WBB: Will the Road Warrior Mentality Continue in Week 2?
Three out of four games last Saturday were won by road teams. What will week two hold as all of the teams jump into conference play with Utah Tech making their debut?
The opening day of WAC play did not disappoint. Road teams became road warriors as three of four road squads picked up wins to open up league play.
The defending champs got a key component of the roster back in a big way.
The preseason favorites continued to roll offensively in a road win.
And a team that doesn’t score a ton of points held down a team that does score a ton of points in a feisty double-overtime win.
A pair of Utah teams make their first Texas trip of the year while CBU embarks on a three-game homestand and GCU looks to keep their winning streak intact in Phoenix.
Let’s take a look at the Week 2 slate which starts Thursday afternoon…All games on ESPN+.
Thursday, January 9:
Utah Valley (9-4, 1-0) at Grand Canyon (14-2, 1-0)
6 P.M. MT - ESPN+
Over the last couple of years, Utah Valley has pulled off an unexpected win in conference play but has been unable to sustain the momentum.
Last year, it was a 94-92 OT win over CBU while the previous two years they came at GCU’s expense.
There was the 65-63 double-overtime win in 2022 where Jaeden Brown had a 20-point, 20-rebound double-double as a freshman.
A year earlier, it was Madison Grange scoring 20 points in a 58-50 win at Global Credit Union Arena.
This time, the Wolverines visit Phoenix for one last matchup after defeating Abilene Christian in double-overtime on a Danja Stafford-Collins floater with 1.2 seconds left at Moody Coliseum.
Meanwhile, the Lopes are one of the country’s hottest teams, on a 12-game winning streak after hitting eight second-half 3-pointers en route to a 75-57 win at Southern Utah.
Alyssa Durazo-Frescas needs just 48 3-pointers to set the new WAC season record currently held by Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon.
For the Wolverines to have a chance in this one their defense, 11th in turnovers forced per game as of Monday morning and 58th in points per game allowed, will have to perform at a high level again.
GCU ranks 34th nationally in points per game scored, ninth in field goal percentage, and T50 in made 3-pointers per contest.
Utah Tech (4-9, 0-0) at UT Arlington (6-6, 1-0)
4 P.M. CT - ESPN+
After a 15-day break between games, the Trailblazers return to action and attempt to snap a five-game losing streak.
Their task will not be easy defensively as Koi Love and Avery Brittingham combine to average nearly 32 points and 16 rebounds per game along with combining for nearly half of UT Arlington’s assists.
Chardonnay Hartley, a Niagra transfer, leads the Trailblazers attack averaging 13 points and 6.3 assists per game. She’s also tied for seventh in the assist column nationally and leads Utah Tech in free throw attempts thus far by a nearly four-to-one margin over the next player.
Aalyiah Ibarra has also made a splash early, scoring in double-figures in seven of her first 12 games with a career-high 36 points in a win at McNeese State.
Emily Isaacson has picked up where she left off in 2022-2023, averaging just under 12 points per game with a team-leading 29 made 3-pointers.
Southern Utah (2-12, 0-1) at Tarleton (9-7, 0-1)
7 P.M. CT - ESPN+
Tarleton fell behind early, cut an 18-point first-half deficit to two points, but couldn’t get over the top in an opening loss to UT Arlington. Meanwhile, Southern Utah hung in there against GCU for 2+ quarters but fell victim to a second-half 3-point shooting barrage in a 22-point loss.
This is going to be a matchup of a Thunderbirds offense struggling to score against a Texan defense leading the WAC and ranked 41st nationally in scoring defense.
Arieona Rosborough had a season-high 28 points in Saturday’s loss at the College Park Center and is leading the Texan offense, averaging just shy of 12 points per game.
Meanwhile, Ava Uhrich is leading the Thunderbirds in scoring at 10.4 points per contest.
Idle:
Seattle U, CBU, and ACU
Saturday, January 11, 2025:
Utah Valley (9-4, 1-0) at CBU (4-11, 1-0)
NOON PT - ESPN+
CBU got Khloe Lemon back from an injury for their conference opener at Seattle U and she immediately made an impact, scoring 18 points and hitting a pair of key 3-pointers in a 70-64 win at the Redhawk Center.
A year ago the Lancers won by 19 points at home but fell in Orem as one of their two losses. They’ll be looking for their fifth win in seven games to begin a three-game homestand that also includes Tarleton and Abilene Christian next week.
Utah Valley hits the midpoint of a stretch where they’ll play three of four games away from Orem.
Seattle U (3-11, 0-1) at ACU (11-5, 0-1)
1 P.M. CT - ESPN+
ACU continues a three-game opening homestand to begin WAC play and faces a must-win if they want a shot at the regular season title.
Payton Hull leads the WAC in scoring at 18.4 points per game for ACU while Bella Earle and Emma Troxell are both averaging at least 10 points and six rebounds per game.
In Saturday’s loss, the Wildcat defense forced 28 Utah Valley turnovers. However, the Wolverines got 42 of their 64 points in the paint in a double-overtime win.
The Wildcats shot just 35.6 percent in that loss, their first game below 40 percent shooting since November 24.
Seattle U had a lead over CBU at the half. However, the Redhawks shot just seven of 25 after halftime in a six-point loss.
Both teams were idle on Thursday.
SUU (2-12, 0-1) at UT Arlington (6-6, 1-0)
2 P.M. CT - ESPN+
This is a matchup of two programs heading in opposite directions to start the year.
UT Arlington has a win over Houston during the non-conference slate and led by as many as 18 points in an 87-79 win against Tarleton. The Lady Mavs swept this week’s awards as Koi Love and Avery Brittingham won Newcomer and Player of the Week honors.
Although Southern Utah has a pair of wins, they were both against NAIA opponents and entered the game seeking their first win against a Division I opponent.
Utah Tech (4-9, 0-0) at Tarleton (9-7, 0-1)
2 P.M. CT - ESPN+
Starting this week Tarleton leads the WAC in scoring defense and defensive field goal percentage while ranking second in opponent 3-point percentage.
Those marks will be tested against a Utah Tech offense that is second nationally in total 3-pointers attempted and ninth in made shots beyond the arc per game.
Tarleton’s offense is beginning to find their groove, scoring 60 or more points in five straight contests.
After this week the Trailblazers will play four of their next five at Burns Arena while Tarleton is on a stretch of four out of five at Wisdom Gym.
Idle:
GCU