was and the week ahead in this week’s WAC Hoops Weekly Rewind…
Lopes push lead to 2.5 games and streak to 22 wins after a perfect homestand:
Coming into Saturday’s game against UT Arlington at Global Credit Union arena the GCU women’s basketball team had a cumulative scoring margin of +19 at home in their relatively new series, which included a 16 point loss just shy of two years ago.
A Lady Mavs squad coming off of a tough loss at the Fowler Events Center tested the Lopes, leading for 14:04 and holding a 66-63 lead with 6:01 left. However, just like at Moody Coliseum and Wisdom Gym a month earlier, GCU closed it out strong with a 19-3 run over 5:47 to record the double-digit win.
Tiarra Brown had 26 points and six rebounds to lead the Lopes, 20 of those in the first half to keep GCU in it as the Lady Mavs sprinted to an eight point lead before going to intermission tied on a Koi Love putback at the buzzer.
Trinity San Antonio took over in the second half, scoring 20 of her 24 points in the second stanza of Saturday’s game and adding eight assists.
Laura Erikstrup had 18 points with six rebounds while Alyssa Durazo-Frescas added 14 points for GCU. Durazo-Frescas is now the program’s record holder for 3-pointers made in a season with 87.
The Lopes needed every point to overcome a season-high 29 points from UT Arlington’s Aspen Thornton. Avery Brittingham chipped in 13 points with six rebounds and four assists. Koi Love, who has led the Lady Mavs in scoring at 16.3 points per game this year coming into the game, was held to just seven points in 31 minutes.
These two teams will meet again on February 27 at the College Park Center. Before we get to that point GCU visits CBU next Saturday for the final time as conference colleagues in regular season play.
GCU is 1-4 in road games at Fowler Events Center in the Miller Era with four of the five games having been decided by single digit final scores.
TBirds sweep the in-state week and gain a bit of separation from eighth place:
For the WAC’s three Utah schools any chance to get a win over an in-state rival is a big one.
This week Southern Utah played both in-state rivals for the first time in 2025 and came away with a pair of wins as Tracy Mason’s team looks to give themselves a little separation in the race for a seventh and final automatic spot at the Orleans Arena.
The TBirds now have three games in the win column over Utah Tech in that race with four games to play.
In Thursday’s 69-66 win at Utah Tech it was Lexi Bull’s layup and a pair of free throws from Daylani Ballena that preserved the SUU win.
Ballena had 18 points, five rebounds and a pair of assists while Ava Uhrich contributed 14 points along with eight rebounds to lead the Tbirds. Samantha Johnston chipped in 12 more points with a trio of 3-pointers.
Meanwhile at Utah Valley on Saturday in a 72-63 win, Uhrich had a season-high in scoring against Divsion I opponents with 27 points and eight rebounds. It’s the second time in three games Uhrich has surpassed that 20 point mark.
Ballena added another 21 points in the win for Southern Utah.
Lancers with a big weekly sweep to pull into a tie for third:
Last Saturday’s trip to Phoenix resulted in CBU taking their worst loss of WAC play, an 84-55 defeat to GCU in their final trip to Global Credit Union Arena.
On Thursday night CBU welcomed the Lady Mavs of UT Arlington and handed them their second loss of WAC play by a final score of 90-79.
The Lancers trailed 22-20 after a quarter but outscored UT Arlington 47-36 in second and third quarter play to take control.
Khloe Lemon’s 25 points with five 3-pointers led the CBU charge. Grace Schmidt added 19 points and eight rebounds while Nhug Bosch Duran chipped in another 15 points. Shawnee Nordstrom also had her best game as a Lancer with 11 points.
Anayiah Tu’ua added a season high 13 assists in the win.
After a short trip to St. George on Saturday the Lancers finished their Utah road trips with an 81-75 win at Utah Tech.
CBU had a 18 point fourth quarter lead whittled down to three points with 1:50 left but held on for the sweep of the week.
Lemon again led the way with 24 points, averaging 24.5 this week on nine for 16 shooting from beyond the arc. Grace Schmidt missed a double-double by a rebound with 12 points and nine rebounds while Tu’ua chipped in 12 points and seven assists.
The Week Ahead:
Our usual Thursday slate is on Wednesday due to the Utah High School Activities Association basketball state tournaments. Shoutout to the staffs at Utah Valley and Southern Utah for stepping up and being willing to serve as hosts.
Wednesday, February 19:
Utah Tech at Utah Valley 6 P.M. MT
Abilene Christian at Southern Utah 6:30 P.M. MT
Saturday, February 22:
GCU at CBU 2 P.M. MT
Utah Valley at Seattle U 2 P.M. MT
UT Arlington at Tarleton State 1 P.M. MT
Abilene Christian at Utah Tech 2 P.M. MT
Odds and Ends:
ACU’s Bella Earle recorded her 700th career rebound last week as the Wildcats recorded wins against Southern Utah and Utah Tech.
Tarleton State set the record for wins in a season as a Division I program in a 79- 76 comeback win Saturday afternoon at Seattle U. Arieona Rosborough had 19 points, seven rebounds, and five assists in the win. Jakoriah Long added another 15 points while Faith Acker, Elise Turrubiates and Miannah Little combined to score 34.
Emily Isaacson set a career-high in points scored with 27 and reached 1,100 career points in Utah Tech’s 78-75 loss to CBU on Saturday afternoon.
Alyssa Durazo-Frescas is now 26 3-pointers from setting the WAC record for total made 3s in a season. Becky Hammon currently holds that record at 114 in the 1998-1999 season. Southern Utah’s Samantha Johnston holds the record for made 3s in conference play at 61.
UT Arlington’s Avery Brittingham joined the 1,000 point and 1,000 career rebound club on Thursday night in a’ 90-79 loss at CBU.